Shallenburger Campaign Update

With just a week to go before the filing deadline it appears that the field is set for the Republican primary. In the weeks ahead I will be traveling the state to talk about the issues that face all Kansans. Voters will have a clear choice on August 6th when they go to the polls. My opponents have made no secret of the fact that they would not be opposed to raising taxes next year. This on the heels of the Kansas legislature passing one of the largest tax increases in history. While my opponents may try to paint themselves as being in the "middle" I find it interesting that the presumed Democrat nominee has been campaigning to their right. On other issues I have been endorsed by Kansans For Life and have received an A+ rating from the NRA. Don't be fooled by fancy rhetoric or slick TV ads, I am the candidate who best represents your interests as we face the challenges ahead for Kansas.

As we enter the home stretch of the campaign you can be assured that I will continue to travel the state extensively. Soon you will be able to check my schedule at www.timshallenburger.com and when I am in your area I hope we will have a chance to meet. If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas on how we can better tell our story, please don't hesitate to contact me. Linda and I thank you for all of your support, encouragement and prayers and we look forward to seeing you soon on the campaign trail.

The race for Governor has finally moved to the front burner and the Kansas media is beginning to focus on the race. As you may know, many Kansas news outlets lean to the left so the campaign will have to work very hard to get Tim's message to the voters through the use of earned (free) media. I am including a few excerpts from recent stories to share with you how Tim's message is being reported.

Stunning as this is for the faction that claims to be the dominant political power in the state, moderates don't have one of their own in the governor's race. Nary a single, 100 percent genuine, dyed-in-the-wool moderate bothered to file. What they do have are two half-baked mods -- Wichita Mayor Bob Knight and Senate President Dave Kerr of Hutchinson. They are both anti-abortion. They both appear to favor spending more on schools. Both are big on economic development.

Some fear the two are so similar that they will split whatever moderate vote there is. That could toss the race to the lone conservative, state treasurer Tim Shallenburger, who opposes raising taxes for schools. It's been a long time -- if ever -- since the state GOP nominated a candidate as conservative as Shallenburger. This could be the year.

Conservatives have an advantage through their dependable, enthusiastic base of support. They tend to have clear-cut agendas that motivate their followers. In GOP primaries across the country these days, that edge is apparent. Conservatives have knocked off moderates at almost every turn. Take, for example, California's GOP primary. It seems moderates prefer to spend August cooling their jets in their Aspen hideaways. Vote? Sure. If they have the time.

In theory, the race for attorney general should stir interest. It's a classic moderate-conservative showdown between two Johnson Countians, David Adkins and Phill Kline. The winner becomes a front-runner for governor the next time.

No wonder close observers, myself included, now regard Shallenburger as the GOP front-runner.

'Tis the season to sound moderate in Kansas politics, judging from the behavior of the state's governor wannabes. In the state's political circles, "moderate" has become shorthand for Republicans who, like Gov. Bill Graves, view themselves as pro-education and business-friendly. They are often pragmatic, usually not hostile to abortion rights, typically well-groomed and carry the patina of country club respectability. Sometimes, they use code phrases like "traditional Republican" or "mainstream Republican" to describe themselves.

But most importantly, they are supposed to occupy the political center. This year's crop of major gubernatorial candidates wants voters to place them in the middle of the road.

On paper, the GOP nominee should win easily. In the last election, more than 735,000 registered to vote as Republicans, and many of the 424,000 unaffiliated voters leaned toward the Republican Party. That compared to about 449,000 registered Democrats.

