“A lifelong Kansan and proven leader in his community, Paul Davis is the only candidate Kansans can trust to fight for them,” said DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján. “In the state legislature, Paul worked with both parties to get things done. In Congress, he will stand up to special interests and put partisanship aside to solve problems. Paul is battle-tested and his deep roots and record of fighting for Kansans is a force to be reckoned with this fall.”
To: Interested Parties
From: Rachel Irwin, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: August 7, 2018
RE: The Case Against Steve Watkins
For months, Kansas Republicans have sounded the alarm bells on their weak Republican field and recruiting failures as no credible challenger emerged to take on Paul Davis in the race for Kansas’s 2nd Congressional District.
Those fears became reality with tonight’s primary results as Cook Political Report shifts this seat to toss-up. Davis emerges in a strong position with momentum at his back while Republicans are left with Steve Watkins, who had to rely on his father’s money and outside special interests dumping a million dollars in the race to secure his place on the ballot.
While Watkins touts his “outsider status,” Kansans are left to wonder who Watkins really is. Multiple reports, local Kansans, and fellow Republicans have called out Watkins for being a “phony,” a “rank opportunist” and a “carpetbagger” who can’t be trusted, while denouncing his “disgraceful” voting record.
This is in sharp contrast to Davis, a lifelong Kansan and son of two school teachers, who is raising his family in Kansas and has carved out an independent brand by working with both parties to get things done. Davis, who won this district by 6.5 points when he ran for Governor in 2014, is uniquely positioned to win this seat. Davis has earned credibility in taking on Brownback’s failed agenda that hurts Kansans. Watkins, on the other hand, has already tied himself to the same failed policies that leave Kansas broken, a huge liability heading into 2018 when Brownback remains toxic.
Watkins has quickly become a typical politician who will say, do, and spend whatever it takes to win. Depressed and divided, Kansas Republicans are in no better shape with Watkins, who is a wild card against a battle-tested Paul Davis: the only candidate with a track record of winning and delivering results for Kansans in this district.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Topeka Capital Journal Headline: “Rivals of U.S. House candidate Steve Watkins denounce ‘disgraceful’ Kansas voting record” [Topeka Capital Journal, 7/30/18]
Associated Press Headline: “Newcomer faces Republican backlash in Kansas 2nd House race” “Forty local GOP leaders signed a letter this week expressing their concerns about him.” [Associated Press, 8/2/18]
Kansas City Star Headline: “Kansas candidate’s father spends $100,000 in effort to get son elected to Congress” [Kansas City Star, 7/3/18]
WVIK Headline: “Without Heavyweight, GOP Could Lose Kansas 2nd Congressional District” [WVIK, 6/5/18]
Topeka Capital Journal Headline: “Kansas Democrat Paul Davis leads all 2nd district candidates in campaign donations” [Topeka Capital Journal, 7/17/18]
Cook Political Report: “[Davis] could easily … cast Watkins as a spoiled carpetbagger and shape-shifter.” [Cook Political Report, 7/27/18]
Lawrence Journal-World Headline: “GOP candidates, establishment lining up against 2nd District candidate Steve Watkins.” [Lawrence Journal-World, 8/1/18]
Who is Steve Watkins?
For someone who claims to be a political outsider, Watkins clearly knows how to play the game. Watkins was caught trying to deceive voters on the trail, touting a fake endorsement from the President. The Kansas City Star revealed that Watkins’ campaign had sent out mailers implying a Trump endorsement, forcing the President’s campaign team to correct the record. Watkins was also caught lying when he met with local groups about his positions on key issues. It’s clear that when Watkins moved back to Kansas in 2017, he was shopping around for the easiest way to get into elected office, and was willing to deceive whoever necessary to get the job.
Watkins made plenty of enemies on the campaign trail and has alienated local leaders, forcing him to dig deep into his own pockets to survive the primary. He also relied on his Dad’s money and special interests swooping in to do damage control given the ongoing controversies surrounding his campaign. Davis, on the other hand, has shown he’s willing to stand up to special interests and be an independent voice to fix a broken Washington.
Watkins already represents the worst of Washington. He is clearly not ready for primetime if he can’t get his own story straight about which party to affiliate with and has burned bridges with Republican leaders across the state. His reliance on special interests to rig the primary in his favor will make clear that his “outsider” facade is fake.
Brownback 2.0
On the campaign trail, Steve Watkins happily repeated the same old failed talking points and policies championed by Sam Brownback. While Watkins had to work overtime to prove his conservative credentials to primary voters, his warm embrace of the Republican tax plan that is “similar to Brownback policies” will only hurt him in the general election. Brownback’s 2012 failed tax experiment “tanked” the Kansas economy and led to “gaping budget shortfalls, inadequate education funding and insufficient revenue” and Watkins wants a similar agenda at the federal level.
Watkins supports a tax scam that gives more than 80% of its benefits to the wealthiest 1% of Americans and a huge handout to large corporations. The plan even incentivizes corporations to ship jobs overseas, all while making millions of middle class families pay more over time. And because it blows up the deficit, it will give Republicans like Watkins an opening to revisit their favorite topic: cutting Social Security and Medicare. This won’t bode well with Kansans who are still traumatized by Brownback’s disastrous tax experiment, despite its sucker punch to Kansas public schools and the local economy.
For Davis, Healthcare is Personal
While Republicans in Kansas and Washington have taken every opportunity to raise healthcare costs, Paul Davis has fought back attempts to make it harder for Kansans to afford health care. As a leader in the Kansas legislature, Davis fought back Brownback’s attacks on Medicare and is now doing the same as Washington Republicans work to gut protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
For Davis, it’s personal. His own family has struggled with rising healthcare and prescription drug costs and Davis had to fight with the insurance company to get his daughter’s life-saving surgery covered. While Davis is a trusted voice on healthcare and willing to stand up to special interests to fight for Kansans, Watkins is already on the hook supporting failed Republican efforts that would cause millions to lose coverage, raise healthcare costs, and deny protections for those with pre-existing conditions, like cancer, asthma and diabetes.
THE PATH TO VICTORY
Rep. Lynn Jenkins’ retirement offers the best opportunity for Democrats to pick up this seat in nearly a decade. While Republicans battled it out in an ugly primary, Paul Davis has hit the ground running talking to voters across this rural district on issues ranging from healthcare, to education and getting big money out of politics.
From day one, Davis’s profile has put this seat on the map for Democrats. He won this district by over 6.5 points when he ran for Governor, and has a long track record in the State Legislature of taking on Brownback and his harmful agenda, which remains a drain on all Republicans in Kansas.
Thanks purely to Paul Davis’ candidacy, Kansas’s 2nd Congressional District has become increasingly competitive and was recently moved by Inside Elections, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Cook Political Report in favor of Democrats. Just look at the polls, and you will see why Davis is the candidate to beat with Republicans failing to recruit a strong challenger. In the only public polls released, Davis leads against a generic Republican, and is the most liked and well-known candidate. And to date, he’s outraised his Republican opponents and has more cash-on-hand heading into November, while Watkins is broke having to pay his way onto the general election ticket.
It’s clear that Paul Davis is the best choice to reform Washington, take on special interests and put Kansans first. Kansas voters can trust Davis’s deep roots and track record of fighting for them to change up Washington, while Watkins remains a wild card who already represents the worst of D.C. politicians.