Kansas Secretary of State election, 2010
The Kansas Secretary of State election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010. The incumbent, former Kansas Securities Commissioner Chris Biggs (Democrat), was appointed to office by Democratic Governor Mark Parkinson on March 17, 2010 - less than five months before the primary elections. Biggs' appointment was prompted by the resignation of Republican Ron Thornburgh, who had served in the office for nearly sixteen years.[1][2]
On August 3, Biggs faced Chris Steineger in the primary election and won the Democratic Party nomination with 60.2% of the vote. At the same time, three Republican candidates vied for their party's seat on the ballot. Kris Kobach won 50.6% of the vote, dashing the election hopes of Shawnee County Election Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley and J.R. Claeys, former President and CEO of the National Association of Government Contractors.
In the general election in November, Kobach and Biggs were met by Libertarian Phillip Horatio Lucas and Reform Party candidate Derek Langseth. With 59% of the vote, Kobach unseated Biggs, who received 37.2% of the vote, while Lucas and Langseth claimed 2.0% and 1.6%, respectively.
General Election campaign
Results
| Kansas Secretary of State, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Kris Kobach |
59% | 489,640 | |
| Democratic | Chris Biggs | 37.2% | 308,641 | |
| Libertarian | Phillip Horatio Lucas | 2.1% | 17,336 | |
| Reform Party | Derek Langseth | 1.7% | 13,896 | |
| Total Votes | 829,513 | |||
| Election results via Kansas Secretary of State | ||||
Candidate forum
Part 4. Biggs-Kobach Forum. Initiatives; Caucus; Internet |
Biggs faced his opponent, Kris Kobach, in a candidate forum on October 12, 2010. The moderator picked many questions from the audience, such as:
- Voter fraud?
- Upgrade of how Kansans vote?
- Increasing voter turnout? Weekend ballots?
- Outside legal work?
- Initiatives and referendums like Missouri?
- Replace caucus with presidential primary?
- Voting on the Internet?
- Management experience?
- How to streamline office?
Kansas Watchdog captured video from the forum, including this video about their initiatives, caucus and the Internet.[3]
Endorsements
- Can-Do Conservatives of America[7]
- J.R. Claeys, former Republican candidate for Secretary of State[8][9]
- Elizabeth Ensley, former Republican candidate for Secretary of State[9][10]
- Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate[11][12]
Finances
According to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, as of October 27, 2010, the following was the breakdown of campaign finances for each of the candidates:
| Chris Biggs Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [13] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| July 23 - October 21, 2010[14] | October 25, 2010 | $34,173.32 | $218,142.00 | $412.50 | $31,000.00 | $241,199.48 | $10,714.16 | |
| Kris Kobach Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [13] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| July 23 - October 22, 2010[15] | October 25, 2010 | $89,342.63 | $136,810.39 | $550.00 | $0.00 | $95,490.49 | $130,662.53 | |
Polling
Survey USA 1st poll
Survey USA, under contract with a local news station in Kansas, surveyed 882 registered voters about all the statewide races on the ballot in November; of these, 588 were deemed to be likely voters. Survey USA did not use live call center employees, but rather an automated system in which taped questions were asked via a professional announcer; the respondent was then invited to press a button on their phone or record a message indicating their selections.
| Survey USA Poll - August 12 – 15, 2010[16] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Kris Kobach (R)
|
62% | |||
| Chris Biggs (D) | 30% | |||
| Phillip Horatio Lucas (Libertarian) | 2% | |||
| Derek Langseth (Reform) | 2% | |||
| Undecided | 4% | |||
| Total voters | 588 | |||
Survey USA 2nd poll
Survey USA, under contract with a local news station in Kansas, surveyed 602 likely voters about all the statewide races on the ballot in November. Survey USA did not use live call center employees, but rather an automated system in which taped questions were asked via a professional announcer; the respondent was then invited to press a button on their phone or record a message indicating their selections.
