Insider dispatches from our writers on politics in Wichita, Topeka and Washington.
Insider dispatches from our writers on politics in Wichita, Topeka and Washington.
Insider dispatches from our writers on politics in Wichita, Topeka and Washington.
Insider dispatches from our writers on politics in Wichita, Topeka and Washington.
“I normally watch them online,” O’Donnell said. “It’s really hard when they schedule meetings in the morning when people have other jobs.
“That’s the nice thing about them streaming it online for free,” he said.
O’Donnell also sent the Wichita school district a request last year for attendance records of members of the Wichita school board from July 2001 through July 2015. That’s the period when Lynn Rogers, who would have been O’Donnell’s Democratic opponent in the District 25 race for the Kansas Senate, was on the school board.
The winner of the District 2 race will represent Haysville, Clearwater and parts of south and southwest Wichita on the Sedgwick County Commission.
Daniel Salazar: 316-269-6791, @imdanielsalazar
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"111539582","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/7vdkog/picture111539582","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"IMG_1505","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","modified_date":1477881467,"allow_comments":false,"published_date":1477881467,"thumbnail":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/7vdkog/picture111539582/alternates/FREE_1140/IMG_1505","href":"/web/v1/content/111539582","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913"],"credit":"File photo","dateline":"","caption":"Commissioner Tim Norton, left, and state Sen. Michael O’Donnell share the stage at an Oct. 24 Rotary Club debate at Botanica.","photographer":"Daniel Salazar","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Wichita","allow_comments":true,"image":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/7vdkog/picture111539582/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/IMG_1505"},{"id":"104226516","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article104226516.html","asset_type":"blogpost","state":"published","title":"Where to watch the presidential debate in Wichita","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","home_section":{"name":"Prairie Politics","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/"},"modified_date":1474912464,"published_date":1474908822,"thumbnail":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/afra47/picture104226511/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/debate%20wire","keywords":"Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, 2016, Election, Debate, Republican, Democrat, Vote, Kansas, Wichita, Trump, Clinton, Donald, Hillary, O'Donnell, Warren","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913","3375","3035"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"Democrats will have a watch party at the Murdock Theatre. Republicans will host their watch party at Warren Theatre East.","content":"
Democrats and Republicans will host rival watch parties in Wichita for the first general election debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump
Sedgwick County Democrats are hosting a watch party in Murdock Theatre at 536 N. Broadway. You can RSVP online here.
There’s also a Republican watch party in the Warren Theatre East at 11611 E. 13th St.
It will be hosted by owner Bill Warren, Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kelly Arnold and Kansas Sen. Michael O’Donnell, who is running for the Sedgwick County Commission.
Both watch parties start at 7:30 p.m. The debate will kick off at 8 p.m.
Daniel Salazar: 316-269-6791, @imdanielsalazar
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"104226511","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/afra47/picture104226511","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"debate wire","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","modified_date":1474908894,"allow_comments":false,"published_date":1474908822,"thumbnail":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/afra47/picture104226511/alternates/FREE_1140/debate%20wire","href":"/web/v1/content/104226511","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913"],"credit":"Bloomberg","dateline":"","caption":"A group of Hofstra University students stand in front of a CNN trailer Sunday with images of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, ahead of the first U.S. presidential debate at Hofstra University in New York.","photographer":"Andrew Harrer","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Wichita","allow_comments":true,"image":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/afra47/picture104226511/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/debate%20wire"},{"id":"100924037","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article100924037.html","asset_type":"blogpost","state":"published","title":"Who was playing possum in Jim Howell’s car?","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","home_section":{"name":"Prairie Politics","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/"},"modified_date":1473461385,"published_date":1473456619,"thumbnail":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/5615998028001/f89e9e7a-f978-482e-8be8-fea4fbfe1fa6/90ad7a18-f01d-4b01-a90e-1e8e72813a27/160x90/match/image.jpg","keywords":"Jim Howell, Sedgwick County","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913","3034","3035","3278"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"Sedgwick County workers helped remove a possum that had burrowed under the hood of Commission Chairman Jim Howell’s car.","content":"
The Sedgwick County Courthouse had a furry visitor on Thursday.
