Wichita mayor candidate demands investigation of attack mailer targeting an opponent
Wichita mayor candidate Amy Lyon is demanding a local, state and/or federal investigation into an anonymous advertising mailer that appeared to come from her campaign and attacked one of her opponents.
Lyon said she had nothing to do with the mailer, which targeted state Rep. Brandon Whipple and arrived in voters’ mailboxes over the weekend. The primary election in the mayoral race is Tuesday.
“Many received a mailer that used my campaign, Amy Lyon for Wichita, in a negative manner,” Lyon wrote in a Facebook post Sunday addressing the situation. “Once I was made aware, I personally reached out to the candidates to let them know that at no time did we create, generate, or pay for any mailers.”
Lyon said she “never authorized my name, photo, or likeness to be used in advertising or this exploitative manner.”
She said she has filed a report with the Wichita Police Department, along with complaints to the Sedgwick County election office, the secretary of state’s office and the U.S. Postal Service, among others.
“This kind of move (reeks) of desperation and shows the lengths some candidates and/or their teams will go to in an effort to make my campaign look bad,” she said. “These tactics are why people grow tired of and lose faith in our political processes and is exactly why I will pursue the steps above until we have answers.”
Lyon and Whipple are among eight candidates challenging incumbent Mayor Jeff Longwell in the election.
Tuesday’s primary will narrow the field to two who will advance to a general election Nov. 5.
This story was originally published August 5, 2019 at 10:15 AM.
