Posted on 04/05/2007 5:00:08 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins has filed to run for Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda's 2nd Congressional District seat next year.
Jenkins, a Topeka Republican, filed the documents this week with federal election officials, permitting her to begin accepting contributions. She expects to launch her campaign after the 2007 legislative session ends in late April or early May.
"I have traveled the 2nd District and listened carefully to what folks have on their minds and continue to receive strong encouragement to run for Congress," Jenkins said in a written statement.
She is the second Republican to announce plans to take on Boyda, after Jim Ryun, who held the seat for 10 years but lost to Boyda in November. Ryun already is raising money.
Jeff Wagaman, a spokesman for Jenkins, said she is aware of Ryun's plans and is undeterred.
"We don't know how crowded the primary is going to be. We don't care, and she's going to win," Wagaman said.
Boyda has declined to speculate on who will try to challenge her.
"Frankly, 2008 is still a long way away," said Boyda spokesman Thomas Seay. "Our office is focused on serving our constituents, not on politics."
Jenkins, 43, is serving her second term as treasurer. She served two years in the Kansas House, then two more in the Senate before running for treasurer in 2002. She was re-elected last year.
Though she's often seen as a moderate Republican, Jenkins has avoided alienating conservative GOP activists. She had no primary opposition last year, when conservatives unsuccessfully challenged Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh and Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger.
Ryun lost to Boyda after beating her easily in 2004. His re-election campaign struggled to resonate with voters in the district of eastern Kansas
(Excerpt) Read more at kansas.com ...
So far, this doesn’t look promising, a conservative who lost a race that shouldn’t have been competitive in the first place, or a RINO.
There may be another option. I’ve read that state Representative Lee Tafanelli may run. Hopefully, Kansas Freepers can inform the rest of us.
Unless Jenkins renounces her abortion stance, and barring the entry of someone else, I’m going to have to endorse Ryun. If she gets in and wins, we’ll never be able to get rid of her in a primary as a sitting incumbent.
Good point, but there’s time to find a conservative who is a better candidate than Ryun. Maybe one who could convince Ryun to drop out.
Tafanelli over Jenkins. Jenkins over Ryun. We need to take the district back and if it boils down to a choice between Jenkins or Ryun I'll back Jenkins as the one who can win. But Tafanelli is conservative, spent time in Iraq which should help in a district that contains both Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, won his last house race by an almost two to one margin, and would be the best opponent against Boyda of the three announced. Kobach has to get Ryun to drop it and maybe Tafanelli can attract enough support for Jenkins to see it's a lost cause. Maybe she can run for governor or something.
She would be a very strong candidate, but perhaps we can do better.
I’ll trade you a Lynn Jenkins for Dennis Moore! (I hope that Chris Kovac runs again.)
I’ll take Tafanelli over Jenkins. However if the primary boils down to Jenkins over Ryun, I’ll take Jenkins.
I don’t Jenkins would be that bad. The district is quite conservative. With having to face the voters every 2 years, Jenkins wouldn’t go super RINO.
A similar analogy would be my own district, the IL-13. Judy Biggert, as a state rep., was a Christie Todd Whitman clone. Pro-abort, pro-gay. But since being elected to Congress, Biggert has turned somewhat Right. Biggert did vote for the partial birth abortion ban and supported the 2nd Amendement.
Boy, that's sure to bring conservatives out to vote (not.)
Kobach plans or running for senate in 2010. In order to do that he has to perform creditably as the state GOP chair. The only chance he'll have to strut his stuff is in the 2008 election, and the only race of note will be Kansas 2nd congressional. If the GOP wins the seat back then he's the hero.
“But since being elected to Congress, Biggert has turned somewhat Right. Biggert did vote for the partial birth abortion ban and supported the 2nd Amendement.”
And her vote on final passage of the partial-birth abortion ban is one of the very few pro-life votes she has cast in Congress. See
http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/bio/keyvotes/?id=226 I think that Biggert has given her very Republican constituents exactly what she said she’d give them: a pro-abortion RINO who opposes gun control. Her recent votes on gun issues are here: http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=BS024405&type=category&category=Gun%2BIssues&go.x=4&go.y=5
Thanks for reminding me of her abortion voting record. I’ve been spending so much in the 6th distrct for past two years, that I’ve overlooked Biggert’s activities.
Anyway, Biggert is on borrwed time in Congress. She’s 70 years old. Even if she wants to continue serving into the next decade, she will face a primary battle with Peter Roskam again. I suspect the RATs are going to combine the IL-06 and IL-13, thereby creating a hyper GOP district based in Du Page. I live on the border of the IL-13 and IL-06.
On the plus side, Lynn Jenkins is a CPA, and we need more of those in Congress.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.