Paul Davis campaigns in Wichita with moderate Republican supporters

About 60 Republicans, many of them current or former elected officials, gathered at a north Wichita library Tuesday to say why they’re backing Democrat Paul Davis for governor over Republican Sam Brownback.

“I’ve been a Republican for a long time and I don’t intend to change, but I am proud to support Paul Davis and (lieutenant governor candidate) Jill Docking,” said Gloria Farha Flentje, a retired lawyer and former vice president of Spirit AeroSystems. “They are moderate leaders who will bring people together, fight for our schools and restore fiscal responsibility.”

In contrast, “Sam Brownback attacked respected members of his own party who dared stand up to him,” Flentje said. “He punished bipartisanship, something that used to be a Kansas tradition.”

Seated behind Flentje and beside Davis and Docking were former Senate President Steve Morris and former Sen. Dick Kelsey, both of whom were defeated in 2012 when Brownback led efforts to cement control of the Legislature behind his plan to cut tax rates and eliminate income taxes for many business owners.

Also heavily represented were local school interests, including Wichita school board member Lynn Rogers and four of the seven members of the Goddard school board.

Most of the speakers at the event assailed Brownback over education cuts, a looming budget shortfall and lackluster job creation results. The Davis campaign says it now has 540 members in a campaign support group called Republicans for Kansas Values.

The stop at the Angelou Northeast Branch Library was one of several appearances across the state where Davis sought to highlight his support from moderate Republicans.

It came as Brownback campaigned with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, on Monday and with Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard CEO, on Tuesday.

While Davis can’t count as prominent a Republican as Christie or Fiorina among his supporters, he said the Republicans who have joined his campaign are actively involved in contacting Kansas voters, tapping into their support networks and mailing lists from elections past.

Polls show Brownback and Davis in a dead heat, with the Nov. 4 election three weeks away. Although he has enjoyed a lead in the polls through most of the campaign, Davis said he always expected the race to tighten.

“You know, Democrats don’t win in Kansas by big numbers,” he said. “I feel very good about the coalition we’ve got of many moderate Republicans and unaffiliated voters that are going to support us.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2014 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Paul Davis campaigns in Wichita with moderate Republican supporters."