The wingnut who represents KS-2 in Congress just got busted for VOTER FRAUD:
Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins was charged Tuesday with three felonies and a misdemeanor related to an investigation into whether he illegally voted in a 2019 municipal election.
[….]The felony charges are interference with law enforcement by providing false information, voting without being qualified and unlawful advance voting. Watkins also faces a misdemeanor charge for failing to the notify the DMV of his change of address.
Seems like a good time to sink some money into Kansas. You can give here to teh eventual Democratic nominee in his district (the primary is on August 4). It’s a heavily Republican district (R+10) but not insanely so.
And you can give here to the Kansas Democratic party, who have a shot at getting the one extra seat in the State house it takes to erase the Republican supermajority and let the governor (a Democrat) have a say in redistricting. (I raised the goal on this — I think it’s a great investment.)
Update: People in the thread showed up to mention the likely Dem nominee in KS-2, Michelle De La Isla is great and this seat may really be flippable.
Ryan
You know DOJ won’t prosecute the case because those votes were not material to the outcome of the election.
Just One More Canuck
All we are is Dust In The Wind
kindness
I have doubts whether the Republicans in Kansas care that the guy ran using a post office box as his address. It’s become all too clear during the reign of Trump that rules & laws are for everyone else, not Republicans. Now that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth donating to get Democratic representatives, it is. I just don’t have a high opinion of the ethical guidelines Republicans hold their own to.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Ironically, I’m streaming Supernatural on my office desktop.
Mike J
How long to the point of know return?
cain
@Mike J:
We passed it.. during Reagan’s time. We just have to let it play out.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Mike J: That’s a good pun.
Mary G
Alabama Democrats using football against Tuberville. I don’t really know what they’re talking about, but I like it:
cmorenc
OT, but how ironic that for all the posts in the other thread mocking Sessions for getting his just desserts in his Alabama Senate primary loss for Sessions’ lifetime lack of integrity and giving a crucial assist to Trump in the 2016 election, the core thing that undid him with Trump and turned Trump’s vengeance on Sessions was the one act of true integrity Sessions stubbornly displayed in recusing himself from the Russia investigation.
It never pays off with Trump to have a moment of integrity – the only people he consistently rewards and doesn’t turn on are those who stubbornly refuse to have any principles beyond perhaps total one-way fealty to Trump and his narcissistic ego. Compare and contrast Roger Stone v Richard Sessions.
West of the Cascades
Watkins beat Paul Davis by about 2,000 votes in 2018. Likely Democratic candidate is Michelle de la Isla, the mayor of Topeka, so there’s a real shot here. The timing of this announcement (and the fact it comes from a Republican DA according to an article I read yesterday) makes it sound like the Kansas Republican Party wants Watkins out. Love the disarray.
rikyrah
Projection with these crooks
Ken
@cmorenc: I am hoping Sessions takes his revenge by running as an independent.
raven
The 1977 film “Heroes” starred Henry Winkler, Harrison Ford and Sally field. Winkler is a PTSD Nam Vet trying to find his buddy to start a worm ranch. It’s a decent flick and the ending was Henry having a flashback on mainstreet with charlie coming after him. The music in the original was “Carry on My Wayward Son” and it was perfect. (It’s also the music for this trailer_. When the issued the movie on VHS/DVD there were royalty issues and they changed it and it ruined the movie.
Yutsano
Jackie, Death Panel Truck, and I have the ignominious “privilege” of having Dan Newhouse as our representative. He has ZERO spine and does whatever Republican leadership tells him to do. I’ll need H.E. Wolf to give me some details later, but there’s a decent candidate here named Doug McKinley. The chances aren’t great but as Newhouse is nothing but a sycophant I wonder if we might be gettable. I have zero issue trying to make Cathy McMorris-Rodgers unemployed in November, but that’s not my district. Plus I THINK Washington will gain a district next year.
The Moar You Know
@cmorenc: that wasn’t integrity. You and I both know that. Sessions has never been capable of it. Sessions knew the dirty laundry was going to get out there and didn’t want to be the point guy for all the blame – and possible impeachment – that taking that investigation on himself (and then squashing it per his Mafia boss’ orders) was going to entail.
