Posted by caleb on Apr 24, 2011 in
Local and State Politics [Cross-posted from the Midwest Regional CRNC blog at ourCRNC.blogspot.com.]
It’s that time of year, again! Announcing the 2011 Annual Kansas Federation of College Republicans Convention in Topeka, KS on April 30th at 8:00, hosted by the Kansas Republican Party.
Invited Guests include:
Kansas State Executive Officials
Governor Sam Brownback
Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer
Attorney General Derek Schmidt
Treasurer Ron Estes
Secretary of State Kris Kobach
Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger
Kansas Federal Officials
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS)
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS02)
Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS01)
Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS04)
Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-KS03)
Kansas State Legislative Leaders
Speaker Mike O’Neal
Majority Leader Arlen Siegfried
RNC Officials
National Committeeman and former Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-KS04)
National Committeewoman Helen Vanetten
Republican Activists
Virginia Crossland-Macha
Melissa Ward
For more information, please contact
Paje Routhier, Chair
Kansas Federation of College Republicans
785.783.4735
Tags: Arlen Siegfried, Derek Schmidt, Helen Vanetten, Jeff Colyer, jerry moran, Kansas Federation of College Republicans, Kevin Yoder, kris kobach, KSFCR, KSFCR Annual Convention, Lynn Jenkins, Melissa Ward, Mike O'Neal, Mike Pompeo, Paje Routhier, Pat Roberts, Ron Estes, Sam Brownback, Sandy Praeger, Tim Huelskamp, Todd Tiahrt, Virginia Crossland-Macha
Posted by caleb on Apr 14, 2011 in
Local and State Politics
Tags: Aakash Raut, Brandon West, brie bringle, Brieanna Bringle, Caleb Hays, Chase Blasi, College Republican National Committee, Endorsments, Hays for President, Jace Mills, Kansas Federation of College Republicans, Kansas Federation of Teenage Republicans, Melissa Ward, Michelle Hucke, Pittsburg State University College Republicans, PSU CRs, Virginia Crossland
You may download campaign collateral for your Facebook or Twitter profile pictures using this link. I appreciate your support!
Tags: Caleb Hays, campaign, Hays for PSU CRs President, kansas, Pittsburg State University College Republicans, President, PSU CRs, PSUCRs
Posted by caleb on Mar 27, 2011 in
Local and State Politics Below, I’ve cross-posted my letter to the editor of the Labette Avenue (my local weekly) and the Parsons Sun (the local daily) regarding local candidates and elections.
On April 5, Kansas voters will go to the polls to decide who should serve on their local city councils, school boards, and boards of trustees for their local community colleges. Mayoral and other municipal races are also taking place during this election.
The problem is that, in rural areas in Kansas like where I live, races like these are based more on knowing a candidate more than their positions. They have to be; most candidates don’t even take the time to publish any of their ideas. It is considered sufficient to file papers with the County Clerk’s Office and hope for the best.
It is time for a change. The voters deserve better. I’m sure most of the candidates are good people, but that’s not what is most important. I care about how they will help my city, county, and local school district improve.
I consider my vote valuable, and I want to make informed choices with it. The complete lack of information on local candidates makes this almost entirely impossible.
Today, I’m respectfully issuing a challenge to everyone running for office to publish, at the very least, a short biography and a list of their positions on a few issues they consider important. Tell us why we should vote for you. We’ll agree with some of your positions, and disagree with others, but at least voters will know what to expect if you are elected. By publishing your views, you will be earning your votes, as opposed to winning (or losing) by default. Let us decide whom to vote for based on merits, not connections.
That’s how our republic should function.
Respectfully,
Caleb Hays
Below, I’ve published a list of local candidates, since even this list of candidates is difficult to find online. Please be aware this is specific to voters located within the city limits of Oswego, KS. This originally appeared in the Labette Avenue on January 28, 2011 and also includes information for other areas in Labette County, KS.
