Gail Finney (left) will be facing an uphill battle against her opponent, Inga Taylor (below), to represent Kansans in State Rep District 84 in Wichita/Sedgwick County, which is currently represented by Oletha Faust-Goudeau.
On Tuesday a DC group called Kansans for a Diverse Voice at the Table formed a new PAC with a Washington, D.C. address. According to their Statement of Organization the group is affiliated with the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund in Washington, D.C.
Yesterday, in one of the new “last minute” reports of Kansas campaign money, Kansans for a Diverse Voice at the Table, reports independent expenditures of $12,180 to help Inga Taylor in defeating Gail Finney.
Saturday Update (8/2): Kansans for a Diverse Voice at the Table spends another $6,610 in helping Inga against Gail.
This Democratic Party intra-mural contest in State Rep 84 is a bit unusual. Finney is the Vice-Chair of the Sedgwick County Democratic Party, and serves on the Kansas African American Affairs Commission. Finney would seem to be the “mainstream” Democratic Party candidate, but apparently she is not far enough left for other Democrats.
Inga Taylor was the first to file for the State Rep 84 position, and reported a modest $375 in the bank in her Jan. 2008 report.
In her July 2008 report, Taylor reported a very respectable $16,443 in contributions, $12,953 in expenditures, with $3864 in the bank. Finney only showed $6451 in contributions, $5345 in expenditures, and only had $1195 in the bank. Taylor had a clear money lead based on her July report.
Why with a clear money lead by Taylor, is a D.C. LGBT group forming and dumping a huge amount of money into this race?
Statement of Organization
Last Minute Report
Gail Finney’s July contributors mostly consisted of a number of PACs:
$500 PAC contributions to Finney:
- Pipefitters Local Union No. 533,
- Kansans for Lifesaving Cures PAC,
- Greater Kansas City Chamber’s Life Sciences Fund
$250 PAC contributions to Finney:
- KNEA’s Kansas Political Action Committee,
- Kansas Contractors Association,
- Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (KAHSA)
$200 PAC contributions to Finney:
- Anheuser-Busch Companies,
- Gaches, Braden, Barbee & Assoc (lobbyists)
None of Finney’s itemized contributors were from District 84.
Taylor reported eight contributors from District 84, but many more contributors from outside her district in Kansas. Taylor’s Kansas contributors were from a number of other State Rep Districts, including Districts 7, 21, 27, 53, 68, 75, 83(4), 85, 86(2), 87, 89(5), 90, 92, 95(2), 96, 97, 98, 100(4), 103(21), 105(2), 116.
Notable liberal Kansas contributors to Inga Taylor’s campaign included:
- Michael Bayouth, Wichita, Mainstream Coalition and ProKanDo Contributor
- Margaret Childs, Lawrence, Lawrence Chapter of Kansas Equality Coalition, MoveOn contributor
- Geraldine Flaharty, Wichita, former State Rep 98, ProKanDo contributor
- Charles Jenney, Wichita, former Democratic candidate for the State Rep 99
- Linda Joslin, Wichita, former Wichita NOW president, former ProKanDo treasurer and volunteer coordinator
- Kelly Parks, Valley Center, County Commissioner (Republican)
- Dee Stuart, Park City, Mayor of Park City
- Fern VanGieson, ProKanDo contributor
Taylor received contributions from a number of states, including: AL(2), AZ(4), CA(17), CO, DC(17), FL(5), GA(9), LA, MA(3), MD(2), MN(2), NJ(2), NY(8), OR, PA, SC, TN(2), TX(11), VA, VT
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund endorsed Taylor:
In anticipation of her Aug. 5 election, Victory endorsee Inga Taylor has been campaigning hard to win a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives. Her election would take Kansas off the list of states with no gay representation in the legislature.
Once elected, Inga would not only become the state’s only LGBT representation in the House of Representatives, she would become the only openly lesbian African American state legislator in the United States — an incredible milestone.
Over the years Inga has had an influential role on the Kansas community. She has served as a scribe for the Council of Elders and a court-appointed guardian for individuals with disabilities. In addition, she is a member of groups like N.O.W (National Organization for Women), N.A.A.C.P (National Organization for the Advancement of Colored People) and the Democratic Federation of Women. She also serves an active member on the Kansas Minority Advisory Committee, which focuses on HIV/AIDS in the African-American Community.
Inga has also served as a prominent voice for the LGBT community. She is extremely active in the statewide LGBT organization K.E.C (Kansas Equality Coalition). She also actively participated in the campaign to help defeat the same-sex marriage amendment in 2004. Inga attended the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute’s Candidate & Campaign Training in Portland, Oregon in 2007.
The Kansas LGBT Democratic Caucus also endorsed Taylor. From their endorsement:
‘This year, we have a good chance to replace several adversarial Democratic and Republican legislators with Democrats who support the Kansas LGBT community. Even more exciting is the fact that this may be the year that an open Lesbian is elected to the Kansas Legislature.’
The Kansas LGBT Democratic Caucus also endorsed Kelly Kultala over Mark Gilstrap in the Senate District 5. [See Meadowlark article: Kansas Democrats to spend another $22,000 to take out Democrat incumbent Senator Gilstrap.]
If elected mostly with D.C. LGBT money, whom will Taylor really represent in the Kansas legislature?
According to the Wichita Eagle:
With no Republican candidate in the race, whoever wins this contest will likely take the seat.
Update (Aug 6): Finney beats Taylor in 84th House District.
Related:
- Candidates, Taylor and Faust-Goudeau, for state Legislature have been sued for debts, Wichita Eagle, July 26, 2008.
- District 84 House race focusing on health care, Wichita Eagle, July 7, 2008.
Tags: Gail Finney, Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, Inga Taylor, Kansans for a Diverse Voice at the Table, Kansas Democratic Party, LGBT
It is amazing how detailed a report of Taylor’s finance report you have done, but failed to see $2,750 missing from Finney’s income report, major expenses like the radio ads she has been running and a bill board have left off her expense report. Also, what is “Marketing One Group”? she lists a Wichita PO box on her report for them, but they are not registered with the state of Kansas to do business and have no website and not listed in the yellow pages. Ever heard of a marketing business without a website or phone #? What’s up with that? check it out, you know where to find Finney’s report … http://www.kssos.org
It is amazing to me The Victory Fund is interested in the state represenative election of Wichita. I am also concerned that they would support a candidate that does not articulate very well and has a problem
expressing herself with the written word. I find it insulting that they have decided who should represent us in the state and more importantly some
one who is at best undereducated. We must stand up and let The Victory
Fund know that we are not to be blindsided by their attempt to put Ms Taylor in office without a damn good fight.I will vote for Gail Finney because she has a record that speaks to her commitment to the people of Wichita and I encourage everyone to do the right thing and vote for Gail Finney August 5th make us all proud