But there is the eternal struggle within the GOP between conservatives and moderates. Prominent moderates griped loudly and publicly last year that if Shallenburger was nominated, moderates would be alienated and might sit out the race or vote for Sebelius. As House speaker, Shallenburger was an ardent tax cutter during the mid-1990s, and he strongly opposes abortion. And to moderates, he hangs out with the wrong sort. As a legislator, he was friendlier than many Republicans to labor unions and trial lawyers. Worst of all is his association with U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, the leader of the conservative wing. Shallenburger has insisted that he isn't as far right as he has been painted. Some right-of-center Republicans think he is closer to the party's true center than other GOP candidates. "Most people in Kansas are probably right of center, but if you ask them where they are, they'll say they're in the center," said conservative Rep. Doug Mays, R-Topeka. "They pride themselves on being in the middle of the road. I think the candidates are trying to appeal to that."

In addition to news stories, the Shallenburger campaign has been the beneficiary of several very friendly letters to the editor, including this one to the Hutchinson News.

Lindstrom is a good running-mate pick The Hutchinson News editor on May 23 made some desperate attempts at branding Tim Shallenburger as arrogant and his running mate, Dave Lindstrom, as incompetent to fulfill his duties as lieutenant governor. I say "desperate" because they are easily disproved. The editor wrote that Lindstrom has no experience in public office, which renders him incompetent. It is not a lack of experience that makes one incompetent, but a lack of moral principle. Both Shallenburger and his running mate easily fit into the category of good moral principle. They have sound moral principle, and, unlike Bob Knight, who has stated that he doesn't know where he fits into the Republican Party ideologically, they have no fear of standing by their principle. Lindstrom has plenty of credentials for office. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University, to begin the list, and many more credentials. His appointment to many community service boards further proves his competence. Both Shallenburger and Lindstrom have a spirit to make Kansans successful, and they are readily willing to sacrifice their own time and goals in order to help other Kansans meet their goals. Would voters rather have an official who pushes his own agenda and cares more about being re-elected than addressing critical and controversial issues, or who is willing to sacrifice in order to give more personal freedom to Kansans? If Shallenburger really held government in disdain, he would not be running for office. Along with that charge, the editor equated conservatism with an effort to produce chaos and a dysfunctional government. The conservatives are the best friends to American liberty! The bold line that separates Shallenburger and Knight is this: Shallenburger wants plain, honest Kansans who are willing to serve other Kansans and preserve their natural liberties, while Knight wants politicians who look good so he can expand government control and force Kansans to become dependent on government. Dave Lindstrom is a good match for Tim Shallenburger because it gives the administration experience and expertise, and in the issue, it places one in office who knows and understands Kansans, and who pursues the interests of Kansans. PETER C. MELTON Partridge

We encourage you to write letters to the editor of your hometown newspapers. Working together, we can get our winning message to voters in all parts of Kansas. Later this month we will be notifying all Kansas media about the announcement of our county chairmen.

BTW, I saw a story on KWCH in Wichita and read a story in the Hutch News, both of which were extremely biased, which made Shallenburger look bad by making him out to be a guy who won't protect education etc. because he is opposed to a tax increase, while the other candidates "will protect services" (hint: raise taxes, which the media didn't seem to interested in harping on). This is one thing that will probably become the focus of the attacks on him and we need to find a way to oppose these arguments since the media obviously won't report anything good about him. I was a little undecided on who to support earlier, but I am a definite Shallenburger supporter now...the crap Knight has pulled makes it clear to me he is not even close to being a conservative no matter what his slick little campaign commercials try to make him out to be. We have got to see Shallenburger win and FINALLY get a conservative here.

Thanks for the bump, RW. We need to get our letters ready -- not that anyone listens, but we must try. I am going to work on a couple for 2 different newspapers, but I am going to wait and submit them in a couple of months. (I really can't now because I just had a couple printed.) I hate playing the media game but we really have no choice. Well, I've come to like a couple of them (not necessarily for their political views) but it's a vastly uneven playing field. Oh well...here's hoping the voters are paying attention.

Oh, all this is music to my ears. Shallenburger is definitely my guy. My few meager dollars have gone to him, and my car has been sporting a Shallenburger for Kansas Governor since March. I've had it with RINOs. Give me a real conservative who is willing to cut bloated budgets instead of raising my taxes.

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