Oswego, KS Municipal Elections
Mayor
Glenn Fischer (my candidate of choice), or Bob Shields
City Council (choose 3)
Dee Brown, William Gray, Larry Hawkins, William Owens and Darren Tynan
School Boards
USD 504 School Board (choose 4)
William Barnes, Steven Charles, Tina Dinnsen, Jordan Irwin, Steve McBrien, Shaun Stapleton and Crystal Yeoman
Labette Community College Board of Trustees (choose 3)
Matthew Atteberrry, Carl Hoskins, Montie Taylor, David Winchell and Aubury Schultz
Tags: candidates, elections, kansas, Labette Avenue, Labette Community College, Labette County, local elections, Oswego, Parsons Sun
Posted by caleb on Feb 20, 2011 in
Local and State Politics Democratic State Representatives from Southeast Kansas have been trying for years to get a destination casino to come to the area, even though several highly advertised casinos are located only a few miles over the state line in Oklahoma’s Northeast – Green Country gaming region. With so many Oklahoma casinos located so close to the Kansas border, and with the failure of the Camptown Greyhound Park in Frontenac, KS, the sensibility of building a state-sponsored gaming center in the southeast corner of the state has been doubted.
In fact, one of the Camptown developers even mentioned this in 2008: “We would not be able to compete in that region of Kansas effectively with the tax rate and competing against a $300 million casino just a few miles away.”
After all of these setbacks, one might imagine our state representatives might realize a destination gaming center is simply not going to be successful due to the region’s relative geography.
Junction City, KS Rep. James Fawcett filed a bill late last week that put another nail in the Southeast Gaming Zone’s coffin. His bill creates an “either/or” option – meaning a state-sponsored destination gaming center could be built in either the proposed Northwest Gaming Zone, or the Southeast Gaming Zone surrounding Pittsburg, KS. Obviously, the point is to shift the focus from the dead-in-the-water SE Zone to anything else.
One SE Representative expressed his surprise in a rather surprising and uncouth way:
“I’ll tell you what, you want to talk about surprised,” said Rep. Bob Grant, a Cherokee Democrat. “I know what the Americans who were left a Pearl Harbor felt like.” (Pittsburg Morning Sun, “New gaming bill could ace out SEK” – 19 Feb 2011)
Is Kansas State Representative Bob Grant really comparing the impending loss of a gaming center to the devastation the nation felt on December 7, 1941 when a hostile enemy ruthlessly bombed our soil and killed thousands of Americans? Bob Grant has represented Kansas House District 2 since 1991. Perhaps the time has come for him to retire while he still has an ounce of dignity remaining.
Tags: Bob Grant, Camptown Greyhound Park, Grant, Kansas House District 2, KS House, KS House Dist 2, KSLeg, Oklahoma, Pearl Harbor, sek, southeast kansas
Posted by caleb on Aug 4, 2010 in
Local and State Politics,
Personal Volunteering for the Todd Tiahrt for U.S. Senate campaign this summer has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
We started out last night winning. In fact, we were leading Mr. Moran for around half the evening. All of our numbers looked fantastic. We soundly won the Third and Fourth Congressional Districts – picking up the two most populous counties in Kansas, Sedgwick, the home of Wichita, and Johnson, of the Kansas City area. We even pulled in highly respectable numbers in Moran’s own First District.
That brought the race down to the Second District. In Southeast Kansas, where Michelle Hucke, Jarrod Mendicki, and I worked, we blew our vote target numbers out of the water.
Unfortunately, Shawnee County, the home of Topeka and also part of the Second District, went to Moran, and at that point, we no longer had a path to victory.
I’m not going to offer an explanation as to why we lost by a measly 4%, simply because I don’t think there is one. We ran a truly clean, grassroots-driven, and issues-based campaign. Unlike Moran, we didn’t attack family or send out misleading mailers; we simply pointed out his mistakes with well-documented votes from public record. If there’s any explanation, is that Jerry Moran doesn’t speak the truth and the voters, unfortunately, believed him.
Moran stretched when it came to his own record. It’s no wonder Moran and Tiahrt looked so close on paper – Moran basically ran using Todd’s record.
Heart-breakingly, sometimes corrupt politicians win.
Listening to Congressman Tiahrt’s concession speech last night was one of the toughest and most gut-wrenching things I’ve ever done, but I can tell you this: I’ve never been more proud in my life.
When I listened to Todd, I saw a humble, unassuming, and gracious man – the same one I’ve seen every other time I’ve talked with him. He was disappointed, as all of us were, but he held his head high and spoke while looking us directly in the eyes.
It’s sickening, because the right man did not win last night. The right man – the one with an incredible sense of duty, integrity, and honesty – was standing with his wife and two of his children on a stage at the Airport Hilton in Wichita, KS.
I have never believed in a candidate like I believe in Todd Tiahrt.
We may not have won the primary last night, but I wouldn’t trade this summer for anything in the world. It’s impossible to describe in words how thankful I am for the incredible things I’ve learned and, most importantly, for the amazing people I’ve met. I look on many of them as my new extended family.
