Kansas: Challenger faces difficult race to unseat 5-term GOP incumbent

[Robbien]

WICHITA, Kan. - Rep. Jerry Moran appears so confident he will keep his 1st District congressional seat that he has not opened a campaign office. He has not set up a campaign phone line, nor has he hired a campaign manager.

Moran, R-Kansas, has handily retained his seat since first winning it in 1996 after Republican Pat Roberts gave it up to run for the Senate. Moran easily won with 74 percent of the vote, then held onto the job in 1998 with 81 percent of the vote. He faced no major party opponent in 2000, 2002 or 2004, and was unopposed in this year's primary.

. . .

Taking on the seemingly unshakable incumbent is a newcomer to politics: John Doll, a Democrat and owner of a lawn chemical spraying company in Garden City who is running for public office for the first time. Doll said he wouldn't have run if he did not believe he had a shot to win. "There is a mood out there I haven't seen before - I think a lot of people are ready for change," he said.

. . .

He is most passionate talking about the dwindling aquifer underneath his district, a problem that affects not just Kansas but neighboring states - and something Doll thinks needs to be addressed at a federal level.

As a challenger, Doll said his biggest problem is getting campaign funds. He readily acknowledged he has a tough time getting on the phone and calling people to raise money. "It is mind-boggling how much money it takes to run this race," Doll said. "I've put 25,000 miles on my vehicle."

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/politics/15456371.htm

[Stevepol]

1. Doll's right about the new mood, but he forgets the new voting machines.

Too many new precincts have got voting machines now. Just last voting cycle I believe there were only three counties w/ voting machines: the two biggest, Sedgwick and Johnson and one other, not sure which, but now there are about 22 I think and more on the way.

The chances of a fair election, in other words, are about the same as for that snowball in hell. Won't happen.

I worked for Robert Beattie who ran for Sec of State in the Dem primary. He came out strongly for renewing and changing the voting set-up by restoring the voting sites in Wichita and turning the administration of elections over to a non-partisan board. He was also up on the problems with electronic voting and wanted a paper ballot back-up to be the final arbiter. He was beaten in a very close primary. No way to know if the vote counting was fair. I doubt that it was personally, but that's only speculation since there are no audits, and in many places not even any paper (Johnson County has Diebold sans paper).

So the mood of the voters in KS as thru-out the country is meaningless as a barometer as to how the vote will turn out. The machines will determine. We don't have a democracy anymore.

[ClintonTyree]

2. Number one.......it's Kansas, number two........

the guys name is MORAN! :rofl: You just can't make this shit up, folks! Moran in Kansas, how fitting.

Now, before I'm besieged by the flames of Kansas DUers I'm NOT suggesting everyone from Kansas is a "Moran". I know, there are plenty of good people from Kansas who are doing whatever they can to combat the evil in the White House. I'm just saying.......Kansas and Moran? That's just too easy! :rofl:

[VWolf]

3. Get a brain - Moran

Sorry, couldn't resist!

(edited for proper quote)

[rpannier]

4. I'd like to see Moran lose

but in some ways this guy is only a small step up from moran

[Toots]

5. The longest journey begins with the first small step

You evidently know more about these folks than I do but I find it difficult to believe any Democrat (excluding Zell Miller) could be only slightly better than any Republican. :shrug:

[rpannier]

6. Agreed. We need to push these f**ks out ASAP

It just worries me when one of the cornerstones to Doll's campaign is pulling out of Iraq, but building US military bases throughout the Middle East.
Nevertheless, I'll take Doll over moran any second of any hour of any day.