NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3. 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7A
nun-
new
nw
hard
idf
New
wick
ich
of
owa,
John
and
num-
y of d f
ld of s ldski
h n f
n n f
goldd
mumer
o f
e f
f f
crats
Republicans hold majority easily in Senate, House
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOPEKA, Kan. — Voters ousted at least three legislative incumbents in yesterday's election, but Republicans still expected to solidify their already large majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.
Going into yesterday's elections, Republicans controlled the Senate, 30-10, and the House, 80-45. With results incomplete in parts of the state, it wasn't clear early this morning how those numbers would shift.
Democrats appeared to be knocking off two Senate Republican incumbents, including in the 18th District, where Topeka lobbyist Laura Kelly defeated Sen. Dave Jackson of Topeka by 39 votes with 100 percent of the precincts reporting. The results were unofficial, pending the counting of provisional ballots.
Sen. Janis Lee, D-Kensington, led Sen. Larry Salmans, R-Hanston, in the 36th District with 84 percent of the votes counted. Redistricting of Senate seats following the 2000 Census pitted the two incumbents in a district that
has a strong Republican majority. Lee was looking for her fifth term in the Senate.
Republicans picked up one seat in a newly created district in Johnson County and hoped for gains elsewhere. Democrats won six Senate seats and led in two others, while Republicans won 19 and led in another six.
Meanwhile, in the House, Republicans were leading or winning in 75 races, compared with 55 for Democrats.
Several Democratic incumbents faced serious challenges after they voted in May against a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. One of those, Rep. Jan Scoggins-Waite of Dodge City was defeated by GOP challenger Pat George of Dodge City by a 2-1 margin.
Elsewhere, Rep. Josh Svaty, D-Ellsworth led in his race for re-election in the 108th District.
Voters in districts with open seats said they were looking for new voices in the Senate.
Jim Kemp, 35, a Lawrence business owner, said the Legislature needed balance, including more liberals. He voted for Democrat Jan Justice of Linwood in the 3rd District
"It's important that our voices are heard compared to the conservative voices across Kansas," Kemp said.
Senate race, an open seat.
Justice was trailing Lawrence Republican Roger Pine with 50 percent of precincts reporting.
Nationwide, voters were deciding control of 44 state houses. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers in 21 states, including Kansas, while Democrats control both in 17, and control is divided in 11. Democrats last held control of the Kansas House in 1992 and held the Senate last in 1916.
The results were likely to determine how receptive the Legislature will be to raising taxes for education.
All 165 legislative seats were to be filled, with contested races on the ballot in 32 Senate districts and 66 House districts.
That issue dominated the 2004 session and could play a big role next year, after legislators receive an expected ruling from the Kansas Supreme Court on a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state's school finance system. Legislators open their 2005 session Jan. 10.
Brownback wins Senate, Moore lone Democrat
GOP congressmen retain seats in both U.S. houses
Republican Sen. Sam Browback and GOP Reps. Jerry Moran, Jim Ryun and Todd Tiahrt all won comfortable victories.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Moore-Kobach contest had been viewed as highly competitive, but Moore prevailed by his widest margin since first running for Congress six years ago.
"This is a landslide for me," he said.
Kobach told his supporters that his campaign was about principles _ such as opposing abortion, supporting an amendment to the federal constitution to ban gay marriage and doing more to combat terrorism.
Some moderates had complained that Kobach did little to appeal to them. In Lawrence, M.J. Cummings, a 75-year-old retired teacher, voted for Moore even though she was registered as a Republican, feeling Kobach was too conservative.
"I would have voted for a moderate Republican, if there was one," she said.
The district covers Johnson and Wyandotte counties and part of Douglas County, but three-quarters of the voters are in Johnson County, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 2-to1.
Brownback bested Democrat Lee Jones, a Lenexa railroad engineer who'd struggled to raise money and gain visibility. Ryun defeated Democrat Nancy Boyda and Tiahrt beat Democrat Michael Kinard, the president of the Wichita school board. Moran's only opponent was Libertarian Jack Warner, of Wright.
Moore, 58. of Lenexa, has held the 3rd District seat since 1999 by courting moderate Republicans. He received just 50 percent of the vote two years ago.
Kobach, 38, a former U.S. Justice Department official from Overland Park, made immigration policy and national security key issues. He attacked Moore for voting against the use of National Guard troops along U.S. borders, a position Moore suggested was too extreme for the district.
Meanwhile, in the 2nd District, Boyda and Ryun argued most heatedly over who supported American troops more. One Ryun ad noted that Boyda participated in protests against the Iraq war before it began _ and used an image of Osama bin Laden.