It’s hard to let go of an idea – of a campaign – you believe in and have dedicated hundreds of hours to.
We had the right candidate. Todd IS the right man for the job. It just didn’t happen – from the way the numbers looked early-on, the only plausible explanantion is that God has a much better plan for Todd Tiahrt than the U.S. Senate.
As for party unity? I will never vote for the Democrat, but there’s about zero chance of me voting for Jerry Moran. Besides, what’s the difference between him and Lisa Johnston? Not much.
We ran a good race, but sometimes the good guys don’t win, and sometimes we can’t explain it, gut-wrenching as it may be.
Please continue to keep the Tiahrt family, the State of Kansas, and our nation in your prayers. Despite this devestating setback, we will succeed in restoring our nation.
Tags: Jarrod Mendicki, Michelle Hucke, Tiahrt, Todd Tiahrt, U.S. Senate
Posted by caleb on Aug 3, 2010 in
Local and State Politics I’m sitting at a table at the Tiahrt Victory Party watching results come in.
As of the latest results, we’re up by two points: Tiahrt 48% – Moran 46%.
I’ll keep you updated.
Update 1:
We’ve won both Johnson and Sedgwick Counties – the two largest on Kansas!
Update 2:
It’s three and a half hours after the polls closed, and we’re still in a dead tie: 47 – 47.
Update 3:
We fought the good fight. Mr. Tiahrt was the right choice, but congratulations, Mr. Moran.
Tags: Tiahrt, Todd Tiahrt, U.S. Senate
On Thursday, July 8, Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-KS04) completed his tour of Southeast Kansas with multiple stops in Parsons, Oswego, and Pittsburg.
I caught up with the Congressman as he was touring downtown Oswego, KS, my hometown. Michelle Hucke, Tiahrt SEK Coordinator, and I (the lowly Labette County coordinator), along with Brie Bringle and Tom Bringle, Mayor of Oswego, introduced Todd to all of the local merchants and business owners in the community.
Mr. Tiahrt also toured one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in Oswego, the Boss Tank division of Tank Connections.
Later that afternoon, he held a town hall in Oswego – most likely the first event of this nature held in Oswego in at least a few decades. Even in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, he still had almost 1.5% of the entire population of the city attend – that’s the same attendance, per capita, as the Karl Rove event in Wichita!
Voters in Oswego are very excited about Todd. In fact, as you drive through the community of roughly 2,000 inhabitants, you’ll see Tiahrt yard signs all over the place; there’s even a giant 4×8 sign downtown. As for Todd’s opponent, he’s never heard the term “SEK” and his travel (or lack thereof) to the area shows it.
That evening, the Congressman hosted a “meet and greet” and town hall in Pittsburg, KS with the Southeast Kansas Conservatives group. With only hours notice, people packed into the meeting room the organization had reserved on Broadway in Pittsburg.
The photograph above (I apologize for the poor quality) was taken at the very beginning of the Congressman’s speech and from the front of the crowd. If you could only see how every seat surrounding Todd was filled! In fact, as people continued to come in throughout the evening, they had to sit behind just to have a place to sit. That’s how excited we are in Southeast Kansas about Todd Tiahrt.
You could feel the electricity and excitement in the air as Todd spoke about our need to rid ourselves of unnecessary government involvement. He said, “If the cost of a regulation outweighs its benefit, let’s get rid of it!” He also talked about the urgency with which he fought against Obama’s health care plan, and how we must repeal the atrocity called Obamacare as soon as is humanly possible. Truly, the Congressman was on-fire last night.
One woman raised her hand and talked about how, as “embarrassed” as she was to admit it, she was a registered Democrat. She said that she was ashamed of what her party was doing to the nation, and that she had been planning on re-registering as a Republican. The woman said after hearing Todd speak, and seeing the integrity with which he conducted himself, she was convinced and that she’d be voting for him on August 3. Talk about awesomeness!
The excitement on the ground was palpable. Basically everywhere we went, if you mentioned the name “Tiahrt,” eyes lit up, and people were anxious to speak with Todd. If you have ever had any doubt about the winner of August’s primary, cast it out. Todd Tiahrt will be our next U.S. Senator from Kansas.
Tags: boss tank, brie bringle, columbus, kansas, Michelle Hucke, obamacare, Oswego, Pittsburg, sek, sek conservatives, Senate, southeast kansas, Southeast Kansas Conservatives, tank connections, Tiahrt, Todd Tiahrt, Tom Bringle, U.S. Senate
