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Friday, September 24, 2021

Friend,

Welcome to the KDP Weekly Newsletter – the Kansas Democratic Party’s update of the biggest things going on in the state party and the state government. What are we focused on this week? National Hispanic Heritage Month, 2022 Elections, Sam Brownback, COVID-19, Governor Kelly, #KSLEG, Gun Violence, Medicare Expansion, Democrats Care, Social Media Updates, KDP Merch and more!

Interested in helping the Party get out our messaging to encourage Kansans to vote blue? Sign up for our new Letter to the Editor program here!  

 

GOVERNOR LAURA KELLY LEADS 2022 POLLS

A recent poll released by EMILY’s List shows that Governor Laura Kelly is popular with Kansas voters and starts the 2022 gubernatorial race ahead of her likely opponent, Attorney General Derek Schmidt. Governor Kelly has proven to be a champion for Kansans during an unprecedented economic and health crisis. The numbers show that the majority of Kansans across party lines approve of Governor Kelly’s strong leadership throughout her first term.

  • Read more about the poll here.

 

NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! National Hispanic Heritage Month began September 15th and will run through October 15th, giving the United States an opportunity to recognize and celebrate members of our communities and their ancestors who hail from Mexico, Spain, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Rather than starting at the beginning of September, Hispanic Heritage Month takes place over 30 days starting on the 15th — a nod to the anniversaries of national independence for a number of Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, as all recognize September 15 as the date of their independence, while Mexico’s independence is celebrated September 16 and Chile celebrates its independence September 18.

  • Read more about Hispanic Heritage Month here.

 

 

UPCOMING KDP TRAININGS

In an effort to ramp up training for upcoming elections in 2021 and beyond, the Kansas Democratic Party, together with the DNC Best Practices Institute, are excited to offer a series of virtual trainings over the course of the next few months. These programs will enhance the skills of progressive activists and volunteers by ensuring comprehensive training is free and accessible for Democrats all over the country. The training and its description are listed below:

  • Franklin County Democratic Party 
    • The Franklin County Democratic Party is hosting a Virtual Canvassing Traning on September 25. You can find more information here at the top of their page. To sign up, click here.
  • BPI State Party Leadership and Staff Resources 
    • The BPI’s 9-part DEI Training Course is now available for use by County Parties. Learn more about the process for implementing the BPI DEI Training Course in your state HERE. Those interested should email bpi@dnc.org to schedule a call with the BPI team.
  • Democrats Care Projects
    • Are you working on a community service project in your area? KDP and the DNC would like to amplify your work as part of the new Democrats care project.
    • To learn about the program, you can read more here.
  • How has the Biden Administration impacted you? Let the DNC know!
    • The DNC is putting together a story bank of real people who have been positively impacted by the Biden agenda. They are looking for people from every state, every identity, every professional, and activist behind every issue! If you are interested, please fill out this form.

 

Events

  • Midwest Rural Conference
    • The Midwest Rural Conference is from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on October 2, 2021. You can find more details and sign up here.

 

Press Releases

 

 

GOP CALLS ON GOVERNOR KELLY FOR KANSAS’ AID ON THE BORDER, POLITICAL GAMES BACKFIRE

What’s happening?

(The Kansas City Star) – Kansas Republicans for months have been pushing Gov. Laura Kelly to send resources to the southern border in response to the flow of migrants crossing into the United States.

In June, the state’s three GOP congressmen pressed the Democratic governor, citing a “meteoric rise” in illegal immigration. This week, Kelly’s likely 2022 re-election opponent, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, and top Kansas lawmakers again called on her to offer help.

As it turns out, the Kansas National Guard has already been there for nearly a year.

The Guard’s 137th Transportation Company deployed in October 2020 on a year-long mission to help secure the border. Kelly didn’t announce the deployment of about 250 soldiers at the time and there’s no record of an announcement by the Guard. She has previously criticized the Republican calls as “political games.”

Where can I learn more?

GOVERNOR LAURA KELLY BEATS OUT DEREK SCHMIDT IN EARLY GUBERNATORIAL POLLS

What’s happening?

(Kansas Reflector) – An early survey in the 2022 election cycle shows Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly with a narrow advantage over Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt in a head-to-head gubernatorial showdown of two statewide officeholders gearing up for that campaign.

