Republican nominee pivots to crime in Kansas governor's race
The Republican candidate for Kansas governor is pivoting from education to crime as a focus in the final weeks of the campaign
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican candidate for Kansas governor is pivoting from education to crime as a focus in the final weeks of the campaign, portraying the Democratic incumbent as anti-police because she created a commission on policing and racial justice in response to the state's protests following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
GOP challenger Derek Schmidt, the state's three-term attorney general, launched a new television ad Thursday against Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly after suggesting during a debate Wednesday that she has largely ignored crime as an issue. In what is expected to be a close race, Schmidt is adopting a tactic used by Republicans across the U.S., and his new ad features video of violence during protests in New York City that followed the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis.
Schmidt said Wednesday that providing unwavering support for law enforcement officers and prosecutors is the most important thing a governor can do to fight crime.
Kelly argued during the debate that her support for law enforcement is shown by the state's spending on it. Since she took office, spending on the prison system and Kansas Highway Patrol has grown nearly 33%, though funding for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, under Schmidt's control, has remained flat.
