What has become a bitter battle between conservative and moderate Republicans, Veteran Conservative Republican State Senator Terry Bruce who represents Hutchinson and Reno County pointed to public disclosure reports filed with the Kansas Ethics Commission in a prepared statement Tuesday.
“The secret is out and voters deserve to know the truth. The liberal leadership of the Kansas Senate has an open alliance with the most liberal unions in Kansas to attack conservatives and implement the Obama agenda. It’s right there in black and white.” said Bruce.
The Kansas Jobs PAC has been active in this primary election season supporting progressive candidates in Republican primaries for the state Senate. Reports filed Monday document the extent of the financial alliance between the current Senate leadership and big labor. Donations total 180-thousand dollars.
This PAC has been active against at least four incumbent Republican Senators—Ralph Ostmeyer of Grinnell, Jeff King of Independence, Mary Pilcher-Cook of Shawnee and Steve Abrams of Arkansas City.
But, on the other side of the coin, The Kansas Chamber of Commerce has spent more than 231-thousand this month on mailers and broadcast advertising designed to help those conservative candidates in GOP state Senate primaries.
The chamber’s political action committee disclosed the spending in a campaign finance report filed this week with the secretary of state’s office. A dozen moderate Republican senators face conservative challengers in the Aug. 7 primary.
The biggest donor to the chamber’s efforts remains Wichita-based Koch Industries Inc., which contributed 125-thousand to the PAC earlier this month. That’s more than half of the 228-thousand the PAC raised since the beginning of the year.
The chamber reported spending $130,000 on radio and cable television advertising to influence state Senate races and more than $101,000 on printing and postage for mailers.
And, companies operating state-owned casinos in Kansas have contributed 70-thousand dollars to a political action committee backing moderate Republican state senators in contested primaries.
The Senate Republican Leadership Committee disclosed the contributions in a campaign finance report filed this week with the secretary of state’s office. The PAC is led by Senate President Steve Morris, a moderate Hugoton Republican.
It shows contributions to the PAC from each of the companies operating the state’s casinos in Dodge City, Kansas City and near Mulvane. The largest contribution, $50,000, came earlier this month from the company running the Mulvane casino.
The Kansas Contractors Association’s PAC contributed $20,000 to the PAC in January.
Another major contributor to Morris’ PAC is the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s PAC, which contributed 12-thousand, 500-dollars in June.
*The Associated Press contributed to this story.