County staff removed a possum that had burrowed under the hood of a county commissioner’s car.
“It was like my car was giving birth,” Chairman Jim Howell wrote on Facebook. He posted a 29-second video on YouTube.
“Sedgwick County — working for you!” Howell wrote on Facebook, echoing the county’s official slogan. “But today, I had some awesome county workers help me too!”
“I was extremely grateful for this brave help!” the Facebook post read. “I had no idea this critter had crawled into my car or how to get him out!”
County maintenance workers had noticed a tail hanging out from under his car on Thursday morning, Howell said.
“They contacted my office and said, ‘You might want to get this taken care of,’ ” Howell said. “I didn’t even ask them to help.”
He said they took the possum out of the car after a couple of minutes and let it go in a nearby grassy area.
“Had I started that car, it would have killed that possum. It would have been bad,” Howell said. “They saved that possum’s life.”
“I’m glad they spotted him. I’m glad they rescued him.”
Howell said in the comments on his Facebook post that the possum was let go “over by the mayor’s car,” a reference to Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell. He later wrote that he was kidding.
“Seriously, they saved its life and returned it to its natural habitat,” he wrote.
Daniel Salazar: 316-269-6791, @imdanielsalazar
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"100910852","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article100910852.html","asset_type":"videoIngest","brightcove_id":"5729949944001","state":"published","title":"Possum pulled out of car","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/4545","modified_date":1520093165,"published_date":1473454445,"leadtext":[{"text":"Sedgwick County maintenance staff pulled a possum out from Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell's car on Thursday. (Video courtesy of Jim Howell)"}],"thumbnail":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/5615998028001/f89e9e7a-f978-482e-8be8-fea4fbfe1fa6/86031e7b-982d-4084-b5bd-430dcd53e16a/1280x720/match/image.jpg","href":"/web/v1/content/100910852","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["4545","3278"],"credit":"jgreen@wichitaeagle.com","summary":"","content":"","brightcove_thumbnail":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/5615998028001/f89e9e7a-f978-482e-8be8-fea4fbfe1fa6/90ad7a18-f01d-4b01-a90e-1e8e72813a27/160x90/match/image.jpg","photographer":"McClatchy","allow_ads":true,"ads":[{"publication":"kansas","tag":"https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?ciu_szs=300x250&correlator=%5Btimestamp%5D&cust_params=sect%3Dpolitics_government%26id%3D100910852%26eid%3D100910852%26vidlength%3Dshort%26pl%3D&description_url=%5Breferrer_url%5D&env=vp&gdfp_req=1&hl=en&impl=s&iu=%2F7675%2FWCH.site_kansas%2FNews%2FNational%2FGovtPolitics&output=vast&sz=400x300&unviewed_position_start=1&url=%5Breferrer_url%5D&vidlength=short&vpos=preroll","lang":"en","sz":"400x300","vpos":"preroll","cust_params":"sect=politics_government&id=100910852&eid=100910852&vidlength=short&pl="}],"kicker":"","allow_comments":false},"owner":"Wichita","allow_comments":true,"image":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/5615998028001/f89e9e7a-f978-482e-8be8-fea4fbfe1fa6/90ad7a18-f01d-4b01-a90e-1e8e72813a27/160x90/match/image.jpg"},{"id":"94599102","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article94599102.html","asset_type":"blogpost","state":"published","title":"Michael O’Donnell accuses Tim Norton supporters of vandalizing campaign sign","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","home_section":{"name":"Prairie Politics","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/"},"modified_date":1470787278,"published_date":1470767306,"thumbnail":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/vuiqdh/picture94599097/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/O%27DONNELL%20NORTON%202","keywords":"Sedgwick County Commission, county commission, O'Donnell, Norton","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913","3375","3034","3035"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"Michael O’Donnell is leaving the Kansas Senate to run against incumbent Tim Norton in the pivotal commission race for southern Sedgwick County.","content":"
A brief kerfuffle between two Sedgwick County Commission campaigns played out over social media late Monday.