| Survey USA Poll - September 12 – 15, 2010[17] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Kris Kobach (R)
|
53% | |||
| Chris Biggs (D) | 36% | |||
| Phillip Horatio Lucas (Libertarian) | 3% | |||
| Derek Langseth (Reform) | 3% | |||
| Undecided | 4% | |||
| Total voters | 602 | |||
August 3, 2010 primaries
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Incumbent Secretary of State Chris Biggs[18]
- State Senator Chris Steineger[19]
Electoral results
| 2010 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary[20] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party |  Chris Biggs
|
60.3% | |
| Democratic Party | Chris Steineger | 39.7% | |
| Total Votes | 80,872 | ||
Endorsements
- Kansas National Education Association (KNEA)[21]
- State Representative Paul Davis[22] (House Minority Leader)
- State Senator Anthony Hensley[22][23] (Senate Majority Leader)
Finances
According to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, as of July 28, 2010, the following was the breakdown of campaign finances for each of the candidates:
| Chris Biggs Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [13] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| January 1 - July 22, 2010[24] | July 29, 2010 | $922.01 | $76,636.00 | $1,899.23 | $6,000.00 | $43,384.69 | $34,173.32 | |
| January 1 - December 31, 2009[25] | January 10, 2010 | $0.00 | $1,454.00 | $155.88 | $1,000.00 | $531.99 | $922.01 | |
| Chris Steineger Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [13] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| January 1 - July 22, 2010[26] | July 26, 2010 | $0.00 | $107,835.00 | $2,763.90 | $50,000.00 | $81,575.15 | $26,259.85 | |
Republican primary
Candidates
- Former Chairman of Kansas Republican Party Kris Kobach[27]
- Former Salina resident J.R. Claeys[28]
- Shawnee County election commissioner Elizabeth Ensley[29]
Electoral results
| 2010 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary[20] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | Kris Kobach
|
50.7% | |
| Republican Party | Elizabeth Ensley | 27.0% | |
| Republican Party | J.R. Claeys | 22.3% | |
| Total Votes | 308,776 | ||
Endorsements
- Jack Brier, former Kansas Secretary of State[30]
- Bill Graves, former Kansas Secretary of State and Governor of Kansas[30]
- Johnson County Sun, local newspaper[31]
- Ron Thornburgh, former Kansas Secretary of State[32]
- Gun Owners of America[33]
- Kansans for Government Reform PAC[34][35]
- Kansans for Life Political Action Committee[36][37]
- Michelle Malkin, conservative author and activist[38]
- Fred Thompson, actor and former United States Senator[39]
Finances
According to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, as of July 28, 2010, the following was the breakdown of campaign finances for each of the candidates:
| J.R. Claeys Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [13] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| January 1 - July 22, 2010[40] | July 26, 2010 | $287,644.28 | $300.00 | $0.00 | $30,000.00 | $282,003.30 | $5,940.98 | |
| January 1 - December 31, 2009[41] | July 22, 2010 | $213,642.19 | $110,166.70 | $50.00 | $30,000.00 | $36,164.61 | $287,644.28 | |
| Elizabeth Ensley Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [13] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| January 1 - July 22, 2010[42] | July 26, 2010 | $0.00 | $74,360.69 | $2,462.79 | $0.00 | $61,263.52 | $13,097.17 | |
| Kris Kobach Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [13] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| January 1 - July 22, 2010[43] | July 25, 2010 | $127,854.80 | $10,192.50 | $902.66 | $0.00 | $99,933.26 | $38,114.04 | |
| January 1 - December 31, 2009[44] | January 13, 2010 | $60,000.00 | $92,607.00 | $3,024.57 | $0.00 | $24,752.20 | $127,854.80 | |
Noteworthy events
Arizona SB1070
Several days after Republican Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer signed into law Senate Bill 1070 - The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, more commonly known as Arizona SB 1070, the Lawrence Journal-World & News reported that law professor and Kansas Secretary of State candidate Kris Kobach contributed to the writing of the legislation.[45][46] The Act made it a state misdemeanor crime for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying proper citizenship papers required by federal law, authorized state and local law enforcement of federal immigration laws, and cracked down on those sheltering, hiring and transporting illegal aliens into the United States. Kobach stated that he provided his assistance to Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce for free and did not believe it would impact his campaign for secretary of state, though he was quick to argue that he would be willing to draw up a similar measure in Kansas, but only if asked to do so by a state legislator.
Civil rights groups who protested the immigration law petitioned the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) to impose sanctions on Kobach, who taught there since 1996. His harshest critic was J.D. Rios, an assistant Kansas City, Kansas school superintendent, who argued that Kobach "violated the general UMKC policy to promote diversity."[47] Despite threats from liberal alumni members saying they would no longer encourage Hispanic students to enroll at the university, UMKC stood in support of Kobach, insisting they believe in academic freedom for all of its faculty members.[48]
"Illegal is Illegal" Rally
On July 14, 2010, Kobach supporters gathered for an “Illegal is Illegal” Rally at the Ritz Charles convention center after permission to hold the event at MidAmerica Nazarene University was withdrawn. Sheriff Joe Arpaio from Maricopa County Arizona appeared in support of Kobach at the standing room only rally.