Trump set him up from day one to be the sucker on this, and Jeff passed. That’s not integrity. Dope-dealer level street smarts, yeah, but not integrity.
Frankensteinbeck
@cmorenc:
Which cannot be achieved unless you are incompetent and blind to reality. See: Everyone who has tried to tell Trump how bad his poll numbers are or what he has to do to win reelection.
Trump showed no loyalty to Roger Stone. Roger Stone blackmailed him, and bragged about it.
Albatrossity
@West of the Cascades: Indeed, this smells of Kansas GOP politics to help Jake LaTurner, a wingnut’s wingnut, who is running against Watkins in the primary. LaTurner is an NRA lobbyist presently…
If folks feel like donating to a Kansas politician, I’d also suggest Dr. Barbara Bollier, a Dem hoping to take Pat Robert’s empty seat this November. She will be running against one of a couple of real doozies, either Kris Kobach (another expert on voter fraud) or Roger Marshall, who lives so far up Trump’s colon that he rarely sees the light of day. Larry Sabato recently moved the Kansas Senate race from “heavily Republican” to “leans Republican”. A Senate loss in Kansas would help ensure that McConnell is neutered, regardless of whether he wins reelection or not.
Marcopolo
Agree this race is flippable. I gave money to de la Isla when the news of the charges against Wakins dropped yesterday. I also threw some coin to Candace Valenzuela (running to flip TX-24) after she won her primary last night. She has a great life story. That taps me for this week. MJ Hegar, who also won her primary last night (TX-Sen), next week. Whee!
mad citizen
Delicious. I’m hoping that albatrossity can get a picture of the Lesser Republican Fraudmouse.
Yutsano
@Ken: Does Alabama have a “sore loser” law? Because if the KKKeebler elf were to do that, it would be so delicious. I still think the race is more winnable against Tuberville because he knows zip about how politics works. Football coaching is a completely different animal.
And I forgot to mention I’m NOT forgiving you for putting that song in my head DougJ!
zhena gogolia
@Mary G:
I just set up a monthly donation to Jones.
Danielx
@Albatrossity:
I’m not sure which would be worse for McConnell, losing his seat or having to be reminded (repeatedly) by Schumer that a) he is no longer the Majority Leader and b) Senate will be run according to precedents established by McConnell himself and if he doesn’t like it, well, tough rats, Bubba.
Either would be delightful.
The Thin Black Duke
@Danielx: I expect that if the Democrats get the Senate, Mitch will suddenly retire to “spend more time with his family” (who hates his guts).
Gravenstone
@Ken: It appears that Alabama has a “sore loser” law on the books. So no third party/independent run for Ol’ Jeff.
Tim C.
Weird how Republicans think somehow Democrats are super-genius-ninjas at Voter Fraud (they insist we do it, but can’t ever seem to find much of it). Then every damn time someone with authority or power does it it’s ALWAYS a Republican.
MomSense
How ironic that the stupid voter fraud commission came out of Kansas. I saw Matt Dunlap at our governor’s inauguration and really enjoyed thanking him for eviscerating Kobach and that bogus commission so efficiently. I wish all of you could see him in action here in Maine. He’s a charismatic speaker, sharp, competent, and a really nice person. I’d hate to lose him in Maine, but someone should tap him for the US DOJ.
H.E.Wolf
Thank you for highlighting Michelle de la Isla’s campaign!
https://www.michelleforkansas.com/
sdhays
@Ken: Doesn’t Alabama have a run off if no one gets 50% + 1 votes in the general election? That would reduce the usefulness of an independent run by Sessions.
catclub
test. mcconnell always has a chance for the GOP to regain majority every two years,
germy
@The Thin Black Duke:
I thought he and Elaine were the love affair of the century.
sdhays
@The Thin Black Duke: Wouldn’t the Democratic governor then appoint his replacement?
Marcopolo
@Tim C.:
See, it is exactly because the Dems are super-genius-ninjas at Voter Fraud that they can do it all the time and not get caught! It’s only the slow-as-molasses Reps that are inept at it, get caught, and go to jail.