Michael O’Donnell is running against Democratic commissioner Tim Norton in the District 2 race, which includes Haysville, Clearwater and large parts of south Wichita.
O’Donnell posted a photo on his personal Facebook page Monday night of a damaged campaign sign along a roadway.
“My campaign sign didn’t even last 48 hours,” according to O’Donnell’s post. “The members of Tim Norton’s campaign team used a box cutter to destroy my sign while leaving the (U.S. Rep. Mike) Pompeo sign … intact.”
O’Donnell’s campaign page posted the photo and asked followers to share that the campaign would install cameras at sign locations this week. The post did not reference evidence about who the campaign suspects vandalized the sign.
Norton’s campaign page responded later in the night saying defacing or removing campaign signs was not acceptable.
“I do not condone it from my supporters or from those that might do so without any tie to a campaign but just with malicious intent,” according to Norton’s post.
“As candidates, I am sure we will try our best to seek the highest level of honesty and fair play and work together to seek to quell those that might like to play the game at the lowest levels.”
O’Donnell later updated the post after Norton’s response.
“I appreciate Commissioner Norton’s response and believe him that he had nothing to do with it, just some of his supporters being over-zealous,” O’Donnell’s updated post read.
O’Donnell and Norton did not immediately return calls Tuesday morning.
The race between O’Donnell and Norton features two well-known names, pitting a state senator and former Wichita City Council member against the longest standing commissioner on the Sedgwick County Commission, respectively.
The race has also taken on new significance after David Dennis defeated incumbent commissioner Karl Peterjohn in last week’s Republican primary.
Daniel Salazar: 316-269-6791, @imdanielsalazar
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"94599097","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/vuiqdh/picture94599097","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"O'DONNELL NORTON 2","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","modified_date":1470787277,"allow_comments":false,"published_date":1470767306,"thumbnail":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/vuiqdh/picture94599097/alternates/FREE_1140/O%27DONNELL%20NORTON%202","href":"/web/v1/content/94599097","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913"],"credit":"The Wichita Eagle","dateline":"","caption":"A screengrab of a Facebook post from Michael O’Donnell accusing supporters of his rival, Tim Norton, of vandalizing a campaign sign.","photographer":"Daniel Salazar","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Wichita","allow_comments":true,"image":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/vuiqdh/picture94599097/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/O%27DONNELL%20NORTON%202"},{"id":"90826307","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article90826307.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Commissioner Ranzau blames mayor for rumors of city-county discord","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","home_section":{"name":"Prairie Politics","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/"},"modified_date":1469057342,"published_date":1469043196,"leadtext":[{"text":"Richard Ranzau calls county candidate David Dennis a “puppet” of Mayor Jeff Longwell"},{"text":"Speeches stem from discussions about divide between city of Wichita and Sedgwick County"}],"thumbnail":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/opb170/picture90826302/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/IMG_ranzau_file_2_1_LA6FMQGC_L176107941","keywords":"Sedgwick County, City of Wichita, Jeff Longwell, Richard Ranzau, fighting, county majority, Sedgwick County commission, David Dennis","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913","3375","3035","3382"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"Sedgwick County Commissioner Richard Ranzau tied Mayor Jeff Longwell to the perception that the city of Wichita and Sedgwick County are not getting along and called a commission challenger the mayor’s “puppet.”","content":"
Sedgwick County Commissioner Richard Ranzau said there’s a narrative that Wichita and Sedgwick County are not getting along, and he pointed to Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell for that.
“There’s always been differences between the city and the county,” Ranzau said at the end of Wednesday’s county meeting. “This narrative of city and county fighting didn’t start until the city of Wichita got a new mayor. That’s just plain and simple.”
He also said Longwell is trying to influence the County Commission after Longwell endorsed county candidate David Dennis. Dennis, a retired Air Force colonel challenging commissioner Karl Peterjohn, also got endorsements from Wichita City Council members Pete Meitzner and Bryan Frye on Tuesday.