Several hundred held a mostly silent “Love Conquers Hate” protest along the sidewalk on the perimeter of the convention center. More than 50 from the NAACP Convention in Kansas City joined the protest, racial profiling top among their concerns, as they chanted “hope, not hate” as they arrived in a small parade. Video of the rally can be seen here.[49]
Birther joke
Speaking at a Leavenworth County Republican Party BBQ held in Tonganoxie shortly after the 4th of July in 2009, Kobach made a joke at the expense of President Barack Obama, stating the one thing the former Illinois senator and God had in common was that neither of them had a birth certificate.[50] The State Democratic Party sharply criticized the Republican candidate for Secretary of State for his remarks, arguing that "his latest attempt at humor has gone too far."[51] Kobach replied that it was just a joke and that Democratic critics should lighten up.
Campaign treasurer
At the same time he faced accusations that he acted in open violation of state campaign finance laws, Forward Kansas, a liberal-leaning news website, ran a story questioning whether or not Mike Sager, Campaign Finance Director for the Steineger secretary of state campaign, was the same individual who was "indicted for a felony count of stealing from his campaign funds and, also, a misdemeanor count of filing false campaign finance reports in order to subsequently cover up the theft."[52][53]
Steineger admitted to the Kansas City Star that when he originally hired Sager, he was not aware of his past. Since discovering that, however, he had since dumped him as his campaign treasurer.[54] Mysteriously, two days after this story was published, he refused to take questions on the matter with another online news source and sent a campaign spokeswoman to "dodge questions."[55]
Election errors
In the run up to the 2008 state primary election contest, Ensley's office allotted forty-three Federal service ballots in an incorrect column, thus preventing optical scanning voting machines from uploading their results properly. This oversight, which Ensley attributed to simple human error, resulted in four-thousand ballots not being counted.[56]
Three months later, during the general election, an election board worker from Ensley's office inadvertently misplaced fourteen provisional ballots in the trunk of her car.[57] Ensley admitted to the mistake and said that it should never have happened.[58]
Ethics complaints
Not long after launching his campaign for secretary of state, the Kansas State Ethics Commission accused State Senator Chris Steineger of at least twice knowingly violating the state's campaign finance laws.[59] Along with being implicated for using financial contributions from his state senate campaign to pay for poll conducted on behalf of his secretary of state committee, he faced being charged with infringing on a state law that "prohibits [state] politicians from seeking contributions from lobbyists, corporations, unions and political action committees while the Legislature is convened from January to May."[60] Several days after these allegations were first reported, Steineger admitted that "a preliminary review of emails sent on behalf of his campaign for secretary of state indicated requests for donations went to several registered lobbyists" and that he would take full responsibility for the actions of campaign.[61]
On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, the Kansas State Ethics Commission ruled that Steineger "improperly used his Senate campaign fund to pay for polls testing his name recognition ahead of a possible run for statewide office."[62] At the same time, however, the commission was unable to find sufficient evidence to say he knowingly violated state campaign finance laws by requesting contributions from lobbyists while the State Legislature was still in session. Steineger was then ordered to pay a fine of $5,000.[63]
See also
External links
- List of candidates qualified for the Kansas August 3 Secretary of State primary
- Green Paper's list of candidates for Kansas Secretary of State, 2010
General Election candidates
- Chris Biggs for Secretary of State Campaign website
- Kris Kobach for Secretary of State Campaign website
Former candidates
- Chris Steineger for Kansas Secretary of State Campaign website
- J.R. Claeys for Kansas Secretary of State Campaign website
- Elizabeth Ensley for Kansas Secretary of State Campaign website
Footnotes
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Kansas secretary of state resigns" 8 Feb. 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Parkinson names Biggs as secretary of state" 17 March, 2010
- ↑ "Biggs-Kobach Candidate Forum," Kansas Watchdog, October 13, 2010
- ↑ Communication Workers of America - Endorsements
- ↑ AFL-CIO - 2010 Endorsements
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Endorsements: U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer" 24 Oct. 2010
- ↑ Can-Do Conservatives of America - Endorsements
- ↑ KHGI-TV "Ex-GOP rival backs Kobach for Kan. sec of state" 4 Aug. 2010
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Red State, "Primary opponents Claeys and Ensley endorse nominee Kris Kobach for Kansas Secretary of State" 17 Aug. 2010
- ↑ Red County, "JR Claeys and Elizabeth Ensley endorse Kris Kobach for Kansas Secretary of State" 17 Aug. 2010
- ↑ WIBW "Romney Endorses Kobach In KS SOS Race" 17 Sept. 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Prairie Politics, "Romney makes Kansas endorsements" 22 Sept. 2010
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 As these are not cash contributions, they are not reflected in the reported ending balance.