/s (the first part, not the second)
Punchy
This shit gets even more interesting….ya know who OWNS that UPS store? From KCStar:
Yes, the county election commissioner. If ANYONE would have known the address was phony, it would have been THE PERSON WHO OWNED THAT ADDRESS and oversaw the elections.
Watkins is toast. This has several layers and likely more will be charged with this, as there was clearly coordination and malfeasance.
ETA: I misread that. Howell is the commish, and Linhos is the owner. Not both. My bad
Baud
@Tim C.:
It’s similar to how the GOP thinks Dems are corrupt and hate the troops.
catclub
@Just One More Canuck: All
and the only sound you hear,
is the sound of the wind,
as it blows through the town,
weave and spin, weave and spin.
Oklahomo
And the Governor of Oklahoma has tested positive for covid…the same dipshit who took his kids to a food court in March and posted selfies.
Mike J
@Dorothy A. Winsor: It the title of an album and song by Kansas, who also did a song called, “Carry On My Wayward Son,” the title of the post.
Shorter: I didn’t think it up, I’m just playing music nerd with DougJ.
moops
@kindness:
Frank Wilhoit: “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”
Committing voter fraud and not being federally charged while screaming about catching and punishing Democrats for voter fraud is exactly what we should expect from GOP pols and voters.
J R in WV
@Ryan:
You don’t know the difference between a state voter fraud charge and a federal voter fraud charge?
I confess the article I saw wasn’t clear about who got indictments handed up… but why bother to indict someone you don’t intend to prosecute?
H.E.Wolf
You rang?
:)
I haven’t heard much about Doug McKinley yet – will check him out on Ballotpedia.
If he strikes the WA-04 jackals as a good candidate, maybe we can ask Dougj to include him in the 2020 BJ fundraising effort for US House candidates.
ETA: Here’s the Ballotpedia entry for Doug McKinley, with a link to his campaign website. https://ballotpedia.org/Doug_McKinley
What say you, Yutsano et al? Does he look (a) viable, (b) appealing as a candidate for your district?
bystander
Just learned that Steven Miller was Sessions’ protégé and it was he who introduced Miller to Lord Dollhands. Makes the betrayal of Sessions even more enjoyable.
Jackie
@Yutsano: Newhouse had the AUDACITY! to request his supporters wear masks. Oh, the uproar responses. If we can believe them, they refuse to vote for a sheeple.???
John Sickels
I live in KS 2 and yes, this district can flip. The two largest cities are Topeka, which is purple, and Lawrence, which is a superblue college town. Normally they get swamped by the rural areas but Watkins only barely won last time and this seat has gone blue in wave elections in the past (2008).
Yutsano
@H.E.Wolf: I’ve been seeing his signs in more and more places. Sounds like he wants to make a go of it if he can survive our stupid jungle primary process. He’s also the only Democrat listed, which will help. Fortunately Didier decided to stay on his farm this year and isn’t running. I’ve never heard of the other two Republicans on there so there might be a chance McKinley makes it. Ballotopedia locked up on my work browser unfortunately. :/
Oh and I’m greatly amused that three Republicans are trying for governor. How DARE they not bow to their lord and master Tim Eyman!
@Jackie: I wish wish WISH this would be enough to toast him in the primary! Unfortunately the other two Republicans running are no-names, so I highly doubt it. Then again stranger things have happened. If the other two decide to make a show of it who knows? It’s three more weeks until the primary.
Nelle
I moved from KS 2 last year. Watkins’ daddy bought the seat for him. The Dem candidate was a good guy but had the campaign charisma of a bowl of cream of wheat. Watkins has many more problems. Think of him as a dumber version of Matt Gaetz, whose father bought his seat for him. But less charisma and a more troubled past.
H.E.Wolf
@Yutsano: Thank you, and thank you @Jackie:
for the on-the-ground jackal reporting in WA-04!
If your work browser has a complete block on all political sites, this won’t help, but just in case: here is Doug McKinley’s campaign website:
https://www.dougmckinley2020.com/