“He (Longwell) wants his puppet on the County Commission and it’s all political,” Ranzau said.
Longwell called Ranzau’s puppet remark “absolutely absurd.” He said he asked Dennis about running earlier in the year and that he’s been upfront with county officials that he thinks Dennis would improve relations between the two governments.
\n\n@imdanielsalazar @ColDavidDennis Can't we all just get A-Longwell?
— Jeff Longwell (@jefflongwellict) July 20, 2016
“I have found him (Dennis) to be a very articulate, bright, caring individual,” Longwell said. “Those are the kinds of people that care about their community and care about working together that we ought to have in office.”
“We have found that it’s been an exercise of frustration trying to work out mutual agreements with them,” Longwell said of county commissioners.
Dennis said he didn’t want to respond to personal attacks and that Ranzau “really needs to get to know me.”
“I’ve never heard of a colonel being called a puppet by anyone,” Dennis said. “We were trained to be leaders and make our own decisions.”
The discussion at the county meeting came about a week after Ranzau and Longwell talked about ways that the two governments are picking up the other’s costs. Ranzau said The Eagle was partnering with Longwell to create the narrative that the two were arguing.
“We just kind of go in different directions. That doesn’t mean we’re fighting,” Ranzau said.
But Longwell said again Wednesday that city officials are increasingly frustrated with county votes to shift costs to the city.
“They do an end-zone dance on how they’re saving taxpayers’ money when all they have done is shifted the obligation over onto the city of Wichita,” Longwell said. “I’m not sure it’s going to get better until we see a bit of a shift of ideologies.”
Ranzau said the County Commission has helped resolve several longstanding issues with the city in recent months.
“We’ve addressed issues like the Law Enforcement Training Center, the tag office, the regional fire training center, the 271 building, projects that have languished for years if not decades in the past,” Ranzau said. “We’re getting things done.”
Asked if his Wednesday remarks would contribute to the perception that the two governments are fighting each other, Ranzau responded that “it’s already out there.”
“The only thing I can do is face it head on and speak the truth,” Ranzau said.
Daniel Salazar: 316-269-6791, @imdanielsalazar
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"90826302","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/opb170/picture90826302","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"IMG_ranzau_file_2_1_LA6FMQGC_L176107941","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","modified_date":1469057342,"allow_comments":false,"published_date":1469043384,"thumbnail":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/opb170/picture90826302/alternates/FREE_1140/IMG_ranzau_file_2_1_LA6FMQGC_L176107941","href":"/web/v1/content/90826302","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913"],"credit":"File photo","dateline":"","caption":"Sedgwick County Commissioner Richard Ranzau says the commission has helped end several longstanding issues with the city of Wichita in recent months.","photographer":"Bo Rader","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Wichita","allow_comments":true,"image":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/opb170/picture90826302/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/IMG_ranzau_file_2_1_LA6FMQGC_L176107941"},{"id":"74747717","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article74747717.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Wichita city manager pokes fun at county’s contract issue","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","home_section":{"name":"Prairie Politics","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/"},"modified_date":1461967505,"published_date":1461967505,"keywords":"Sedgwick County commissioners, Bothner and Bradley, Wichita city council, city of wichita, commissioner Jim Howell, Robert Layton Wichita","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"“Unlike the county, you can’t unilaterally change contracts.”","content":"
“Unlike the county, you can’t unilaterally change contracts.”
– Wichita City Manager Robert Layton, joking with Mayor Jeff Longwell after Longwell asked if the City Council could change Layton’s contract and vote each year to retain him.
Earlier this month, public relations firm Bothner and Bradley was removed from a Sedgwick County road study days after a county commissioner said he personally didn’t like the company.