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - Chris Biggs 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - Kris Kobach 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ KWCH - Channel 12 "Republicans hold solid lead in all statewide races" 17 Aug. 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Survey USA "Results of SurveyUSA Election Poll #17081" 17 Sept. 2010
- ↑ Kansas Jackass, "KS-SoS: Chris Biggs to run for Secretary of State" 4 June, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ El Dorado Times, "Chris Steineger Announces Candidacy for Kansas Secretary of State" 22 Jan. 2010
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Kansas Secretary of State - 2010 Primary Election Results
- ↑ The Hutchinson News, "Reno officials among KNEA's House picks" 1 July, 2010
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Davis, Hensley endorsing Biggs" 29 July, 2010
- ↑ The Kansas Free Press, "Leader Hensley Endorses Biggs for Sec'y of State, Calls on Steineger to Withdraw" 26 June, 2010
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - Chris Biggs 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - Chris Biggs 2009 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - Chris Steineger 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "GOP primary assured" 26 May, 2009
- ↑ Salina Journal, "Claeys makes progress on statewide election" 20 April, 2009
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Republican Elizabeth Ensley announces candidacy for Kansas secretary of state" 19 Jan. 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Lawrence Journal-World & News, "Republican secretary of state candidate picks up endorsements" 25 March, 2010
- ↑ Sun Publications, "Sun endorsements for the Aug. 3 primary election" 14 July, 2010
- ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Thornburgh endorses Ensley" 22 Jan. 2010
- ↑ The Kansas Progress, "Gun Owners of America on Kris Kobach - Pro-gun Stalwart Running for Secretary of State in Kansas" 23 July, 2010
- ↑ Red State, "Kansas Gov’t Reform PAC endorses Patricia Lightner in Kansas’ Third District" 14 July, 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Kansans for Government Reform PAC - Our Candidates (dead link)
- ↑ Kansans for Life PAC - Kansas Secretary of State endorsement
- ↑ Kansas Progress, "Sen. Fred Thompson endorses Kris Kobach for Secretary of State" 26 Oct. 2009
- ↑ The Pitch, "Michelle Malkin stumping for Kris Kobach" 5 Nov. 2009
- ↑ Kansas City Political Buzz Examiner, "Sen. Fred Thompson formally endorsed Kris Kobach for Secretary of State" 26 Oct. 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - J.R. Claeys 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - J.R. Claeys 2009 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - Elizabeth Ensley 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - Kris Kobach 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission - Kris Kobach 2009 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World & News, "Kansan Kris Kobach helped write controversial Arizona immigration law" 27 April, 2010
- ↑ New York Times, "Why Arizona Drew a Line" 28 April, 2010
- ↑ KMBC 9 News, "Kobach's Immigration Role Leads To Questions" 3 May, 2010
- ↑ Red State, "Let’s Burn Kris Kobach at the Stake" 4 May, 2010
- ↑ "Illegal Immigration Rally: Kris Kobach and Sheriff Joe Arpaio," Watchdog.org, July 15, 2010
- ↑ Everyday Citizen, "Kobach's 'birther' joke is no laughing matter" 16 July, 2009
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World & News, "Kobach says statement about Obama ‘just a joke’" 14 July, 2009
- ↑ South Missourian, "Former Missouri House member accused of theft, false report" 28 April, 2006
- ↑ Forward Kansas, "Updated: Sen. Steineger, Please Have the Real Mike Sager Stand Up" 13 May, 2010
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Steineger often takes the road less traveled" 15 May, 2010
- ↑ The Pitch, "Chris Steineger won't confirm whether he hired disgraced Missouri lawmaker Mike Sager (updated)" 17 May, 2010
- ↑ Kansas Kid Conservative, "Claeys campaign comes out Strong against Elizabeth Ensley" 20 Jan. 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Worker finds ballots in trunk" 25 Nov. 2008
- ↑ Kansas Progress, "JR Claeys for Secretary of State: Can Elizabeth Ensley be Trusted to Protect our Votes?" 5 Feb. 2010
- ↑ Forward Kansas, "Which Chris Steineger Will Show Before the Governmental Ethics Commission?" 17 May, 2010
- ↑ Topeka Capital-Journal, "Questions cloud Steineger campaign" 26 Feb. 2010
- ↑ Topeka Capital-Journal, "Steineger admits finance miscue" 1 March, 2010
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World & News, "Secretary of State candidate fined $5,000 for violating campaign finance laws" 18 May, 2010
- ↑ Kansas Watchdog, "State Senator Steineger fined $5000 at Ethics Hearing" 19 May, 2010
