Brownback casts early ballot, defends Carr ad

Gov. Sam Brownback defended Monday a controversial ad campaign that highlights the murders committed by the Carr brothers in Wichita in 2000.

The ads seek to link Democrat Paul Davis to a Kansas Supreme Court decision to vacate death sentences for Reginald and Jonathan Carr because the trial judge failed to grant them separate sentencing hearings.

Nola Foulston, the Sedgwick County district attorney who prosecuted the Carrs, called the ads “beyond disgraceful” last week.

Davis knew one of the Carrs’ victims and had no role in the appeal of their sentence.

“It’s unfortunate that Gov. Brownback would exploit this tragedy for his personal gain, but it’s not surprising,” said Chris Pumpelly, Davis’ campaign spokesman.

Brownback said Monday that the ads were not meant to scare voters and that judicial appointments are a major issue for voters.

“What the intention is to say that one of the key functions of governor is picking judges,” Brownback said outside the Shawnee County Election Office, where he and his wife voted early Monday.

“It is a clear ad that what a governor does is pick Supreme Court judges,” Brownback said. “He will pick liberal judges. He supports a liberal court … I support judges who stay within the bounds of the law.”

Brownback said that the election will hinge on turnout. A poll from NBC News and Marist College released this weekend showed Davis with a 1-point lead. The poll had Davis at 45 percent and Brownback at 44 percent with a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points.

The governor spotted a man wearing a Kansas State T-shirt on his way out of the election office. “I hope our Wildcats can keep winning,” said Brownback, who graduated from K-State.

The man, Dale Hrenchir, a 53-year-old Topeka resident, shook Brownback’s hand and talked K-State football for a bit before leaning in to whisper, “good luck.”

Hrenchir, an unaffiliated voter, said that he went back and forth on who to vote for this election, but in the end picked Brownback because of his experience.

“I don’t buy into all the negative ads,” he said, referring to ads attacking the governor from the NEA and Kansas Values Institute.

This story was originally published October 27, 2014 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Brownback casts early ballot, defends Carr ad."