Look at the recent Daily Bits on the website. Trump’s Foreign Policy – a few successes, mostly failures.
Political Note #262 Barbara Bollier Kansas Senator
2020 General Election
On December 12, 2018, Barbara Bollier https://bollierforkansas.com/ announced she was no longer a Republican. She had become a Democrat: “Morally, the [Republican] party is not going where my compass resides. I’m looking forward to being in a party that represents the ideals that I do, including Medicaid expansion and funding our K-12 schools.” She was particularly offended by Republicans including anti-transgender language in the party platform.
How does a recent convert become the probable Democratic candidate for the US Senate? Barbara Bollier was not brand new to supporting Democrats. She had supported Democratic governor Laura Kelly in her 2018 campaign. She had supported Tom Niermann in his unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for Kansas’ Third Congressional District. She was not alone. State Representative Stephanie Clayton and State Senator Dinah Sykes changed parties to become Democrats that same month.
Barbara Bollier was not alone among Republicans in supporting Democrat Laura Kelly for Governor. Here is a list, all Republicans, with past or present titles, of Republicans in state level positions who supported Laura Kelly.
- US Senator and Lt. Governor Sheila Frahm
- Governor Gary Sherrer
- Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger
- State Senate President Dick Bond
- State Senate President Dave Kerr
- State Senate Majority Leader Lana Oleen
- State Senate Majority Leader Tim Emert
- State Senate Vice President John Vratil
- State Senator Barbara Allen
- State Senator David Wysong
- State Senator Wint Winter, Jr.
- State Senator Pete Brungardt
- State Senator Ruth Teichman
- State Senator Audrey Langworthy
- State Senator Terrie Huntington
- State Senator Bob VanCrum
- State Senator Alicia Salisbury
- State Rep JoAnn Pottorff
- State Rep Ginger Barr
- State Rep Jim Yonally
- State Rep Jim Lowther
- State Rep Fred Loretz
- State Rep Joy Koesten
- State Rep and Republican Chair Rochelle Chronister
- State Rep Charlie Roth
- Republican National Delegate Don Johnston
Twenty six. The twenty-seventh was Barbara Bollier, herself. This list is almost evenly divided between men and women in a state, like most states, where men dominate politically, especially in the Republican Party. If Republicans with local positions were included, the list would be bigger. In 2014, Republican office holders at various levels supporting the Democratic candidate for governor exceeded 100.
Kansas Republicans have been deserting their party. Attribute that desertion to the extremism of former Senator, then Governor Sam Brownback. Brownback as governor did a pretty good job of destroying Kansas’ economy. Attribute that desertion to the extremism of former Secretary of State Kris Kobach who has gone beyond nearly every politician in his opposition to immigrants and his admiration for Sam Brownback. Kobach lost the governor race to Laura Kelly. With several Republicans running for the Senate, he has a chance to be the nominee for that position.
Donald Trump may have been successful in keeping Republican legislators in line nationally. In Kansas, no one was able to keep Republican voters in line. That’s why a recent convert to the Democratic Party from the Republican Party is the favorite to be the Democratic nominee for the US Senate. That’s why the only previously announced candidate, a former US Attorney with a half million dollars in the bank for his race for the Senate withdrew in her favor. That’s why Barbara Bollier has a decent chance to become the next US Senator from Kansas.
If we were to look for someone who exemplified the movement of suburban Republican women to the Democratic Party, Barbara Bollier would be a good exemplar. She grew up in Kansas’s best known, 25,000 plus pupil suburban school district – Shawnee Mission. She lives in Kansas’s best known, 25,000 plus pupil suburban school district – Shawnee Mission. Daughter of an anesthesiologist, she is married to a doctor of internal medicine. She is an anesthesiologist herself, in her father’s practice.
Her focus is and has been local. She went to Kansas University as an undergraduate, to the University of Kansas School of Medicine to become a doctor. She married a medical school classmate who practices in Kansas City (that’s Missouri, of course, but still local).
Before becoming involved in politics, her interests were local. She volunteered in the Shawnee Mission schools. She was an elder in the Village Presbyterian Church. She may be suburban to her core, but she is clear about the importance of health care for all. She has been a leading advocate for Kansas to expand access to Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act – taking particular pains to explain that failure to expand meant the end of many rural hospitals.
Barbara Bollier is not Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. Her interests are practical: “I’ll focus on what matters most to families — the cost of health care, child care, and how to save for retirement.” Her focus is on the middle class: “The wealthy are thriving, while the middle class is left behind. It’s deeply troubling to me that Republicans chose to turn their tax reform bill into a huge giveaway to the ultra-rich and corporations. I’ll always put Kansas middle class families first.”
Barbara Bollier was a Sam Brownback opponent early. Twice, in the introduction to her website, she comments on Brownback’s “tax experiment.” It would not be a shock to hear her describe Trump as attempting a “tax experiment,” too. While the economy remains prosperous, fairness will be central to her statement about taxes rather than the dangerous consequence of Trump’s “tax experiment.” But there can’t be too many people in Kansas who genuinely approve of trillion dollar deficits. She has an audience to speak to.
Barbara Bollier https://bollierforkansas.com/ can win a general election. She certainly can defeat Kris Kobach if he is the nominee. Before the former US attorney withdrew from the race, the Wall Street Journal published a leaked poll showing him defeating Kobach by ten points. Barbara Bollier is better known in Kansas and extremely well positioned to take on any Republican nominee. Place a bet on her. Take the odds you are given. But also donate some money. Everything in 2020 is high stakes. Every candidate will need money. Lots. Help her win.
Help some other Democratic candidates for the Senate as well.
The most vulnerable Democrat
Alabama Reelect Doug Jones
Other vulnerable Democrats
Michigan Reelect Gary Peters
Minnesota Reelect Tina Smith
New Hampshire Reelect Jeanne Shaheen
Democrats running against the most vulnerable Republican incumbents
Arizona Elect Astronaut Mark Kelly
North Carolina Elect Environmentalist businessman Cal Cunningham
Colorado*
Democrats running for an open seat
Kansas Elect ex Republican former State Sen Barbara Bollier
Democrats running against other vulnerable Republicans
Alaska Elect Physician, Fisherman Al Gross
Iowa Elect Businesswoman Theresa Greenfield
Kentucky Elect former fighter pilot Amy McGrath
Maine Elect Maine House Majority Leader Sara Gideon
Mississippi Elect former Congressman and Ag Secy Mike Espy
South Carolina Elect former Party Chair Jaime Harrison
*Colorado is the third in this group. Is former governor and presidential candidate John Hickenlooper far enough ahead of the rest of the Democratic primary field to definitely be the nominee?
