Fundraising - KS-01

Amazingly the money in the Big First is still fairly close. Huelskamp leads in amount raised and cash on hand but this early - anything can happen. Barnett has also previously run statewide so may have a leg up on the name ID. Huelskamp and Barnett also represent state senate districts within the first - Wasinger and Mann are relatively new candidates on the scene. We'll keep our eyes out for a poll in the race - but from the looks of it, anyone could walk away from the crowded primary a winner.

Wasinger $202,800 COH $100,800 Raised
Huelskamp $480,000 COH $136,800 Raised
Barnett $374,700 COH $126,600 Raised
Mann $240,800 COH $72,000 Raised

Barnett did give himself $100,000 of his money this summer but we're pretty sure that will still be accepted to run ads...

KS-01 Race Highlighted on RedState

According to RedState - Wasinger and Huelskamp are leading the pack in KS-01.

'In KS-01, there are several conservatives running, but two really, really stand out. Tim Huelskamp and Rob Wasinger. They are both fine men. I don’t have an unkind word to say about either. The Club for Growth has lined up behind.

However we have a problem: the two good conservatives in each race are in danger of cutting into each others’ votes thereby helping the squishy guy get elected. Tim. Fred Thompson has lined up behind Rob.

Let’s pay attention. Let’s see who proves viability. We may have to weigh in to ensure across the board conservatives get the nomination. I hope the candidates themselves will be honest with themselves. From years of running campaigns, I know that is sometimes the hardest thing to do. But we have a chance in both districts to improve on the men who are leaving by elected guys with even better conservative bona fides. We cannot afford to blow it.'

On the FEC website - there are still 8 Republicans fighting for their party's nomination. And there's still the lone Democrat, Alan Jilka, hoping for a bloody enough primary that he can somehow over come Moran's 80% R win in 2008.

KS-01 - Safer Republican

The lone democrat in the race to replace Congressman Jerry Moran, Alan Jilka, has had a lawsuit filed against him. The former director of the Salina Housing Authority has sued Jilka, alleging that she was fired because she refused Jilka’s sexual advances.

Johnson’s lawsuit alleges that she was the victim of sexual and gender discrimination. She is seeking unspecified damages. Jilka told The Salina Journal that the charges are “frivolous and preposterous.”

When Jilka announced his candidacy -he "expressed his desire to fight against the traditional partisan politics that have become the hallmark of the status quo in Washington and produced a stalemate in our nation’s capital."

Perhaps Mr. Jilka should abandon the shady antics of Paul Morrison and Eliot Spitzer and follow suit by leaving the political arena.

Wasinger Web Ad

Rob Wasinger, Congressional candidate in the 1st District, has a new web ad up that features him and his family. Check it out below.

Untitled from Meghan Wasinger on Vimeo.

Candidates - By the Numbers

Below are the top candidates (moneywise) in each race....more detailed analyses of these finance reports to come. Including the breakdown of Raj Goyle's DC insider/liberal money and Moore's overall breakdown of a fundraising base...

Q3 Raised Cash on Hand

Senate Primary
Jerry Moran - $521,000 - $3,500,000
Todd Tiahrt - $340,000 - N/A

KS-01
Huelskamp - $182,000 - $379,000
Barnett - $105,000 - $300,000**
Mann - $60,000 - $198,000
Wasinger - $107,000 - $195,000

KS-02
Jenkins - $151,000 - $475,000

KS-03
Moore - $129,000 - $420,000
Scherer - $40,000 - $80,000** Includes personal loan
Lightner - $45,000 - $27,000

KS-04
Goyle - $404,000 - $368,000
Pompeo - $99,000 - $270,000
Kelsey - $9,000 - $60,000

Alan Jilka for Congress: He's Bilingual!

We didn't think the Democrats would even find someone to run for Moran's seat. But former three-term Salina city commissioner and mayor Alan Jilka announced yesterday. Jilka's campaign manager - a Sebelius minion - used an interesting rationale for his candidacy: he's bilingual...and spent time in Latin America.

From the Salina Journal:

...And, he speaks Spanish

Jilka has hired as a campaign consultant Chris Cardinal of Lawrence. Cardinal, originally from Salina, worked on campaigns for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, as well as for groups such as the Kansas Health Care Association and the Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy.

"I will say I know that Alan's going to be a really hard worker. He's going to run a grass roots campaign, he'll be visiting a lot of different areas and making sure he can connect with as many constituents as possible," Cardinal said Wednesday.

He said Jilka's city government experience will aid his candidacy, as will Jilka's interest and experience visiting and living in Latin American countries, and Jilka's fluency in Spanish.

"He will be able to communicate with quite a few (Hispanic) constituents with whom there may not have been as strong a connection by those representing them in the past," Cardinal said. FULL STORY