The following shows a continuing trend of the Tea Party style attacks on the Republican Party paying off. It would appear that these new more conservative politicians are firmly in the pockets of businesses and plan to give them everything they want. This will mean tough times for poor and working poor as well as students of the public schools systems as these Republicans want to continue to cut and gut public education. -សតិវ អតុ

Conservative Republicans beat long-time moderates in Kansas

From Wichita Peace and Freedom Party Examiner;

Tea Party style conservative efforts to out spend and defeat moderate Republicans paid off in Kansas. This Tuesday’s elections saw longtime Republicans serving in the House and Senate defeated.

These new conservatives seem modeled after Tea Party Republicans who have been pushing for even more radical conservative measures, such as cutting the education budget and schemes to privatize or eliminate entitlement programs, such as Medicaid.
Michael O’Donnell, a Wichita City Councilman, beat third-term Republican Senator Jean Schodorf, by almost 60 percent of the vote. O’Donnell will face Democrat Timothy Snow in the general election. Schodorf holds a key place as chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.

Before the election, she and other eight other moderate Republicans where targeted by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce for defeat in favour of the more conservative opponents. The moderates were pro-business and have had the support of the Chamber in the past.

Other candidates that were targeted include Representative Dan Kerschen, defeated by Senator Dick Kelsey. According to The Wichita Eagle, the race baffled some observers because Kelsey is widely viewed as a staunch conservative. He has drawn opposition for balking at Governor Sam Brownback’s tax and Medicaid reform plans.

According to The Wichita Eagle the nine incumbent Republican senators were challenged from right-wing conservatives with strong backing from the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and other conservative PACs. Some of the senators kept their seats including Senate President Steve Morris, and Senator Carolyn McGinn.

According to the Kansas Chamber of Commerce website;

“Each year, your Chamber develops a Legislative Agenda that makes it clear to legislators what our membership expects from their state Legislature – economic growth – and in very specific terms. We emphasize again our core principles of free enterprise. And that removing obstacles to job creation and economic growth is paramount. This year’s Legislative Agenda for Economic Growth represents a consensus among our members: We must reduce the cost of doing business in Kansas.”

The Republican Party is already very pro-business and some were puzzled that the Chamber went against the senators already in office. The Chamber has its own PAC. Some voters must to wonder what more these people want?

According to The Kansas City Star, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach predicted an18 percent voter turnout. The odd thing is that Gov. Brownback has been very unpopular among Kansas Voters and the new senators elected are expected to be his allies. Most people didn’t vote in the primaries and that was were the real decisions will have been made. Kansas is very Republican and it is unlikely that any new Democrat challenger will win. That means that the far-right has already gained in the Kansas Senate and House.