ELECTION/GOP/POLLS/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a staunch ally of Republican President Donald Trump, is locked in a tight race with state Senator Laura Kelly that could see the state elect its first Democratic governor in eight years, a Reuters poll found. The Reuters/Ipsos/UVA Center for Politics opinion poll published on Wednesday [10-31-18] found that Kelly had the support of 43 percent of likely voters, with Kobach backed by 41 percent, and independent Greg Orman a distant third with 9 percent support. The governor’s race is shaping up as a referendum on Trump, who Kobach has advised on immigration and voting restrictions, as well as the state’s prior governor, Sam Brownback, whose deep tax cuts left the state in a budget crisis…Kelly has labeled Kobach ‘Brownback on steroids,’ and tried to link him to the two-term governor whose leadership led to huge state budget cutbacks for education, roads and other services. Kobach has pledged to cut taxes again but be more aggressive than Brownback at controlling spending.”
-John Whitesides, “Trump ally Kobach in tough battle for Kansas governorship,” Reuters, October 31, 2018 3:10 am