Posted on 10/05/2018 3:06:33 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
President in Topeka Saturday to rally Republicans in what protest organizer calls ‘highly charged’ environment
President Donald Trump will appear in Topeka, Kansas, Saturday night to rally support for candidates in two competitive House races and gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach. But organizers of a large counter demonstration are concerned about public safety.
Police will corral demonstrators onto sidewalks sandwiched between traffic on a four-lane road and metal fencing more typically used to enclose livestock, the Topeka-Capital Journal reported.
Demonstrators will split between the north side of the venue in a space designated for Trump supporters and the south side in a space designated for Trump opponents.
“People have strong feelings about Trump and Kobach, either good or bad. Not many people are in the middle. You put those two groups in a space like this, in the course of last year or two we’ve seen this doesn’t always lead to good things,” said Rev. Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan, an organizer.
“We’ve seen a Trump supporter drive into a group of people,” she said, referring to the slaying of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Va., last year.
Previously, police had stated a grassy area outside the arena would be available for protests, but backtracked Wednesday, and have now designated the area for overflow parking. Space will depend largely on turnout, which is uncertain, organizers say. While Saturday’s rally marks the president’s first visit to the state since his election, the weather is forecast to be rainy.
Oglesby-Dunegan said organizers worry about the possibility of being in a tight environment against the backdrop of the state’s sometimes “highly charged” races for two high stakes House seats and the governor’s mansion. The election in Kansas has touched on a number of issues that can be deeply personal to voters, including health care and immigration.
Trump will boost GOP candidate Steve Watkins in his bid against Democrat Paul Davis for the 2nd District seat being vacated by Rep. Lynn Jenkins, who is retiring.
Trump won the district by 18 points in 2016, but Watkins has been damaged by recent questions about his background. Watkins said he “started a small business and grew it from three people to 470 people,” but recent reporting by the Kansas City Star has raised questions about that claim. The paper found no public records indicating Watkins ever owned a stake in VIAP Inc., a construction management and engineering company.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee debuted an ad on Friday hitting Watkins on those questions.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the 2nd District race a Toss-up.
In the neighboring 3rd District, Rep. Kevin Yoder trailed his Democratic opponent, first-time candidate Sharice Davids, in a September New York Times/Siena College poll in a race that Inside Elections rates Tilt Democratic.
Yoder said he’ll skip the rally, citing a scheduling conflict, the Kansas City Star reported. While Trump has endorsed Yoder, the candidate has sought to distance himself from Trump’s child separation policy, which he previously supported. Hillary Clinton won the district by a narrow margin over Trump in 2016.
Democrats hope Kobach, the state’s attorney general and a Trump ally, could be a drag for Republicans in down-ballot races. He is one of the least popular politicians in the state — a poll in the spring showed his approval rating at -17.
He became a national lightning rod when he became co-chair of Trump’s voter fraud task force, which folded without presenting any evidence of the widespread voter fraud that Trump had claimed.
A loss in both districts would seriously jeopardize Republicans’ hold on the House.
They could get some good ideas if they search under sheep handling.
There are hippies, disgruntled people, Antifa, BLM, Hillary kooks and Bernie Bros in all 50 states.
Partner, The Left, the Fake News MSM and the Rat party themselves do not know who they are dealing with period.>>>>>>>
Worth Repeating. I agree 100%.
I just about fell off my chair laughing when I first saw him doing mimes of skanks like Feinstein and Ford.
That good ole boy knows how to rip them all a new one.
“There are hippies, disgruntled people, Antifa, BLM, Hillary kooks and Bernie Bros in all 50 states.”
—
Yeah. True .
Dim “protestors” SHOULD be penned up like livestock!!!!
I will be watching.
““We’ve seen a Trump supporter drive into a group of people,” she said”
And we’ve seen a Bernie bot shoot at Republican congressman at a baseball practice, hoping to kill as many as possible.
If angry mob show up they’re either grossly overweight government KS workerspaid to attend, rent-a-thug bused in from out of state or possibly hired illegal thug from KC, KS, though most of them couldn’t find Topeka!
Anyone quoting an article in the Kansas City (Red) Star is definitely a leftie and lastly, Kris Kobach isn’t KS Attorney General, that’s Derek Schmidt.
Kris Kobach is brilliant KS Secretary of State!
Shame in me for forgetting leftie KU professors busing their students there (outside their safe spaces) acting like the drunk idiots they usually are screaming and shouting about LGBTQXWYZ “issues” or crying about how terrible their lives are, while driving their BMWs back and forth to Johnson County most weekends to “party!”
Very few, rather timid protesters at the MN. rally. We had a solid crowd of veterans, bikers, and farmers, who were in no mood to put up with them, and they knew it.
I have tickets, and am an overweight, retired, Kansas government,Trump supporter. Can not wait to cheer my President and Chris.
FYI his name is Kris not Chris.
Indeed his name is Kris, my daughter is Chris! Sorry for the senior moment.
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