Kelly vs. Schmidt on Women’s Sports:
Kelly’s challenger is campaigning to ban transgender athletes from girls sports. It’s a core tenet of Schmidt’s “First 100 Days” plan, which also addresses the economy and education. Schmidt supports the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” a measure Kelly vetoed, and says if elected, he would ask the legislature to get the measure to his desk immediately. In September, the Republican AG campaigned with Riley Gaines, a collegiate swimmer from the University of Kentucky, who competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas from the University of Pennsylvania.
In response, Kelly’s campaign said, “Governor Kelly knows divisive policies are bad for our kids, families, and business community. We’ve seen divisive laws like this, time and again, threaten the strides we’ve made in recent years making Kansas a constructive place to attract and retain new businesses and families. Governor Kelly is focused on pro-business policies to help grow the Kansas economy, strengthen the workforce, and make Kansas the best place to put down roots.”
Kelly and Schmidt look back on the COVID-19 pandemic:
Schmidt has attacked Kelly’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kelly ordered schools closed for in-person classes in March 2020, making Kansas the first state in the nation to do so. As unemployment claims rose drastically early in the pandemic, Kansans complained of bureaucracy and technical issues while using the Department of Labor’s website and outdated server. Under Kelly’s administration, KDOL also paid hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent claims, an audit now reveals.
In response to Schmidt’s repeated remarks critical of Kelly closing schools during the pandemic, Kelly told KMBC 9’s Heart of the Matter, “In March of 2020, we knew nothing, and so we had to make decisions based on history and the current science and professionals.”
She said, looking back, she would have still closed schools immediately because “we didn’t even have the tools at that time. We had no personal protective equipment available, and we really didn’t know how the virus was spread.” She added, “I think I did the right thing at the time based on the information that we had.”
Kelly and Schmidt’s differing views on abortion:
At a September campaign event, KMBC 9 asked Schmidt, who is against abortion, about the future of reproductive rights in Kansas, after an effort to remove the right to an abortion from the Kansas constitution failed in the primary. “I think the focus for the state going forward needs to be defending those laws already on the books, and that’s where my priorities would be,” Schmidt said.
KMBC 9 asked whether he supported keeping the Kansas Constitution as it is. Schmidt replied, “the Kansas voters have made that decision. That decision’s behind us.”
When it comes to the topic of abortion, Kelly has remained largely consistent, saying women should have the right to make medical choices about their own bodies. During a KMBC 9 interview with her on Heart of the Matter, she said she’d likely veto any legislation passing further abortion restrictions if it were to get to her desk.
After Kansans rejected Amendment 2 and protected the constitutional right to abortion in the state, Kelly tweeted, “Kansans stood up for fundamental rights today. We rejected divisive legislation that jeopardized our economic future & put women’s healthcare access at risk. Together, we’ll continue to make incredible strides to make KS the best state in the nation to live freely & do business.”
Kelly is blue in a red state, and what Sam Brownback has to do with it:
Kelly’s campaigned on economic issues, and in ruby-red Kansas, the Democrat has distanced herself from polarizing members of her party like Pres. Joe Biden. Kelly is the only Democratic governor running for re-election in a state that former President Donald Trump won in 2020.Play Video
Kelly has Criticized Schmidt’s connections to her predecessor Sam Brownback, who gutted education spending. It was a decision that had disastrous impacts on schools and left Brownback with high disapproval ratings by the time he left office. During a debate at the Johnson County Bar Association in October, Kelly addressed Schmidt’s support of the former governor. Schmidt called that strange.
“The governor has an unhealthy obsession with one of her predecessors who served in office eight years ago,” Schmidt said.
Kelly was a driving force behind legislation that offered massive subsidies to attract a Panasonic electric vehicle battery plant to Kansas. Despite not knowing what the company was at the time, the Republican-controlled state senate approved a bill that could offer a single company hundreds of millions of dollars in breaks once this year and once in 2023.
After De Soto, Kansas, was chosen as the site of the $4 billion plant, Kelly touted it as an economic win for Kansans that would bring further investment and jobs to the state.
Schmidt is also a Climate Change denier. Something that she has taken a lot of heat for from the scientific community.
Endorsements:
Schmidt has the endorsement of former president Donald Trump, former Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, and the late Bob Dole. Schmidt has also campaigned with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Younkin. Kansas groups like the Kansas Farm Bureau, the Kansas Livestock Association, and the Kansas Fraternal Order of Police have thrown their support behind the Republican nominee.
Kelly, meanwhile, has touted the endorsement of numerous Kansas Republicans, including three of Schmidt’s former bosses: former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum-Baker, former state AG Carla Stovall, and former Gov. Bill Graves.
What’s driving voters to the polls?
Several national trends and forces could influence voter turnout in the Kansas race. A Fox News poll released the week of Oct. 17 shows nationwide, Democrats are just as motivated to vote as Republicans in the midterms, a reversal from earlier in the year. The swing is being attributed to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In August, Kansas voters rejected a constitutional amendment to remove abortion rights by a 60-40 margin.