Kansas Dems Desperate After Kelly’s Bad Week

Photo Credit: Charlie Riedel, AP

Democrat Laura Kelly’s messaging prowess was put to the test last week and the vulnerable incumbent failed miserably as she struggled to navigate one of the top issues in the red state of Kansas: whether athletes born biological males should play girls’ and women’s sports.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans this summer agreed the answer was no. Yet Kelly, who vetoed legislation twice to address the issue, fumbled an alleged planned response after weeks of being hit by the RGA, Republican candidate Derek Schmidt, and advocates like NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines. First, Kelly’s team ran an ad claiming she “of course” supported the policy of males in girls’ sports; then they struggled to address questions after being pushed from the left and the right.

The Democrat panic and desperation is showing in other ways too, the state party was caught deceptively editing a video of Schmidt over the weekend in yet another botched attempt to take attention away from Kelly’s messaging misstep.

“Laura Kelly’s and Kansas Democrats’ botched response to an issue nearly two-thirds of Americans agree on shows just how out-of-touch they are with the majority of Kansas voters,” said RGA spokeswoman Joanna Rodriguez. “Kelly’s struggle to answer the most basic questions about whether athletes born male should play in girls’ and woman’s sports has given renewed attention to her record refusing to protect students and stand up for parents.”