Kelsey Ryan: 316-269-6752, @kelsey_ryan
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","owner":"Wichita","allow_comments":true,"image":""},{"id":"70393892","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article70393892.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Sen. Pat Roberts mourns Merle Haggard on Twitter","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","home_section":{"name":"Prairie Politics","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/"},"modified_date":1460029471,"published_date":1459987649,"thumbnail":"https://pics.mcclatchyinteractive.com/news/nation-world/national/w33y10/picture70317107/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/AP_740406029","keywords":"Pat Roberts, Merle Haggard","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913","3035"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts was among the many who took to social media Wednesday to mourn the passing of country music legend Merle Haggard.","content":"
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts was among the many who took to social media Wednesday to mourn the passing of country music legend Merle Haggard.
Haggard, the singer of “Okie From Muskogee” and other hits, died on Wednesday, his 79th birthday, after suffering from pneumonia for months.
\n\nToday, we lost a great country music singer whose songs will stand the test of time: #MerleHaggard pic.twitter.com/FXBpJiIqw8
— Pat Roberts (@SenPatRoberts) April 6, 2016
Roberts, a Dodge City Republican and the state’s senior senator, took to Twitter to lament the singer’s passing and recommended that fellow mourners listen to the songs “Sing Me Back Home,” “Red Bandana,” “Silver Wings” and “If We Make It Through December” to reflect on Haggard’s legacy.
\n\nFor those reflecting on #MerleHaggard's music, my favorites: Sing Me Back Home, Red Bandanna, Silver Wings, & If We Make it through December
— Pat Roberts (@SenPatRoberts) April 6, 2016
Haggard had originally been scheduled to join Willie Nelson for a show at Hartman Arena next week before canceling his appearance due to health concerns.
Bryan Lowry: 785-296-3006, @BryanLowry3
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"70317107","url":"https://pics.mcclatchyinteractive.com/news/nation-world/national/w33y10/picture70317107","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"AP_740406029","publication":"mcclatchy-newsroom","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/1152","modified_date":1459970029,"allow_comments":false,"published_date":1459970029,"thumbnail":"https://pics.mcclatchyinteractive.com/news/nation-world/national/w33y10/picture70317107/alternates/FREE_1140/AP_740406029","href":"/web/v1/content/70317107","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["3289"],"credit":"AP","dateline":"","caption":"Country singer Merle Haggard is shown at a news conference in New York City on April 6, 1974.","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Wichita","allow_comments":true,"image":"https://pics.mcclatchyinteractive.com/news/nation-world/national/w33y10/picture70317107/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/AP_740406029"},{"id":"65549557","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article65549557.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Lobbyists spend nearly $150,000 on Kansas lawmakers in January","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","home_section":{"name":"Prairie Politics","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/"},"modified_date":1457742444,"published_date":1457740075,"leadtext":[{"text":"Rep. Willie Dove leads among lawmakers for receiving hospitality"},{"text":"Data shows top-spending organizations in January "}],"keywords":"lobbying, lobbyists, Kansas, lawmakers, 2016, spending, hospitality","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913","3035","3382","4545"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"Lobbyists spent more than $145,000 during the first month of the 2016 session treating Kansas lawmakers and their staff to dinner, drinks and basketball games.","content":"
Lobbyists spent more than $145,000 during the first month of the 2016 session treating Kansas lawmakers and their staff to dinner, drinks and basketball games.
\nRep. Willie Dove is off to an early lead in the competition to see which Kansas lawmaker receives the most in food and other niceties from lobbyists this session.
\nThe Bonner Springs Republican received $866 in hospitality – nearly $300 more than any other lawmaker – from lobbyists in January, according to data from the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.
\n“Really?” Dove replied when told he was No. 1 for the month.
\n“He’s working hard,” said House Majority Leader Jene Vickrey, R-Louisburg, who was within earshot. “It shows that people want to talk to him.”
\nDove said he wasn’t aware that he had been treated to more meals during the first month than any other lawmaker. He credited it to his work on an industrial hemp bill and his recent elevation to vice chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee.
\n“With more responsibility, I guess, comes more activity,” Dove said, explaining that he uses the dinners and lunches as an opportunity to ask questions about legislation. “It’s been necessary for me to ask a lot more questions.”
\nRep. Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, the House Health chair, was in the second spot for the first month.