Boyda, 49, a former pharmaceutical company research and development manager, moved to Topeka last year to run. Before entering politics, Ryun, 57, of Lawrence, was best known as an Olympic runner.
In the Senate race, Jones, 53, tried to portray Brownback as too conservative for Kansas. He cited the 48-year-old senator's support for keeping federal courts from hearing cases such as one in which a California atheist attacked the use of "under God" when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited in public schools.
Bistate tax to fund stadium improvement, arts rejected
However, Brownback raised $2.5 million for his re-election campaign, while Jones could muster only $90,000. Kansas last elected a Democratic senator in 1932.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Voters yesterday rejected a proposal to impose a quarter-cent sales tax in five Kansas City-area counties to renovate stadiums used by the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and to promote the arts.
It was one of several contentious local issues facing voters in Missouri and Kansas at the polls yesterday.
The sales tax proposal was on
ballots in Jackson, Clay, and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. To pass, the tax had to be approved by Jackson, Clay and Johnson counties. Platte and Wyandotte counties would have levied the tax only if it passed in those two counties.
Voters in Jackson County — the home of the stadiums and a proposed new arts center approved the tax, with 54.6 percent in favor and 45.4 percent
unofficial returns.
In Clay County, the tax was rejected 53 percent to 47 percent; in Johnson County, it was defeated 55 percent to 45 percent. The tax also failed in Platte County, 52 percent to 48 percent, and was resoundingly defeated in Wyandotte County, with 63 percent opposed and 57 percent in support, according to
opposed, according to complete but unofficial results. But voters in all four of the other counties rejected the proposal.
Opponents, who ran a mostly grass-roots campaign, said the tax would have cost too much and the plan did not include enough accountability for spending the money.
Tracy Thomas, of Shawnee, said she founded Johnson County First because of the arrogance of the tax's supporters.
"We stood up for the little guy," Thomas said. "We were outspent 100 to 1. It was very
difficult to stand up to the rien guys who wanted their hobbies subsidized."
Supporters of the proposal tried to put the best face on the defeat.
"The vote was not successful, but I think the effort to move the community forward was very successful," said Peter Levi, president of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, one of many area business organizations that pushed the proposal. "We got
people in the metro area working together on a very important issue, understanding the importance of sports and arts."
Levi said he believed the proposal failed because being taxed to support arts and sports was a new idea that "takes some time for people to recognize and understand."
The tax was expected to raise about $1.2 billion over 12 to 15 years, with half going to the stadiums and half for the arts.
kansan.com
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
NewsNewsNewsNews
Nix Shaving!
Affordable Hair Removal Get the smooth skin you want with Laser Hair
For men we specialize in:
• backs • shoulders • neck • chest
For women we specialize in:
• facial hair • legs • bikini line
• underarms
Wednesday Evening Appointments Available
930 Iowa St. • Hillerest Professional Bldg.
Lawrence KS 66044 7842-801-701
Dermatology Center of Lawrence
Leonard S. Berman, MD
Use macho passwords.
(Make 'em strong.)
Lee R. Bittenbender, M.D.
If we can guess it, *anybody* can. So don't use these,
for pete's sake: password, secret, jayhawk, Kansas,
smith, your name, or your pet's name.
Be creative: use letters + numbers, 8+ characters, and something that's not a breeze to guess.
Be CyberSecure @ KU
Visit www.security.ku.edu for more info.
QUALITY, AFFORDABLE ORIENTAL CUISINE
DRIVE THRU / DELIVERY / PHONE IN
785-842-6688
MON-THU 11:00AM-11:00PM
FRI-SAT 11:00AM-3:00AM
SUN 12:00PM-10:00PM
SAY IT WITH ME FOR FREE
Build your own image message that speaks loud and clear!
How many times have you wanted to send a message to someone that really made an impact? Offer a word of encouragement or bring a smile to their face? You can do that and more on your cell phone with your own personalized message, thanks to Mobile Exchange.
Take advantage of our "Free-Trait" offer until December 31, 2004 by simply visiting www.sutme.com. Mobile Exchange has developed a new exciting Build Your Own service.
1. Upload your pictures. 2. Add your own text.
3. Simply send it to your classmates and friends or family at home, whenever you want across most wireless carriers.
A "ME" Gram is as easy as 1,2,3!
Find out for yourself how creative you can be during the holidays. At the same time you can check out Mobile Exchange's ring tones, games and images.
Go ahead, experience the fun you'll have with your own imagination! It all speaks for itself.
A picture perfect way to say it all...at: www.swtime.
---