TOPEKA, Kan. - Tom Wiggans announced that he has ended his exploratory committee, and his campaign for governor. Wiggans announced he was running less than a month ago.
In an email to his supporters, Wiggans said,
What I have learned from my discussions, and from public opinion polling, is that Kansans are hardly in sync with Sam Brownback and they are deeply concerned with the performance of Congress. What I have also learned is that for a candidate who has recently returned to my home state and who has never run for political office, it will take more time and resources than I can assemble to mount a winning campaign. While I have remained involved in many activities in the state over the past years, I have spent much of my business career away from home and thus am unknown to many voters and donors.
Therefore I believe it is in the best interest of the voters for me to end my exploration of running for Governor and entering public service at this time, and instead offer my ideas and experience to state leaders, institutions, and companies and focus my energies on creating new jobs and a strong economy for the future. I am committed to continuing my dialog with the voters of Kansas and becoming fully engaged in the many issues facing our state.
There was some issues that concerned some members of the Democratic Party; Wiggans had switched parties recently and had contributed to several GOP presidential campaigns just last year. In a conference call between Wiggans, Kansas Democratic Party Chairman Larry Gates, and several county chairs and others across the state, Wiggans was asked some tough questions about his political past, and his answers seemed to not sit well with some.
Now is the time for Democrats in Kansas to work together to find a candidate that pleases the majority, as Brownback has had more time and money to fuel his campaign.
Unfortunately, Brownback will survive even if he gets caught messing around with his secretary in the month before the election. It would probably take a "Larry Craig" moment to drive him from the Governor's chair.
It's too bad. He's consistently voted against the public interest, such as on Part D Medicare and Medicare "Advantage," on the Republican wars, to deregulate the banking industry, and on virtually on anything that didn't come straight from Republican talking points.
His claiming, during the presidential primaries, that he didn't believe in evolution won't hurt here in the boondocks. His membership in "The Family," (the C-Street group) of religious fanatics will also be seen as a plus.
We're doomed I'm afraid. Count on parochial schools being paid for by taxpayers, a carte blanche for the energy industry, short shrift for organized labor from law enforcement to the aeronautics industry, and he will turn our rivers into cesspools.
It's the Republican way of life, of course.