WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2002
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 7A
Elections CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Shallenburger is joined by wife Linda and daughter Candice as they listen to the election results at the Topeka Capital Plaza Hotel in Topeka. According to Associated Press projections, Shallenburger lost last night's election to Kathleen Sebelius 366,523 to 431,207.
Lindsey Gold/Kansar
underdog, but he was the rational and reasonable choice," Dourus said. "Phil Kline is a scary person."
Republican's loss tempers other victories
Confidence gave way to a subdued and watchful attitude at the Republican election party in Topeka last night, as those present gradually realized that they had won several races but not the governor's seat.
Four members of the KU College Republicans joined the crowd of about 200, which included candidates, family members, supporters and journalists waiting for state and nationwide election results at the Topeka Capital Plaza Hotel, 1717 SW Topeka Blvd.
KU College Republicans split up for the evening, with several attending Adam Taff's election party in Overland Park, while others hit the main party in Topeka.
Despite national media outlets such as CNN and CBS calling the election in favor of gubernational Candidate Kathleen Sebelius early in the evening, KU College Republicans kept up hope.
"It's still early," said Matt Flynn, the group's vice chair, when CBS and CNN claimed Sebelius as the winner with only a low percentage of the Kansas polls closed.
About 9 p.m., the victory speeches began, with Republican incumbent winner Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh leading the pack.
"Let's see what happens in an hour," the Lenexa junior said.
"I am Ron Thornburgh, and I am very excited to be your Secretary of State again," he said at the start of his victory speech. Thornburgh encouraged Republicans to not give up hope yet for winning the major races, since not all the polls had reported.
Despite having no opposition from the Democrats, re-elected Senator Pat Roberts was still humble.
"Some would say that we had an easy race, but we never looked at it that way." Roberts said. "Anyone that wants the public trust has to get out there and earn it, and it looks like we did."
In a later interview, Roberts
"Some would say that we had an easy race, but we never looked at it that way. Anyone that wants the public trust has to get out there and earn it,and it looks like we did."
Pat Roberts U.S. senator
said he had run his campaign as he would have if there had been a Democrat opposing him and that labels such as conservative or liberal did not really mean anything.
Roberts also said the Senate could do a lot for students at KU.
But even as new State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, Congressman Jim Ryun and Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger celebrated their victories, KU College Republicans appeared anxious about the final outcome of the governor's race.
In the meantime, Adam Taff's crowd in Overland Park was excited when early results showed him as the winner, before The Associated Press projected Dennis Moore as the winner for the 3rd House District.
"Students want candid answers and they want to know what we're doing in Washington and how that affects their daily lives and their pocketbooks," he said.
"We really feel like we've done a lot of good work, and that all our campaigning and weekend work has paid off," said Justin McFarland, College Republicans Treasurer.
Atabout 10:15 p.m., Tim Shallenburger finally joined the Topeka party, having spent most of the evening upstairs in a hotel room. He took the stage to cheers from the audience and broke the news that he had conceded the governor's race to Kathleen Sebelius.
"I'm sorry we let you down, but we thought the cause was just," he said before praising Sebelius and her campaign and offering his help to Sebelius in the future.
He reminded the crowd that he would be State Treasurer for two more months and that there was still work to be done. He praised his running-mate Dave Lindstrom, calling him an "honest, hardworking, moral person."
"We should hope and pray that Kansas is better tomorrow than it was last week."
Shallenburger also briefly
"It's been a wonderful ride for 16 years for Tim Shallenburger," he said.
reflected on how and why he had become involved in politics.
KU College Republicans came away from the evening with mixed feelings, having won several key races for the state, but not the governor's seat.
"I'm slightly disappointed, but I'm not surprised," said group member Mark Sebesta, Overland Park senior.
He praised Sebelius' campaign but attributed much of her victory to good campaign funding. He said Shallenburger had won a tough primary election, but the money spent on that may have slowed him down in the long run.
"He gave it his best shot, but came up a bit short," said Flynn of KU College Republicans.
Flynn said that despite Sebelius' victory, she would still have to learn to work with a Republican legislature.
Daisy Hill students vote on home turf
Yesterday's elections were the first opportunity for many students on Daisy Hill to have a voice in state and national government.
Some of those students voted in Kansas elections but expressed doubts on whether their vote would influence the state's political climate.
Alicia Sanson, Phillipsburg sophomore, voted yesterday and said she voted for candidates based on their track record and reputation, not by their party lines.
Grant Douglas, Lane freshman, registered to vote on campus during Hawk Week and voted yesterday at Allen Field House. He was not optimistic that his vote would make a difference.
"I kind of hope for a change in the state," he said, "but I'm not sure whether it would happen or not."
Although she voted for both Democratic and Republican candidates for different offices, she said she didn't think her vote would carry much weight given the conservative nature of Kansas voters.
"As long as we have a bipartisan system, who wins elections is very trivial because candidates from either party will basically do the same thing."
Joe Loring
Overland Parkfreshman
Some out-of-state KU students voted in their states through absentee ballot. Julie Smith, second-year law student, said she had voted in her home state and had paid particular attention to district rather than state-wide elections.
"It doesn't seem like voting Democratic would change anything." Sanson said.
"I feel like my vote counts a lot more in those elections," said Smith, of Cook, Neb., "The votes are a lot closer."
Joe Loring, Overland Park freshman, said he did not vote because he didn't have faith in the country's bipartisan political system.
However, other Daisy Hill residents did not vote.
"As long as we have a bipartisan system, who wins elections is very trivial because candidates from either party will basically do the same thing." Loring said.
Like Loring, Adam Sherrill didn't vote. Sherrill said he paid particular attention to the Moore-Taff race in the 3rd district for the U.S. of House of Representatives. He said he regretted missing his chance to express his political beliefs.
"I've been kind of sick today," said Sherrill, Kansas City freshman. "I didn't realize that I missed my chance."
Edited by Adam Pracht and Sarah Hill
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