Senate politics turns nasty

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Oct 30, 2008 by James Carlson

By James Carlson

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

The race for state Senate District 18 is reaching a high pitch as outside groups poured tens of thousands of dollars into the campaign in support of one candidate, while accusations of ties to Big Oil fly from the other side.

Democrat Laura Kelly is fighting to retain her seat against Republican Jim Zeller in a district that in 2004 was decided by 98 votes when she beat then-incumbent Dave Jackson. In the 2008 tight political environment, Kelly and Zeller have ratcheted up the rhetoric on issues ranging from campaign donations to alleged campaign lies.

Zeller's campaign has complained about the accuracy of Kelly mailers that seek to tie him to oil interests. The fliers' source is a Zeller appearance on "Jim Cates @ CJOnline" and the July 28 campaign expense reports.

Zeller spokesman Tim Hersh said in an interview Wednesday that the candidate only discussed the state's rejection of a plan to expand the Holcomb power plant during his appearance on the Cates show, not anything related to oil.

Finance records from that period show no donations to Zeller from oil interests or expenditures from oil companies on his behalf, but a report 48 hours later reveals a $1,000 donation to Zeller from Koch Industries, which is largely invested in oil. The Kansas Club for Growth, heavily funded by Koch, also spent $1,700 on July 28 for mailers criticizing Kelly.

Unless Kelly was a "clairvoyant or a soothsayer," Hersh said, she wouldn't have known about the Koch contributions. He said the mailers were "totally inaccurate in every way."

Kelly noted the Club for Growth's July 28 expenditure and pointed to subsequent donations to Zeller from Koch and its executives that totaled $7,500.

"We feel very comfortable saying he's in bed with Big Oil," Kelly said in an interview Wednesday.

Hersh said Zeller isn't beholden to any interest group and pointed the question back at Kelly. Of the senator's $78,000 raised in the most recent reporting period, she received $6,800 from various health care groups and $1,700 from pharmaceutical groups.

"If we want to talk about who owes who as far as lobbyists go, it's not even a contest. It's Forrest Gump and Carl Lewis," Hersh said.

Kelly said any review of her voting record would show she hasn't been influenced by outside groups.

The 18th District race -- which includes North and west Topeka, as well as part of Wabaunsee County -- has seen a large outpouring of support by third-party organizations on behalf of Zeller.

Americans for Prosperity, an anti-tax group whose national entity was partly founded by Koch board member David Koch, purchased approximately $34,000 of television air time in support of Zeller.

Likewise, the Kansas Republican Party has spent $8,500 on campaign mailers supporting Zeller, and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce political action committee paid $1,200 for people to walk the district for Zeller.

In addition to her mailers, Kelly also has begun television advertisements, some that highlight her voting record and others that attempt to link Zeller to the oil interests.

Kelly also criticized some claims by the Zeller campaign. Zeller had said early in the campaign that he was endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

While he received an A- rating from the gun lobby, Kelly received the endorsement. She also pointed to Zeller's paraphrased statement in The Wabaunsee County Signal-Enterprise in late September in which he told a a crowd that he wasn't accepting donations from PACs. He has accepted about $5,000 from PACs before and after that comment.

Hersh said the story's author told him Zeller actually had said special interests, not PACs.

He attributed the NRA comment and the remarks on special interests to Zeller's "political inexperience."

"When he finds out there is something he said that isn't accurate, he corrects it," Hersh said.

James Carlson can be reached

at (785) 295-1186

or james.carlson@cjonline.com.