A Kansas race where the incumbent was expected to cruise to victory now looks like it’ll be a bitter battle to the finish line. U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder’s (R-Kan.) lead is within the margin of error over democrat Jay Sidie in recent polls.
That means expect more ads to hit your TV.
Sidie launched a new ad Tuesday called “Stand Up.” A narrator proclaims “Kevin Yoder is the architect of Sam Brownback's Education Cuts” in the 30-second spot.
The ad sources the claim as coming from a 2014 New York Times article.
The article is from the Times’ opinion pages, not its news division, and doesn’t make mention of Kevin Yoder or the term “architect.”
It does however state “Kansas’s current constitutional crisis has its genesis in a series of cuts to school funding that began in 2009,” then says a series of tax breaks by Governor Sam Brownback in 2012 compacted the crisis.”
In 2009, Yoder was a state house lawmaker that chaired the House Budget Committee during negations of the budget bill. See who voted when here.
The ad then pivots to a soundbite from the Access Hollywood tape of Donald Trump with the narrator saying, “Even after this, Kevin Yoder still supports Donald Trump for president.”
Yoder has not rescinded his endorsement of his party’s nominee, though he did condemn the remarks, saying:
"As a father to two daughters I found these remarks disgusting and offensive and he was right to apologize."
Multiple television ads and a mailed flyer by Yoder and the Kansas Republican party are calling into question Sidie’s voting record.
In one ad, a narrator says "Jay Sidie is lying because he's never lifted a finger to support KS schools," while text on the screen says Sidie “Failed to support $500,000,000” for schools.”
Sidie’s public voting record shows he missed school funding votes in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2015.
Sidie provided this statement to 41 Action News:
"Like many hardworking Kansans who are juggling work and raising a family, I don't have a perfect voting record. Frankly, I had been more focused on my children – coaching soccer, helping with homework, you name it – than pursuing political office. But all of that changed as my family and neighbors felt the devastating impact of the Yoder-Brownback education cuts. I find it interesting that my opponent, a career politician who first ran for office at age 26, is attacking me for missing a vote while I was out-of-state for a family emergency. Poll after poll show him headed towards a loss and he has become desperate. Ultimately, it’s the votes I will take to fully fund education, grow our economy and give middle-class families tax relief, and keep our promise to our seniors and veterans that really matter. Yoder has slashed education funding for Kansas schools, slashed Pell Grants for college students, and slashed early childhood education. That’s the record we ought to be talking about.”
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Brian Abel can be reached at brian.abel@kshb.com.