\n“I beat Dan?” Dove asked with disbelief.
\nThe majority of the money spent can’t be tied to a specific lawmaker. More than $115,000 was unitemized and likely includes money spent on box lunches at the Capitol and after-hours receptions for groups of lawmakers.
\nOf the money that can be tracked, the lawmakers who received the most in hospitality in January were:
\n ![](\"http://media.kansas.com/static/images/embeds/lobbying_hospitality.png\")
All of them are Republicans, the party which controls both houses of the Legislature.
\nThe Eagle plans to track lobbyist spending each month this session and will publish the totals as they become available.
\n![](\"http://media.kansas.com/static/images/embeds/lobbying_organizations.png\")
Some legislative staffers also received hospitality from lobbyists. Roderick Patton, Vickrey’s chief of staff, received more than $400 in meals and entertainment from lobbyists during January. His boss received $265 during that same period.
\nRep. Kevin Jones, a Republican from Wellsville, was treated to least amount of free food during the first month of the session, a $10 lunch from the Kansas Rural Independent Telecommunications Coalition during January.
\n ![](\"http://media.kansas.com/static/images/embeds/lobbyists_January.png\")
Bryan Lowry: 785-296-3006, @BryanLowry3
\n","kicker":"","text_alignment":"Left","href":"/web/v1/content/65549557","allow_ads":true,"allow_stn_player":true,"byline":"","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","owner":"Wichita","allow_comments":true,"image":""},{"id":"63121057","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/article63121057.html","asset_type":"blogpost","state":"published","title":"Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes endorses Rubio","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","home_section":{"name":"Prairie Politics","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/"},"modified_date":1456761839,"published_date":1456761570,"leadtext":[{"text":"Endorsement comes less than a week before Saturday’s Kansas presidential caucuses "}],"thumbnail":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/b4myxa/picture63121052/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Rubio","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913","3375","3035"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"Add State Treasurer Ron Estes to the list of prominent Kansas Republicans who are supporting Sen. Marco Rubio for president.","content":"
Add State Treasurer Ron Estes to the list of prominent Kansas Republicans who are supporting Sen. Marco Rubio for president.
Estes’ endorsement comes less than a week before Saturday’s Kansas presidential caucuses and comes on the heels of endorsements for the Florida senator from Gov. Sam Brownback, Sen. Pat Roberts and Rep. Mike Pompeo.
Estes, a Wichita Republican, pointed to Rubio’s stance on higher education as being the primary reason he’s decided to back the candidate.
“More than any other candidate, Marco Rubio has shown a passion for reining in the rising cost of higher education. Marco continuously demonstrates a desire to modernize an education system that has left far too many students unable to start their adult lives on solid financial footing,” Estes said in a statement.
Rubio’s higher education plan includes proposals to change the accreditation process to accommodate “non-traditional education” and to establish income-based student loan repayment as the universal method for paying off student loans, according to the candidate’s website.
Despite the support from Estes and other statewide officials Rubio is trailing billionaire Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, according to a poll released by Fort Hays State University on Friday, which found Rubio polling at 13 percent among Kansas Republican voters compared to Trump at 26 percent and Cruz at 14 percent.
Bryan Lowry: 785-296-3006, @BryanLowry3
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"63121052","url":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/b4myxa/picture63121052","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Rubio","publication":"kansas","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/6913","modified_date":1456761839,"allow_comments":false,"published_date":1456761569,"thumbnail":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/b4myxa/picture63121052/alternates/FREE_1140/Rubio","href":"/web/v1/content/63121052","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["6913"],"credit":"Associated Press","dateline":"","caption":"Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida,delights supporters as he enters a rally at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., on Sunday.","photographer":"Don Petersen","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Wichita","allow_comments":true,"image":"https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/prairie-politics/b4myxa/picture63121052/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Rubio"}],"showSummary":false,"initialQuantity":0,"isLoading":true,"isVisible":false,"areMoreResults":false,"page":0,"offset":0},"sectionConfig":{"lang":"en","pubTimeZone":"America/Chicago"}}