Via WORLD Magazine
What happened in Kansas? Will the Dobbs decision blunt the anticipated “red wave” this November? What lessons should pro-lifers take away from the result?
National political reports and pundits often refer to Kansas with the qualifier “red” or “deep red.” Beware such laziness. While it’s true that Republicans enjoy a roughly 2-1 advantage in voter registration, the true nature of Kansas politics is not so black-and-white. For years, three major political constituencies have shaped the state’s electorate: conservatives, moderates, and progressives. Because Republicans enjoy such a large registration advantage (“unaffiliated” voters actually outnumber Democrats in voter registration), moderates tend to affiliate with the Republican Party. Successful campaigns and policy fights have been those that successfully built a coalition made up of two of the three.
Laura Kelly, the state’s sitting governor, is a Democrat. In fact, since 1957, Kansas has had six Democratic governors and seven Republican governors and neither party has held the governorship for more than two consecutive terms. Of the state’s four congressional districts, three are held by Republicans, but the most populous and fastest growing is held by Democrat Sharice Davids. Kansas is more politically moderate than national media lets on.
According to data from the Kansas Secretary of State, 463,592 Republicans voted for one of the two candidates in the Republican Senate primary race on the same ballot as the constitutional amendment, but “YES” received a total of just 374,611 votes. That means at least 89,000 Republicans either voted “NO” or abstained.
