Steve Hohe, the Libertarian candidate running for Congress in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, is getting campaign help from an unlikely source — a Democratic voting rights advocacy group.
The group, a Super PAC called the Voter Protection Project, has spent more than $349,534 supporting Hohe’s campaign this cycle as it appears to be attempting to siphon votes away from Republican candidate Amanda Adkins.
On their website, the group says it supports legislation to expand voting rights, which Adkins' Democratic opponent, Rep. Sharice Davids, has voted for in Congress. Adkins has criticized that vote, saying Davids is attempting to hand power over elections to the federal government, a line of argument that has been used by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to oppose the Democrats’ large voting rights bills.
So far the group has sent out at least three mailers urging voters to support Hohe instead of Adkins, saying Hohe is for “lower taxes and less government” and calling on voters to “Say no to corruption” by voting against Adkins.
The group also launched a website calling Adkins a “typical DC swamp creature” and contrasting Adkins and Hohe. It includes claims that she spent her career as a lobbyist and political operative, that she supports raising taxes and that she supports shipping jobs overseas.
Adkins managed Sam Brownback’s 2004 Senate campaign before becoming a lobbyist at Cerner, where she rose through the ranks to become a vice president of the company. She has campaigned on balancing the federal government’s budget and getting more women into the workforce.
It’s not uncommon for political groups to attempt to prop up a candidate in the hopes that they might play “spoiler” in a tight election. The race in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District is one of the most tightly contested in the country. By directing voters to a third party candidate with ads geared toward conservatives, the Voter Protection Project may believe that it will make it easier for Davids to defeat Adkins.
The Voter Protection Project did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Adkins attempted to tie the ads to Davids.
On Twitter, Hohe embraced the mailers, saying he appreciated the publicity for his campaign.
“Adkins, there’s some truth to the mailers,” Hohe wrote. “Davids, thanks for the Free Publicity. The Swamp Creatures are already out before Halloween!”
In recent weeks, Adkins has accused Davids of being “dishonest” and has been particularly critical of attack ads that use Adkins support for conservative groups or policies to highlight their more extreme stances. The Voter Protection Project has donated $5,000 to Davids’ campaign.
“It is so disappointing to see Davids accept an endorsement from yet another group, the Voter Protection Project, who is doing nothing but meddling in this race,” Adkins said in an email. “Voters in KS-03 deserve more from their congresswoman than deceptive campaign tactics.”
Davids has accused Adkins of obfuscating her record in order to appeal to voters. Her campaign said it was not associated with the ad.
“Our campaign isn’t responsible and it’s absurd to suggest that,” said Ellie Turner, the spokeswoman for Davids’ campaign. “We’re focused on making clear the choice between Rep. Sharice Davids and Amanda Adkins, who not only supported the extreme anti-choice constitutional amendment in August, but has also endorsed a complete ban on abortions without exception.”
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