Davids, Adkins and other Kansas candidates in final sprint for votes before Election Day
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids, the first two Native American women elected to Congress, campaigned together in Overland Park on Friday amid a final scramble by candidates for Kansas votes.
The visit by a high-level Biden administration official came as Republican and Democratic candidates were holding an array of last-minute get-out-the-vote events ahead of Election Day on Tuesday.
Davids’ Republican challenger, Amanda Adkins, has spent the past week touring the Kansas 3rd Congressional district, touting her closing economic message. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly announced multiple events in the area for the weekend, while Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Kelly’s Republican opponent, rallied supporters in northern Miami County on Friday afternoon.
Kelly, Davids and Chris Mann, the Democratic candidate for state attorney general, were all scheduled to headline a Sunday rally in Johnson County – a final push to drive up turnout in one of most Democratic-friendly areas of the state. Kelly and Lt. Gov. David Toland scheduled a combined six campaign stops in Johnson County on Saturday and Sunday.
The frenzied campaigning will help determine whether Kansas Democrats – energized after voters in August rejected a state constitutional amendment on abortion – can withstand a midterm election on Tuesday expected to nationally favor Republicans, who have aggressively criticized Democrats and President Joe Biden over the economy.
“Our amazing, wonderful President Joe Biden needs to have Sharice back in Congress so that he can count on her. He needs partners in Congress to work and he got so much done just in two short years,” Haaland told a crowd of dozens inside Homer’s Coffee House.
Haaland, who emphasized she was appearing in her personal capacity, appeared to grow emotional as she described her connection with Davids.
Davids and Haaland, of New Mexico, both made history in 2018 when they became the first Native American women elected to Congress. Davids and Haaland hid together during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021.
Haaland resigned from Congress in March 2021 after the Senate confirmed her to Biden’s cabinet. She is the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary.
Several Biden administration officials have visited the area this year. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg participated in a rally in Kansas City, Kan., last month, though it took place in the neighboring 2nd Congressional District. Davids also hosted Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in an official visit.
Adkins has been touring the suburban district holding economic-focused events all week. Adkins, a former Cerner executive, appeared at a news conference with Rep. Drew Ferguson, the chief deputy whip for House Republicans, on Thursday and on Friday held a roundtable with women who own businesses.
“I think the folks in Kansas recognize that they were sold a bill of goods and they were promised things and Ms. Davids went the exact opposite direction,” Ferguson told reporters.
Adkins, who also ran against Davids in 2020, has hammered the congresswoman over inflation, the number of migrants crossing the southern border and the spread of fentanyl – common Republican messages themes nationally. She told reporters on Thursday that many people in the district already believe a recession is underway.
“They’re looking at where we’re at as we have a few days left heading toward the election and recognizing that policies of Joe Biden as president and the votes that Sharice Davids has taken … it has all contributed negatively to this country,” Adkins said.
Adkins singled out Davids’ vote in favor of the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending package approved by Congress in early 2021. Republicans say the federal spending has helped fuel inflation.
“I continue to hear on the campaign trail that people are looking for change,” Adkins said. “Clearly, this is a super-competitive cycle and district.”
Davids has said Adkins, a former chair of the Kansas Republican Party, associates with extreme politicians, pointing to her past as a campaign manager for former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Davids has also heavily emphasized abortion rights, especially in the wake of the August vote, in which Kansans overwhelmingly voted down an amendment that would have allowed the Legislature to severely restrict or ban the procedure.
In August, “people across political parties, across ideologies came together to push back against some of this extreme stuff that we’re seeing,” Davids said at the Friday event as she stood next to Haaland. “And I know that we can do that.”
A New York Times-Siena College poll released last week gave Davids a 14-point lead over Adkins, a result that has been widely discounted among political operatives and observers in Kansas who believe the race is closer. As of Friday, in simulations run by FiveThirtyEight, Davids won 79% of the time.
National Democrats have significantly outspent national Republicans in the 3rd District race. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that’s closely aligned with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, has spent more than $2.5 million on the race, but it hasn’t spent any money supporting Adkins or attacking Davids since the middle of October, a sign that national Republicans are prioritizing other districts in the final stretch.
The redrawn 3rd District, stretching from southern Wyandotte County through Johnson County and into rural areas southwest of the Kansas City metro, features one of the most competitive House races in the country. The district, which went for Biden by about 4 percentage points in 2020, includes some of the most fertile ground for Democrats in the state.
That makes it must-win territory for Democrats hoping to win statewide, including not only Kelly but also state attorney general candidate Chris Mann, who is running against former Republican Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. Davids, Kelly and Mann were all scheduled to campaign together in Johnson County on Sunday.
On the Republican side, Schmidt campaigned in the 3rd District on Friday. The GOP candidate for governor held a rally in Bucyrus, in northern Miami County – part of a final sprint of 90 visits by Schmidt and his running mate, Katie Sawyer, across the state in the final 17 days of the race.
In a 10-minute stump speech, Schmidt urged supporters to get out to the polls.
“This by all measurements is a close race,” Schmidt said. “If our people show up who believe that we can do better than the last four years, the outcome will not be close on Election Day.”
The governor’s race remains very close, according to a poll released this week by Emerson College Polling for Nexstar Media Group. The survey found 46% support for Kelly and 43% for Schmidt, within the poll’s margin of error.
As Election Day approaches, Schmidt has prioritized more reliably Republican areas in his campaigning. A new campaign finance report showed his campaign had spent no TV advertising dollars in the Kansas City media market. Advertisements on Schmidt’s behalf have run in the area from groups including the Republican Governors Association.
Meanwhile, Kelly made stops in Johnson County and Salina to celebrate a groundbreaking for Panasonic’s new electric vehicle battery plant and expansion of an existing pizza manufacturing facility.
“We’ve worked hard to help Panasonic and other companies build their futures here in Kansas,” Kelly said during a groundbreaking event for the battery plant. “Our historic investments in K-12 and higher education have supported a talent pipeline and outstanding workforce.”
While the events were in Kelly’s official capacity as governor, her campaign promoted the groundbreaking on social media and in news releases.
The Star’s Daniel Desrochers contributed reporting
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 5:23 PM.
