Why is an unsuccessful Kansas GOP candidate using Georgia Senate races to raise money?
An unsuccessful House candidate in Kansas is using the two Senate races in Georgia to raise money — possibly for a 2022 run.
Kansas Republican Amanda Adkins lost her race against Democrat Rep. Sharice Davids by roughly 10 percentage points, but on Monday she sent a fundraising plea tied to the two runoff Senate elections in Georgia.
The January 5 runoff elections will decide control of the U.S. Senate as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office on January 20.
“Remember: If Chuck Schumer and Kamala Harris take the Senate, there will be NO DEFENSE against the litany of radical, far-left initiatives they have promised — they will pack the courts and force their initiatives through,” the email states.
“As conservatives, we must remain committed to helping Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue win their Senate runoffs. The future of America is on the line. Will you join me in this fight?” the email states in between links to a fundraising site.
A third of the money would go to Loeffler’s campaign against Democrat Raphael Warnock and third of the money would go Perdue’s campaign against Democrat Jon Ossoff.
But a final third of the money would go to Adkins’ campaign.
Adkins, a former state GOP chair, took an unpaid leave of absence from her executive position at Cerner to run for Congress. The company has yet to announce her return.
It’s not uncommon for campaigns to continue fundraising in the weeks after the election if candidates face campaign debts, but as of a November 23 campaign finance filing Adkins’ campaign had nearly $45,000 cash on hand with only $5,000 in debts left to pay.
The email has caused speculation among Republicans who received the email that Adkins is preparing for a rematch with Davids in the Kansas 3rd Congressional District in 2022.
Adkins’ campaign did not respond to questions about whether Adkins was raising money in anticipation of a 2022 run or why Republicans should send a third of their money to her rather than give to the Georgia candidates directly if they want to influence the Senate race.
Jared Suhn, a Kansas-based GOP consultant who has worked for Sen. Jerry Moran among other prominent Republicans, was skeptical that Adkins would be the party’s best candidate in 2022 following her defeat in the most recent election.
“(Former Rep. Kevin) Yoder lost in 2018 by 9.5% and yet Adkins lost by over 10% in 2022 — while Republican women in competitive districts across the country scored wins in districts we lost in 2018. She faces a challenging hurdle to convince people how she will be able to close the gap in 2022 when she failed to do so in 2020,” said Suhn, who advised Adkins’ primary rival Sara Hart Weir during the 2020 campaign.
Brooke Goren, spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Kansas voters rejected to Adkins and pointed to Adkins’ ties to former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, which were a drag on her in the race.
“If Adkins wants to run on that record again, we welcome her to the race,” Goren said.
While Adkins lost to Davids in the district’s current makeup, Kansas Republicans hold supermajorities in Topeka and intend to reshape the district to be more favorable to GOP candidates for the 2022 election when the state undergoes redistricting following the 2020 Census.
A more Republican-leaning district could also bring out tough primary competition.
Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, has been floated by Republicans as a potential candidate for the seat in the past. Ryckman downplayed his interest in a text message Tuesday as he prepares for the start of the Kansas legislative session in January.
“My focus is on doing the work that needs to be done right here at the state level,” Ryckman said.
State Rep. Chris Croft, a retired Army colonel whose state legislative district includes portions of Overland Park and Olathe, confirmed he has been approached about considering the congressional race. But he said he remains focused on his duties in the Kansas Legislature right now.
“There have been people who have asked me to consider it. Let me tell you what I’m focused on: Getting back to work,” said Croft, who in 2020 chaired the Republican House Campaign Committee, the GOP’s campaign arm for statehouse races.
This article has been updated to correct the date of Jared Suhn’s employment with Sara Hart Weir’s campaign.
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Why is an unsuccessful Kansas GOP candidate using Georgia Senate races to raise money?."
