Tempers flare after JoCo Democrats pull support for some U.S. Senate candidates
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- Johnson County Democrats told three U.S. Senate challengers they will not be promoted.
- Party chair said exclusions followed a two-thirds vote of the 50-member executive board.
- FEC filings show the excluded candidates reported far less fundraising than their rivals.
Several Democratic candidates running to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall are criticizing the Johnson County Democratic Party over its decision not to promote their campaigns to voters ahead of the August primary.
“The Johnson County Democratic Party is committed to supporting candidates who reflect our core values and demonstrate a strong commitment to effective, community-centered leadership,” reads the email from party Chair Deann Mitchell, which was sent to candidates Anne Parelkar, Jason Hart and Kevin Latz.
“While we appreciate every individual who chooses to run as a Democrat, the party is not positioned to support every candidate in every race,” Mitchell continued, emphasizing that the party would only promote candidates who had raised enough money to contend with Marshall’s well-funded re-election bid.
According to the email, the candidates who lost out on support will be excluded from the party’s voter guide, social media posts and website. They also will not be invited to candidate events or training sessions.
State Sen. Patrick Schmidt, who recently lobbed a disputed sex abuse cover-up allegation at the Rev. Adam Hamilton, is also not being promoted by the Johnson County Democratic Party, even though he has reported raising more money than any other Democrat in the race besides Hamilton.
Parelkar, an Overland Park attorney who launched her campaign months after confronting Marshall at a contentious town hall event in Oakley that the senator left early, called the Johnson County Democrats’ decision a “slap in the face” to her volunteers.
“I have given them the opportunity to reconsider based on the number of hours volunteers have put into this campaign, which, when aggregated and given a monetary value, would far exceed the amount of funds some of my opponents have raised,” Parelkar posted on social media.
Hart, a former federal prosecutor who recently switched parties, characterized his exclusion by the county Democrats as “personally and professionally offensive.”
“Apparently, I need to constantly ask you for money,” Hart said in his own lengthy social media post. “Never mind that we are all talking about ‘affordability.’ For JoCo to support my candidacy, I need to do a better job at convincing you to give me money instead of paying for your gas or groceries.”
Latz, a physician at Children’s Mercy Hospital who lives in Mission Hills and entered the race in late March, said fundraising numbers aren’t the only indication of a candidate’s stength.
“We don’t believe the Democratic Party should ever act in a manner that silences voices. Kansas voters will not tolerate politics as usual,” his campaign said in a statement.
The Johnson County Democrats are set to host a U.S. Senate candidate forum on June 27.
Fundraising in Democratic Senate primary
Mitchell said candidates voluntarily signed the county party’s media inclusion policy, which was adopted in 2023.
“They are opting into our voter outreach project, and part of that policy states that the party reserves the discretion to withhold support of candidates for several following reasons,” Mitchell said. “One is campaign execution, including fundraising that demonstrates a lack of serious effort.
“We have a responsibility to our voters to promote the candidates who have the most chance for success,” she added.
Federal Election Commission filings show that during the first three months of the year, Marshall’s campaign raised about $513,000, bringing his total cash on hand to roughly $4.8 million.
Hamilton’s campaign has reported raising more than $2 million since the popular megachurch pastor launched his bid in late April.
Filings show that between January and March, Schmidt raised about $177,000. Army veteran Noah Taylor reported raising about $72,000 during the same period, and former Biden USDA official Christy Davis reported raising about $57,000. Real estate developer Erik Murray received roughly $55,000 in contributions and retired corporate executive Sandy Spidel Neumann collected about $20,000 from supporters.
Records show that Hart raised roughly $8,000 during the first three months of the year, and Parelkar raised roughly $2,000.
“It’s going to take money for them to reach the voters, and no candidate should rely on voter outreach by a county party to reach voters. They need to be making their own effort,” Mitchell said, pointing to the costs associated with television, radio and print advertising.
In 2020, Marshall defeated Democratic nominee Barbara Bollier by more than 11 percentage points, despite being outfundraised by a margin of more than four to one. Bollier collected $29 million to Marshall’s nearly $6.8 million, FEC records show.
The Johnson County Democratic Party did not provide candidates with a minimum fundraising threshold for retaining support. Rather, Mitchell said the decision to exclude candidates was made after thoughtful consideration and a two-thirds vote of the party’s roughly 50-member executive board.
Two other Democratic candidates running in the primary — Damon Anderson of Shawnee and Michael Soetaert of Wellington — did not sign the party’s media inclusion policy, Mitchell said.
Sarah Preu of Fairway, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids in the Democratic primary for Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, also received notice that she would not benefit from the county party’s resources.
One Senate candidate, Erik Murray of KCK, released a statement expressing solidarity with Parelkar and disappointment with the Johnson County Democrats.
“Regardless of intent, the party excluding candidates like Anne at this stage looks like playing favorites,” Murray said. “We are seeing establishment politicians clinging to power for far too long. Democrats need to wake up and listen to the people if we want to take back power.”
This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Tempers flare after JoCo Democrats pull support for some U.S. Senate candidates."
