Jenkins nabs four local endorsements

TOPEKA — State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins picked up endorsements Monday from four government leaders in Franklin County who joined 107 local officials supporting her 2nd District congressional bid.

Ottawa Mayor Pro Tem Rocky Fleer joined Franklin County commissioners Don Stottlemire and Sue Farrell, as well as Franklin County Treasurer Debbie Hough in supporting Jenkins.

The news came at the same time that her race against the district’s former congressman, Jim Ryun, appears to be heating up just two weeks before they face off in the GOP’s Aug. 5 primary.

Ryun’s campaign blasted Jenkins Monday for sending out mailers criticizing Ryun while Jenkins announced plans to expand the run of her television commercials throughout the district through today.

Meanwhile, it remained unclear whether a national Democratic group would enter  into the race later this year to aid freshman Democrat Nancy Boyda.

Recent reports have suggested that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had planned to spend $1.2 million in the campaign. But Boyda asked the group to “get the heck out” of her race last week.

The Jenkins’ campaign trumpeted the support elicited from local officials in 26 counties as a sign that she has significant grassroots supports within the district.

“I’m for whoever will represent the people honestly, faithfully and fairly,” Fleer said.

Stottlemire said he thought Jenkins would be the best Republican for the job because of her background, including her work as a certified public accountant.

“I’m kind of over (Ryun) because I think Jim has already had his chance,” Stottlemire said. “Nancy defeated him before and I think (Jenkins) might do better.”

But Ryun campaign manager Kyle Robertson said the former congressman also boasts strong support in Franklin County, with more than 65 homes displaying his yard signs.

Robertson also took issue with a Jenkins campaign mailer that blasts Ryun for supporting his own pay increase while failing to support a bonus for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003. It also criticized him for supporting wasteful federal spending projects.

Robertson countered that Ryun voted more than 20 times to boost troop pay and tried to strip funding for Alaska’s so-called “Bridge to Nowhere.”

“These false and negative attacks are why Jim Ryun has led in every poll that has been released to date.” Robertson said.

Robertson also accused Jenkins of going back on public statements indicating that she planned to run a positive campaign, including one earlier this month.

“I think the biggest point that needs to be made here is that she is making promises to voters and breaking them 10 days later,” Robertson said.

But Jenkins’ campaign manager Pat Leopold accused Ryun campaign officials of personal attacks on Jenkins early in the campaign. He said the mailers only took issue with Ryun’s votes.

As for the efforts of national Democrats in the race, Boyda spokesman Thomas Seay said that because the congresswomen can’t legally communicate with the national Democratic group, she didn’t know whether her request would be honored.

He said Boyda, who touted her independent streak in unseating Ryun two years ago, would like to see all outside special interest groups stay out of the congressional race to let Kansans make their own decisions.

“Her sense is that this would be a better race if it were completely run out of Kansas and if there weren’t interference from either side of the aisle.”

But the DCCC wouldn’t say whether it still plans to independently run television commercials in support Boyda’s re-election bid.

  “Nancy Boyda is a no-nonsense, independent voice for her district,” DCCC spokesman Ryan Rudominer said in an e-mailed statement. “The DCCC’s Independent Expenditure is legally walled off so members and campaigns cannot collaborate with them.”