Paul Davis (Kansas politician)

Kansas House of Representatives

Davis was appointed to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives in 2002. He represented the 46th district until 2015, and served as minority leader from 2009 to 2015.^[6] He was the Policy Chair for the House Democratic Caucus for three years prior to becoming minority leader of the Kansas House.

2014 Kansas gubernatorial campaign

Davis ran for governor in 2014 against incumbent Republican Sam Brownback and Libertarian Keen Umbehr. Upon announcing his candidacy, Davis stated, "As Kansans, we believe we have a moral obligation to educate our children, reward hard work, build a strong middle class and cooperate with one another. These values are what make us Kansans."^[7] Davis's bid was endorsed by over 100 Kansas Republican politicians.^[8] One who did so was former Kansas Senate President Dick Bond.^[9] His rationale for doing so was created by the state's fiscal difficulties brought on by Brownback's substantial tax cutting policies.^[10][9][9] The organization Republicans for Kansas Values stated that their primary reason for the endorsement was not to elect a Democrat, but to defeat incumbent Governor Sam Brownback.^[11]

Davis was defeated by Brownback in the general election, 49.8% to 46.1%.^[12][13]

2018 U.S. House campaign

Davis is the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2018 election in Kansas' 2nd congressional district. The seat is open following the planned retirement of Republican incumbent Lynn Jenkins.^[14] Davis carried the Second District in 2014, when he lost a close contest for election as governor to incumbent Sam Brownback. The seat has "flipped" often, held by Democrat Jim Slattery, who stepped down to run for Governor in 1994. Republican Jim Ryun held the seat for six terms, until he was beaten by one-term Democrat Nancy Boyda. Boyda lost it to Republican Lynn Jenkins in 2008. Jenkins declined to run for reelection in 2018.^[15]

Bob Beatty, a political scientist from Topeka, Kansas's Washburn University ventured that state Republicans were taking a risk because their nominee, Steve Watkins, not been previously been politically active. "The party does not know what he was doing in Alaska and in the other places he lived. ""It may be a good leap of faith, but it's still a leap of faith." according to Beatty.^[15] Watkins said he had lived in Alaska and continued to own two homes there, but returned to Kansas to run for Congress. The Topeka residence which Watkins on his voter registration is a rental.^[15] Watkins won his primary nomination in a field of seven candidates. Five weeks before the general election, questions arose about his residency, background and truthfulness. Watkins father, a Topeka physician, had set up a $100,000 Political Action Committee, to skirt campaign finance regulations. It made a $64,000 ad buy, during the primary.^[16] Days before Watkins won the seven-candidate August primary, forty Republican leaders in the district signed an open letter expressing concerns which included his absence from the district in which he was running. Kansas state Senator Steve Fitzgerald, a primary candidate, noted that Watkins had never voted in Kansas until a recent local election.^[17] Writing in the Topeka Capital Journal, "Trump 2020" campaign manager Brad Parscale, complained that Watkins and a second candidate for the seat, Dennis Pyle, had put out campaign ads with Trump's photo on them, without authorization, to impute endorsements by the president. He continued, “In fact, the president has not endorsed them, and they appear to have acquired the pictures without going through the proper copyright procedures.”^[18] On the other hand, Watkins was endorsed by U.S. Representative Roger Marshall, from Kansas Congressional District 1.^[17] Some were uneasy, especially since three Democrats publicly indicated that Watkins had met with them in 2017 about running there as a Democrat, an allegation he denies. Although Watkins had his residency in Topeka challenged by other Kansas Republicans, he remained on the ballot. On October 2, 2018, the Associated Press released a story that questioned not only his residency, but numerous inconsistencies in the background he claimed. He alleged that he had provided substantial assistance to those who had suffered from the results of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, but there was no evidence he did so. He had lived in Alaska, but returned to Kansas to run for the seat, but kept two homes in Alaska. He never voted in Alaska, but collected Permanent Fund Dividends, which are only given to eligible state residents. In the 2018 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Races Watkins was said to have essentially abandoned his dog team to the care of others, mid-race, in order to focus on promoting his campaign.^[15] Watkins won the crowded primary with just 26.5% of the vote. A Siena College Research Institute/New York Times poll, conducted September 21, 2018, showed Davis with a 1% lead, but Davis possessing higher favorability ratings, 37% vs. 21%.^[19]