Here’s a look at two outside PACs spending big on a Sedgwick County Commission primary race

Two out-of-state Republican super PACs have thrown their support behind Sedgwick County Commission candidate Greg Ferris, raising more than $90,000 in support of the former Wichita City Council member, business consultant and lobbyist in a GOP primary.

A Texas-based super PAC — R.E.D. PAC — raised and spent more than $65,000 on mailers, text messages and other advertisements for Ferris. A Wisconsin-based PAC — Sedgwick County Conservatives PAC — raised another $25,000 to help Ferris win over voters.

The spending represents a major infusion of out-of-state money in a local contest. The two PACs raised and spent more money on campaigning than all of the candidates in the race combined, including Ferris, whose campaign raised $33,099 compared with Stephanie Wise’s $50,774 and Alan Reichert’s $3,900.

It’s unclear why the two groups are so interested in influencing voters in the largest, most rural district in Kansas’ second most populous county. Ferris said he is unsure why they picked him. He said he made no promises to either group and was surprised to learn how much they spent on his primary race.

“It’s a lot of money. Why are they doing it? I have no idea,” Ferris said. “They must think I’m the best candidate is all I can say.”

One PAC appears to be a political front group for a clean energy organization focused on nuclear, solar and wind energy regulation. The other sprang up almost overnight with a local-sounding-name, an out-of-state treasurer and thousands of dollars in funding from a local real estate developer who has built houses throughout west Wichita.

Who is R.E.D. PAC?

R.E.D. PAC has raised more than $1.1 million in the past 18 months. All of that money came from Conservatives for a Clean Energy Future, a 501(c)4 nonprofit led by Michigan Republican Larry Ward that is not required to disclose its donors.

R.E.D. PAC’s treasurer, Cabell Hobbs, was also treasurer of Never Back Down Inc., a super PAC accused by the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center of coordinating with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign in violation of campaign finance laws that cap the amount of money candidates can accept from a single donor and require candidates to disclose who those donors are.

The Texas-based super PAC doesn’t appear to have any direct links to Kansas, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission reports. But it is spending tens of thousands of dollars and endorsing several county commission candidates across the state.

Those candidates include Cole Proehl of Labette County, Kenny Roelofsen of Dickinson County, Michael Pasco of Butler County, Lance Gormley and Kevin Pouch of Harvey County, and Greg Ferris of Sedgwick County.

R.E.D. PAC’s website says it is dedicated to “protecting private property rights, increasing local government transparency, fostering common-sense solutions and innovation, bolstering national security, and promoting rural economic development.” It does not say how any of those candidates would further those goals.

The only sign that the super PAC funded entirely by a clean energy group has any interest in clean energy is an opinion column written by the PAC’s chief strategist, Charlie Kolean, that is linked on the R.E.D. PAC website along with two other columns opposing eminent domain.

Ferris said the PAC didn’t mention clean energy to him when they called about a month ago and told him they were interested in endorsing him.

“As far as what I know, they asked me three, four questions, they saw that I was conservative, and they’re doing whatever they’re doing. I don’t even know who they are to be honest with you,” Ferris said.

“I haven’t talked, made any promises, made any commitments,” Ferris said. “I’ve made a lot of commitments on solar but it’s not anything that they’ll like if that’s what they’re behind.”

In recent months, Ferris has been a vocal opponent of efforts to allow industrial solar developments in Sedgwick County, an issue that remains in flux as consultants hired by the county prepare a report on how to proceed.

“This guy is such a walking contradiction, and he is beholden to these special interests,” Wise’s campaign manager, Ben Davis, said of the former Wichita city councilman. “It’s very clear that Ferris is saying one thing and being supported by people who want exactly the opposite of what he’s saying.”

Wise has said she’s against large-scale solar developments. Reichert says he supports them under certain circumstances.

“Anytime you’ve got donations coming in from business interests, you’re going to have some obligation felt by the candidate, either directly or indirectly,” Reichert said. “That’s just the way it is. I don’t think you can separate the donation from an obligation.”

Developer money

Sedgwick County Conservatives PAC raised $25,000 and spent $16,917 on attack ads aimed at Wise and ads supporting Ferris. One attack ad depicts Wise as a puppet being controlled by Joe Biden.

The group’s listed treasurer is Thomas Datwyler, who provides “virtual treasurer” services and runs 9Seven Consulting, a political compliance firm that specializes in federal and state reporting and compliance.

He was at one point listed as treasurer for former U.S. Rep. George Santos, a Republican from New York, who was later charged in a campaign-finance fraud scheme.

Datwyler did not respond to questions about why the group was supporting Ferris.

State campaign finance records show $20,000 for that PAC came from Great America Coalition, a Washington DC nonprofit whose treasurer is Datwyler and whose donors are allowed to remain anonymous. The other $5,000 came from businesses owned by Wichita real estate developer Jay Russell. Most of those same LLCs gave directly to Ferris’s campaign, totaling $2,000.

Ferris said he has a “strong personal relationship” with Russell but that Russell told him he was not involved in the Sedgwick County Conservatives PAC. Campaign finance records show several of Russell’s LLCs contributed to the Wisconsin-based PAC.

“At the time that I talked to Greg, it’s true. I told him I don’t know anything about it. But it’s obvious that I did [donate] so it is what it is,” said Russell, who does not live in District 3 and cannot vote on the race.

He said he spoke to someone on the phone and instructed a business associate to facilitate the transaction, thinking his money was going to support a different PAC, not the Wisconsin-based group that has paid for text and mailer ads attacking Wise.

He said he has nothing personal against Wise. Asked if he felt misled about what his LLCs’ money would be spent on, Russell said he didn’t want to “throw anybody under the bus.”

“I’m a big boy and I didn’t pay attention to what I was doing, and I should suffer the consequences,” Russell said. He said the incident won’t discourage him from spending on local candidates in the future, as he has for the past few election cycles.

“There’s nothing more important to my business than being politically connected. Nothing,” Russell said.

This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 5:51 PM.