In addition to the 9 gazillion candidates for governor, come June 1, assuming everyone is still in the race, there will also be 9 gazillion running mates. This could be fun!!
First, let's talk ideal qualities in a running mate in the Republican primary. The unicorn is a female with legislative experience with strong ties to the Big First. This person doesn't really exist.
Word on the street is that approximately 1.5 million of the current Republican candidates have sent word to Ashley McMillian, the Vice Chair of the KS Republican Party. She doesn't have legislative experience, but she knows everyone, she's from the Big First, and she has Republican street cred. (Rules for obtaining Republican street cred: Never listens to rap music. Likes children. Blocks Gidget on Facebook. Knows all the cool kids, etc. etc.) Rumor has it, she's told everyone she's not interested, so everyone is forced to look elsewhere.
Other popular potential LG candidates, according to the rumor mill, include Sen. Molly Baumgardner and former state Sen. Garrett Love. Baumgardner's district covers parts of the Third and Second Congressional District. She lives in Louisburg, but the district that she covers includes my house in Johnson County--barely. The people who talk about such things tell me she's been asked by more than one candidate and has told at least one candidate no thanks.
Former state Sen. Garrett Love is another popular contender for an LG nod. He identifies as a male, so that hurts him. But he's from the Big First, where he's well known. He also has a reputation as a good fundraiser. I haven't looked, but people tell me his Senate account bulges with six figures. I hear he's also told at least one person he isn't interested. I don't know if that means he's not interested in serving with the person who asked or if that means he's not interested at all.
We're going to know Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer's running mate quite soon--probably. (I guess he could name an LG and then run with someone else.) Sources tell me he's looking at Jackie McClaskey. McClaskey is the current Kansas Secretary of Agriculture. And, she's a she from the Big First. Currently, she lives in Manhattan, where the state's Dept. of Ag is located. (This is in opposition of what's in state statute, but who's keeping track of that kind of nonsense these days.) Anyway, she is from Girard, went to K-State, now works in Ag. She ticks all of the Big First boxes, and she identifies as a woman.
Kobach, I've heard, is leaning on someone who ISN'T from the Big First and who isn't a woman, but I've also heard that he's considering Senate President Susan Wagle. (I hear she's interested, too). This rumor makes about as much sense to me as attempting to get a line-less sun tan by basking in the three hours of sunlight in a Siberian winter. Kobach is running as a conservative, and Wagle's conservative street cred is, well, questionable. Though she's definitely making a bid to govern from the right this session, she's been squishy. Still, as some tell me, she is a woman. She has legislative experience, and only careful political watchers recognize that Wagle's politics have been a somewhat whiplash affair.
Wink Hartman might announce his LG before the others. Word on the street is that he won't wait until the filing deadline in June to make that announcement. I haven't heard any names bandied about, but I have heard he himself has been approached by a few candidates about the possibility of joining tickets with Hartman as the LG.
I think anyone who watches Facebook probably suspects Mark Hutton is thinking about Erin Davis as a potential number two. She's a woman with legislative experience and she's definitely in his corner.
I haven't heard a thing about the remainder of the Kansas GOP candidates, nor have I been able to read their social media tea leaves to take a guess. Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer is definitely the dark horse in the race. He raised a surprising amount of money and has ties to the Big First and the Third, which opens up his options considerably.
Now, about the Dems: I've heard a crazy story. Word on the street is that presumed frontrunner state Sen. Laura Kelly is hoping to moderate her socialist side. Therefore, she's looking at actual Dem moderates. My (probably bad) Dem source tells me she's winking in the direction of former state treasurer Dennis McKinney. McKinney has served as a statewide official and hails from the Big First. Having farm creds probably matters a lot less on the D side of the ticket in Kansas. There are a LOT of Republicans in the First district, and a salty handful of Dems. The Dem strongholds are the People's Republic of Lawrence, JoCo, WyCo, and pockets of Topeka and Wichita. If the Dems continue on the path of actually having a primary election, the Dem candidates would be wise to pick an LG partner who can draw voters from those strongholders. If the Ds do what the Ds usually do, they'll settle on a frontrunner before the primary election. I honestly don't see that happening this time around, but the Ds continually surprise me.
And in that vain, the other rumor I've heard is that Kelly is considering Josh Svaty, the scariest of the Dem gubernatorial candidates for Republicans, to be her side kick. He would probably say she should be his number two, because he's the frontrunner.
I'm curious what you all think.
As David Kensinger would say, "Boom."
No comments:
Post a Comment