Kansas GOP challenger says Capps donated to Planned Parenthood using his name
A Kansas House candidate endorsed by the state’s leading anti-abortion group says his Republican primary opponent, an incumbent lawmaker, sought to damage his reputation by donating to Planned Parenthood under his name.
Patrick Penn, who is running for House District 85 in east Wichita, said he has filed a complaint with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission demanding an investigation into the $100 contribution, which he alleges was made by Rep. Michael Capps, a freshman lawmaker seeking re-election.
The episode marks the latest controversy for Capps, who was linked to a false smear campaign last fall against Brandon Whipple in the Wichita mayor’s race. The businessman-turned-politician also has been investigated by the Department for Children and Families over an allegation of emotional abuse. The local and state Republican Party has disowned him.
The allegation surrounding the donation illustrates the centrality of abortion in Kansas Republican politics, where an insufficient anti-abortion record can quickly sink political ambitions. Republicans are particularly focused on abortion this year after a failed effort this spring to advance an anti-abortion amendment to the state constitution through the Legislature.
Penn, who is endorsed by Kansans for Life, said in no uncertain terms that he didn’t make the donation and “would never have done so. I am extremely pro-life.”
“It’s obvious Michael Capps contributed to Planned Parenthood to smear me,” Penn said.
“Michael Capps gave money to an abortion mill as one of the many dirty tricks that he’s pulled that caused the Republican party to demand his resignation,” he added.
Capps, in an email to The Eagle, asserted that Penn made the contribution.
“Where is the evidence proving otherwise?” Capps wrote in the email.
Penn, in turn, has offered no proof that Capps made the donation.
Capps did not deny involvement in the donation when asked directly. Capps said his “vote record speaks for itself, not only sponsoring but voting for strong pro-life legislation in Kansas.”
Kansans for Life’s political arm, which has endorsed Penn but not Capps, released a statement Tuesday rebuking Capps after he posted on his Facebook page Monday that he was “happy to have the support of Kansans for Life in this election.”
“Representative Capps is fully aware that neither KFL nor KFL PAC is supporting his bid for re-election,” spokesperson Melissa Leach said. “This attempt to mislead voters underscores his reported public scandals and showcases why pro-lifers cannot trust him.”
The disputed contribution was made Oct. 15, 2019, according to campaign finance reports. Patrick Penn is credited with sending a $100 check to Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes PAC. The donation was made after Penn had announced he was running against Capps.
But Planned Parenthood Great Plains PAC spokesperson Mandy Culbertson said the report was incorrect and that the transaction actually took place on Dec. 21, 2019 using a credit card via an online donation form. Culbertson said the group plans to file an amended report to correct the error.
Culbertson said in an email that Planned Parenthood is “available to assist the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission if needed.”
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 5:08 PM.