Kansas has weaker campaign finance reporting laws than Missouri and sometimes Kansas political money can be found in reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission before reports are filed with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.
Earlier this year the Meadowlark reported the Greater Kansas City Chamber PAC, Awash With Cash, Formed New PACs to “Buy” Kansas Elections. It’s not clear how much of the Chamber’s political money will be used in Missouri and how much in Kansas, but reports filed by these three Missouri Chamber PACs on July 15 hint at what will be in their Kansas reports that are due next week.
Two of these three Chamber PACs gave the maximum amount to three Kansas Senate candidates, which shows one way this Missouri group is leveraging their political money and power in Kansas, to defeat social conservatives.
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce (aka BizPAC)
| Starting Balance | $806,884 |
| Money Raised | $35,575 |
| Money Spent | $748,806 |
| Money in the Bank | $93,653 |
$5000 contributions each from
- Embarq
- Polsinell Shalton Flanigan Suelthuas
- Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP
- H&R Block
- Blue Cross-Blue Sheild of Kansas City
- YRC World Wide
- Bryan Cave
Expenditures:
The Chamber gave a huge amount of its money to its other two PACs:
- Life Sciences Fund of Greater Kansas city Chamber of Commerce PAC: $714,794
- Higher Education Fund of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce PAC: $13,609
The Chamber’s PAC reported no contributions to Kansas candidates or party committees. All the other expenditures by this PAC were to Missouri candidates or party committees.
Life Sciences Fund of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
| Starting Balance | $0 |
| Money Raised | $731,394 |
| Money Spent | $212,060 |
| Money in the Bank | $519,334 |
Expenditures:
- Cooper Secrest Associates for research, $15,450
This is a group well-known to Kansas Democratic Party committees, candidates and groups:
- Kansas Democratic Party Pollsters from DC Area Find Kansans Reject Coal-Fired Plants [$9475 from Kathleen Sebelius Committee and $18,950 from 4th District Democratic Tallgrass Commitee to Cooper & Secrest], Kansas Meadowlark, Jan 3, 2008.
- Kansas Democrats Use Congressional District Party “Committees” as Political $uperfund [$125,300 to Cooper & Secrest], Kansas Meadowlark, Jan 23, 2007.
- The ProKanDo PAC raised and spent more political money than any other Kansas PAC, but wasn’t listed in the top 20 PACs in Kansas in 2006? [$15,066 to Cooper & Secrest], Kansas Meadowlark, Aug 20, 2007.
PAC: The Life Science PAC gave $10,000 to Kathleen Sebelius’ Bluestem Fund PAC.
Other Kansas candidates receiving contributions from the Life Science PAC:
Kansas Senate (all Republicans)
| Amount | Candidate | District | City |
| $1000 | Tim Owens | 8 | Overland Park |
| $1000 | Sue Gamble | 10 | Shawnee |
| $1000 | Ruth Teichman | 33 | Stafford |
| $1000 | John Vratil | 11 | Leawood |
| $1000 | Stephen Morrison | 39 | Hugoton |
| $1000 | Dwayne Umbarger | 14 | Thayer |
| $1000 | Pete Brungardt | 24 | Salina |
- All senate candidates were endorsed by liberal KNEA PAC
- All senate candidates were endorsed by liberal Kansas Families for Education PAC
- Endorsed by liberal MAIN*PAC: Owens, Gamble, Vratil,
- Susan Gamble was a prominent Republican for Moore
- Vratil and Brungrdt voted “no” on Alexa’s law
- Vratil and Umbarger flew state plane with Sebelius to KU basketball game
Kansas House
| Amount | Candidate | District | Party | City |
| $500 | Barbara Craft | 65 | R | Junction City |
| $500 | Annie Kuether | 55 | D | Topeka |
| $500 | Kay Wolf | 21 | R | Prairie Village |
| $500 | Bruce Cooper | 54 | D | Topeka |
- All house candidates, except Cooper, were endorsed by liberal Kansas Families for Education PAC
- All house candidates, except Wolf (who is in an uncontested race), were endorsed by liberal KNEA PAC
- Craft was named one of the “maverick” freshmen in 2003
- Craft and Wolf received KTRM contributions in 2006
- Cooper is facing incumbent Republican State Rep Joe Patton in District 54
- Kuether flew state plane with Sebelius to KU basketball game; Democrat Kuether invested in oil companies.
Higher Education Fund of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
| Starting Balance | $0 |
| Money Raised | $28,709 |
| Money Spent | $3,100 |
| Money in the Bank | $25,609 |
Expenditures:
Almost all the money spent by this PAC were to three of the State Senate candidates the Life Science PAC gave to. We might find next week in the reports filed in Kansas that all three PACs gave maximum contributions to the same candidates. Thus, by forming multiple PACs, the Chamber can magnify its political strength, and it’s entirely legal.
Kansas Senate (all Republicans)
| Amount | Candidate | District | City |
| $1000 | Tim Owens | 8 | Overland Park |
| $1000 | Sue Gamble | 10 | Shawnee |
| $1000 | Dwayne Umbarger | 14 | Thayer |
See comments above under the Life Science PAC for additional information about these candidates.
Update: Kansas City Star’s Buzz Blog responds to this article.
Related:
- Greater Kansas City Chamber PAC, Awash With Cash, Forms New PACs to “Buy” Kansas Elections, Kansas Meadowlark, May 8, 2008.
- Summary of Contributions and Expenditures of Kansas Political Action Committees (PACs), Kansas Meadowlark, March 15, 2008.
- Case Study of State Rep Gene Rardin’s Election, Kansas Meadowlark, July 22, 2007.
- $200,000 from Democratic Governors’ Association Spread Throughout Kansas in 2006 via Kathleen Sebelius’ Bluestem Fund PAC, Kansas Meadowlark, Jan 14, 2007.
- Who’s behind the “Progress Kansas” Receiving $25,000 from Liberal Missouri Group?, Kansas Meadowlark, Oct 18, 2006.
- “Progress Kansas” a PAC-in-a-Box in Olathe? A Mysterious “Non-Profit” Postal Box Sending Hit Pieces Against Certain State Rep Candidates, Kansas Meadowlark, Nov 3, 2006.
- Greater Kansas City Missouri Chamber continues meddling in Kansas Politics in 2006?, Kansas Meadowlark, July 17, 2006.
- Missouri Interference in Kansas Elections AGAIN! Steve Cloud gets another $20,000 from Missouri sources for his control of the Kansas Republican Party, Kansas Meadowlark, Aug 4, 2004.
You write -
“Thus, by forming multiple PACs, the Chamber can magnify its political strength, and it’s entirely legal.”
Since both Kansas and Missouri have Republican controlled houses who passed these laws I guess you have to go complain to your senator/representative or RUN for office yourself.
Begin supported by any branch of the NEA is not a bad thing – it helps weed out those who think the earth is 4,000 years old and gravity is still something under debate. Kansas does benefit from the quality of its education – lets not ruin that at any level.
Might people who receive Life Sciences funding be in favor of stem cell research ? This is not a bad thing. Who would want to lose the Stowers Institute or its work ?
If you are so concerned about PAC money how about working to eliminate the 527s like the Swift Boat folks or as mentioned here – http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2.....acs_boost/