Former Brownback official, ex-lawmaker join Kansas GOP races for Congress at last minute

Dennis Taylor, a former Brownback cabinet official, joined the Republican race for Kansas’ 2nd congressional district on Monday, promising a more moderate alternative to incumbent Rep. Steve Watkins and challenger Jake LaTurner.

At the same time, former state Rep. Tom Love jumped into the large Republican field fighting to take on Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids in the 3rd congressional district.

The late entry of the two men, just before the noon Monday filing deadline, could further fracture the GOP primary electorate while Democrats build support for their favored candidates in both races.

In the 2nd district, Taylor splits up what had been a head-to-head matchup between Watkins and LaTurner, the current state treasurer. In the 3rd district, Love’s late entry expands the number of GOP candidates to five in a district that’s a top priority for national Republicans.

LaTurner and Watkins have fought for the conservative mantle throughout the spring, but Taylor said Monday he decided to enter the race because he couldn’t bring himself to vote for either one.

“I don’t see either one of them doing anything more than arguing about who’s the most conservative imposter or who’s the guy who’s got unbridled political ambition,” Taylor told reporters in Topeka. “Those aren’t serious issues.”

Watkins and Taylor are from Topeka, raising the possibility that Taylor could draw votes from the incumbent in the district’s largest city.

In announcing his candidacy, Taylor promised to oppose corruption and that “no one, from either political party, is above the law.” The comment comes against the backdrop of an investigation by the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office into whether Watkins voted illegally in a Topeka city election last year. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said Monday that his office has requested “additional follow up investigation. Once that is completed, we will continue our review process.”

In response to Taylor’s entry, Watkins campaign spokesman Bryan Piligra said the congressman “has governed exactly as he promised - as a staunch conservative (who) will fight alongside President Trump.”

LaTurner’s campaign responded by attacking Watkins, calling him a “lame duck congressman.”

Whichever Republican wins the August primary will almost certainly face Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla, who is heavily favored to win the Democratic nomination.

Taylor, 70, pledged to donate half of his congressional paycheck to coronavirus relief. He called for investment in a national virus-tracing jobs program to get unemployed people back to work, saying “we cannot just count on the hope of a vaccine or for the disappearance of the virus.”

Taylor, a former Shawnee County commissioner who teaches business law at Washburn University, ran in the Republican primary for secretary of state in 2018, finishing third in a five-way race.

Under Gov. Sam Brownback, Taylor served stints as secretary of administration and a deputy director at the Kansas Lottery. He also led the state’s social service agency, then known as SRS, under Gov. Mike Hayden.

Love enters crowded GOP field

Love, a 67-year-old real estate investor in Overland Park, said he will only accept campaign contributions from people who are registered voters in the 3rd district, which covers Johnson, Wyandotte and Miami Counties.

“I think that’s something very important to clean up politics,” said Love, who recounted how he became concerned about the influence of money in politics during his one term in the Kansas House from 1991 to 1992.

“Money can’t buy you Love,” he said, previewing his campaign slogan.

In addition to campaign finance reform, Love’s primary policy focus is ensuring that school districts properly use federal funds for literary education.

Love joins a GOP field that already includes former Kansas Republican chair Amanda Adkins, former Roeland Park Mayor Adrienne Vallejo Foster, former Burns & McDonnell executive Mike Beehler and Sara Hart Weir, the former president of the National Down Syndrome Society.

Davids is the only Democrat in Kansas’ congressional delegation and her seat is a top target for national Republicans.

When Love served in the Kansas Legislature, it was as a Democrat at a time when the party held a one-seat majority in the Kansas House and Democrat Joan Finney held the governorship.

Love ran for the U.S. House in 1992, winning the Democratic nomination before losing the general election to Republican Rep. Jan Meyers. Love switched parties and ran an unsuccessful GOP primary challenge against Meyers in 1994.

This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 2:18 PM.