Sebelius, Barnett release campaign finance reports

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Oct 31, 2006 by Chris Moon

By Chris Moon

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Barnett predicted weeks ago he would be outspent 10 to 1 by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in their sometimes under-the-radar run for governor.

The Emporia senator was a little off. But his premise was correct.

According to campaign finance reports filed by the candidates on Monday, Sebelius during the past three months has spent more than $4 million to $750,000 by Barnett.

The Democratic governor's campaign said it was a testament of her overpowering support.

"She's grateful for the thoughts, prayers and financial support from those who share her commitment and want her to serve four more years as governor," said campaign spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran.

Sebelius long has been favored to win a second term, relying on the resolution of a seven-year school finance debate and a relative absence of major blunders. She also is known as a prolific fundraiser.

With her report, which covered the period from July 21 to Oct. 26, Sebelius broke her own 2002 record for fundraising in a Kansas gubernatorial campaign. Barnett, meanwhile, wasn't able to raise as much money as Sebelius' first opponent, Tim Shallenburger.

The difference is most stark in the campaigns' mass media effort.

Barnett's campaign has issued three television ads to eight by Sebelius. Her TV spots have blanketed state television since before the Aug. 1 primary. At least one more ad is expected to air in the coming days.

Barnett, meanwhile, had to fight his way through a crowded Republican primary. He outspent his two main Republican rivals but depleted his campaign chest in the process.

Barnett campaign manager Christian Morgan dismissed the disparity between the Republican's campaign and the governor's, saying Sebelius has been working for four years raising cash.

"We're actually pretty pleased with what we did," he said.

Meanwhile, Barnett continues trying to catch some airtime by criticizing Sebelius' use of the state's executive airplane.

A pair of Republican legislators on Monday proposed stripping Sebelius of her ability to use the plane to travel to her vacation home or political events.

"If she wants to go on vacation, she can do it the same way as everyone else," said House Speaker Pro Tem Ray Merrick.

The politically timed legislation - coming just eight days before the Nov. 7 election - was spurred by flight logs showing the governor repeatedly took the plane to political events, college sporting games and her Michigan vacation home.

Sebelius has said her campaign has reimbursed any flights that aren't related to state business.

"It just isn't true," she said Saturday of the claims of improper flights.

But Merrick, of Stilwell and a Barnett supporter, said the trips alone were improper.

He and Olathe Sen. Karin Brownlee held a Statehouse news conference on Monday to announce their bill. The details of the legislation weren't available, but Merrick said it would prohibit using the state aircraft for personal or political purposes. He said he wanted to see it expanded to all other forms of state-funded transportation.

Kansas is one of seven states that allow elected officials to use state aircraft for personal purposes. The issue recently has been a hot one in South Dakota, where a ballot initiative would prohibit personal travel by elected officials.

In Kansas, flight records show Sebelius hasn't been using the state's plane any more than her predecessor, former Gov. Bill Graves. The two-term Republican, in the last six months of his tenure, used the state airplane for 14 out-of-state flights, a pace faster than Sebelius' during her four years in office.

"The transportation, if it's on the state's business, the state paid. If it's personal or political, we've reimbursed the state," Sebelius said Saturday. "There is no finding of any accuracy that deals with the accusation."

In its own analysis of the governor's flight logs, The Topeka Capital-Journal on Saturday reported Sebelius used taxpayer-funded aircraft to attend major college sports events in Muscle Shoals, Ala.; Orlando, Fla.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; and St. Louis. She also flew to Democratic Party events in Des Moines, Iowa, Bedford, Mass.; St. Louis; and Akron, Ohio.

The governor's office said Sebelius had been careful to reimburse the state for trips that might be interpreted as outside the responsibilities of the Kansas chief executive. That has been Sebelius' policy despite legal authority in state law to forgo repayment.

Democrats, meanwhile, distributed copies of the Senate Journal from a 2001 vote in which Barnett supported legislation that allowed Graves to use the state's plane for personal purposes. The bill was designed following the private plane crash that killed Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan in 2000.

Chris Moon can be reached at (785) 233-7470 or chris.moon@cjonline.com.