Kansas governor candidates fight to impress after Colyer drops out of debate

A potential showdown between Gov. Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach didn’t materialize Saturday.

Instead, other candidates fought to make headway in the first Republican debate for candidates for governor in Wichita.

Colyer withdrew from the debate about an hour before it was set to begin. His office said he was sick.

And Kobach spent only a small amount of time talking about the two issues that made him into a national figure — voter fraud and immigration.

Instead, the four candidates on stage — Wichita businessmen Wink Hartman and Mark Hutton, along with Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer and Kobach — fought over how to fix an array of problems facing Kansas during the event, held at the Kansas GOP state convention.

At times, the debate amounted to a rebuke of former Gov. Sam Brownback, though he went largely unnamed. During other moments, the candidates went after the Legislature, attacking what they view as a lack of transparency in government.

Kobach promised a combative approach if needed, whether against the media or Democrats. He said he would seek "real cuts" to government and trim agency budgets by 1 percent a year.

"Let’s just face it. We’re in a more combative era in American politics, both in Washington, D.C., and Topeka. And the old style where everybody could be happy and shake hands and just laugh all the way is gone. You have to have a fighter," Kobach said.

Government spending was a favorite target of the candidates. Hutton attacked how Brownback and Colyer had approached the budget.

"So I get asked that question all the time: Does Kansas have a revenue problem or a spending problem? And my answer to that is we probably have a spending problem, but it may not be like you think. It could be that we’re spending way too much in this place and not enough over here," Hutton said, gesturing.

"But the reality is we don’t know because nobody in the governor’s office has done the hard work of digging into this budget and figuring out how we’re spending our money," Hutton said.

Kendall Marr, a spokesman for Colyer, said the administration is very new and has a new budget director. He called Hutton’s comment interesting and said he didn’t understand it.

The candidates also took aim at the state’s education funding system.

A state audit found that the Kansas State Department of Education has provided some school districts with millions of dollars each year in extra transportation aid that is not authorized in law. Hartman suggested he would have fired deputy education commissioner Dale Dennis, who oversees school finances.

He called for audits of agencies, starting with education.

"In my world, that individual probably would be looking for another place of employment," Hartman said, adding that there was instead "two pats on the back, no pay reduction, no slap on the hands."

The candidates emphasized the need for government transparency, but split on how to achieve it. Responding to Colyer’s executive order making the first 100 pages of records requests free, Kobach said he disagreed, but mischaracterized the proposal as applying to the first $100 of a request. Kobach said records requests had been "weaponized" by the left.

Selzer said any well-run organization –– either business or government — is transparent.

"We are an open book in the Insurance Department. We don’t have any pending records requests. We answer them when they come in," Selzer said. "We manage our department like we want the state to be managed."

The current field of candidates is among the largest ever in the state. More than 20 people have entered the race, with six major candidates in the Republican race.

Candidate Jim Barnett, a physician and former state senator, refused to sign the party’s debate rules. He expressed concern that the rules stifle freedom of speech and restrict candidates from participating in debates not sanctioned by the party.

Kobach often courts national controversy, and Colyer is gaining prominence since he became governor. But for the other candidates, commanding attention can be a challenge.

The debate gave them a chance to break free of the pack.

Rep. Blake Carpenter, a Derby Republican who isn’t yet backing anyone in the race, said messages that emphasize candidates aren’t politicians are resonating with voters following the election of Trump, who had never before held office.

Both Hutton and Hartman touted their business credentials during the debate.

Republicans will select their nominee in an August primary. That person will face the Democratic nominee and independent candidate Greg Orman.

Ed O’Malley, who had campaigned on a moderate message, became the first Republican candidate to drop out last month. Moderate Republicans have yet to rally around a single candidate, said Michael Smith, a political scientist at Emporia State University.

But Orman’s decision to run has prompted speculation he may draw moderate Republican support. The Johnson County businessman ran unsuccessfully against Sen. Pat Roberts in 2014,

"I think the person who may be working hardest to claim (moderate support) right now is Greg Orman," Smith said.

Few Republicans at the state convention seemed concerned that Orman would harm Republican prospects, however. Rep. Steven Johnson, R-Assaria, said he had not heard Orman’s name much during the weekend.

"At this point, that hasn’t been a major issue that I’ve heard, seen," Johnson said.

This story was originally published February 17, 2018 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Kansas governor candidates fight to impress after Colyer drops out of debate."