The poll by Clarity Campaign Labs, a liberal-leaning firm in Washington, D.C., at the behest of EMILY’s List, which promotes Democratic women candidates, indicated Kelly had a 3 percentage point advantage on Schmidt. Kelly held support of 47% of participants to Schmidt’s 44% in a survey with a 3.4% margin of error.

Kelly attracted backing from 83% of voters who considered themselves ideologically moderate and 21% who viewed themselves as somewhat conservative.

Where can I learn more?

GUN VIOLENCE ENDANGERS STUDENTS’ LIVES IN BROAD DAYLIGHT

What’s happening?

(KSNT) – The shots were not on East High School property in Wichita, but three students were hit. Two students had minor injuries.

“First of all this incident, obviously, shakes our community,” said Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay. “It’s very disturbing to everybody including me.”

Ramsay says good police work helped land three suspects within an hour of the shooting Tuesday.

“We also got a lot of help, and that’s what we need. We need the community to engage,” said Ramsay.

Where can I learn more?

 

PFIZER PAVES THE WAY FOR COVID-19 BOOSTER SHOT

What’s happening?

(The Kansas City Star) – The emergency-use authorization also allows boosters for people 18 and older whose occupational exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus puts them at elevated risk of serious complications. Booster doses can be given any time at least six months after a person received their second shot, the FDA said in a statement.

Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said the authorization would allow people such as teachers and day care staff, as well as health care and grocery workers, to get the third shot.

The authorization applies only to the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, the agency said.

Where can I learn more?

 

HATE CRIME NUMBERS ON THE RISE DESPITE UNDERREPORTING

What’s happening?

(KCUR) – Authorities in Kansas reported 85 crimes based on race last year, more than double the year before, with 54 of last year’s incidents targeting African Americans, 19 targeting white people, and seven anti-Hispanic or Latino incidents reported.

“If people felt free to report, and felt something was going to change or something was going to get done, I would say you’d probably see three, maybe four times the number,” Williams said.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the racial reckoning spurred by the police killing of George Floyd, Geller said African Americans, people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, Jews and Muslims have all found themselves on the receiving end of hate.

 

CONGRESSWOMAN SHARICE DAVIDS THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND MEDICAID EXPANSION

What’s happening?

(Shawnee Mission Post) – U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas says she would support a new federal strategy to expand Medicaid in Kansas, which would provide health care for an estimated  165,000 more Kansans.

Davids, joined by local advocates and health care professionals who have advocated for expansion of Medicaid coverage in Kansas for years, called for the upcoming budget reconciliation package to both continue current federal incentives and include a federal plan to expand Medicaid coverage in states like Kansas.

The budget reconciliation bill is a massive $3.5 trillion spending package sketched out by Democrats in recent weeks, much of it based on President Biden’s “Build Back Better” priorities.

The bill would make several major changes to how Americans get health care, including expanding Medicaid in 12 states — all controlled by Republican-led legislatures — that have refused to expand the federal program under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

 

MILLIONS WASTED DUE TO BROWNBACK’S FAILED AND OUTDATED UNEMPLOYMENT SYSTEM

What’s happening?

(The Topeka-Capital Journal) – Interviews with more than a dozen employees at KDOL and private contractors, as well as a review of state records, tell the story of a project that floundered throughout much of the 2000s.

A historic rush of Kansans filing for unemployment met that same out-of-date system, which was again being asked to adapt to a new benefits program started at the behest of the federal government.

Work was then halted by the administration of Gov. Sam Brownback and couldn’t be restarted in time to prevent a fresh round of headaches during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, the agency is restarting the project — even though millions of dollars of labor was previously completed. Much of the work was discarded, lost to time and unusable.

Where can I learn more?

 

 

What’s happening?

Make sure to follow Kansas Dems on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with the latest party news, events, and updates!

Here are some of our top posts from this week.

Be sure to view KDP Merch at the Kansas Dems Online Store. Make your voice heard by picking up our new shirt from the KDP Store. And remember each purchase includes a donation to the party to help elect Democrats across the state.

 

 

Onward,

KDP Team

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Paid for by the Kansas Democratic Party, Yolanda Taylor, Treasurer

Kansas Democratic Party
501 SE Jefferson St
Suite 30
Topeka, KS 66607
United States