e-mail
print
RSS
reprint
AIM
Digg it
del.icio.usBoyda, Jenkins both don 'change' mantle
Associated Press
TOPEKA - Lynn Jenkins and Nancy Boyda campaigned Thursday at the Statehouse as candidates for change, saying that not much in Congress is working.
The two have less than three months before voters decide who wins the 2nd Congressional District seat.
Jenkins, the two-term state treasurer, was joined in the House by former Rep. Jim Ryun, whom she beat Tuesday in the Republican primary. Ryun pledged support for Jenkins, congratulating her for a good race.
"I believe our party is more united than ever," Jenkins said. "It is obvious that we are excited and motivated."
Ryun wouldn't say whether he is finished with politics or what went wrong in his comeback attempt. He served five terms before losing in 2006 to Boyda, defeated as part of a national wave of change that cost Republicans their congressional majorities.
"But the change they got was hardly what they expected," said Ryun, who added that he is looking forward to vacation with family.
Boyda held her own rally moments later with supporters, many clad in white campaign T-shirts saying "Working for You!" She started the day with a similar event in Pittsburg.
"We need the right kind of change," Boyda said. "When we look at it today, it's still pretty mucked up."
The 2nd District covers part or all of 26 counties in eastern Kansas. The race is expected to be competitive and draw much national attention as Republicans look to reclaim a seat they held from 1994 through 2006.
"Lynn, I've got some news for you," Boyda said of Jenkins. "This isn't a Republican seat. This is not a Democrat seat, either. This is a seat for Kansas."
Jenkins is making an issue of what she says is Democrats missing an opportunity over the past two years to make changes in Washington. As she did in the primary, she intends to pitch herself as willing to break ranks with her party and offer solutions.
"My perspective has been Republicans worked darn hard to lose last cycle. Democrats could have been rock stars," she said.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ken Spain said Boyda's votes against increased drilling for oil, her stand on taxes and lack of respect for the military were "bizarre behavior."
"Nancy Boyda promised to be an 'independent voice' for Kansans, but instead she has been a rubber stamp for a tone-deaf and lazy Democrat-led Congress that continues to ignore the needs of middle-class Americans," Spain said.
But as she did in 2006, Boyda promised to keep the race free from outside influence as best she can. She asked the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee not to spend money on advertising during the general election, and the group pulled $1.2 million in reserved broadcasting time.
"I've just said 'stay out of my race, and I mean it.' I know what they're going to do," Boyda said. "The people of Kansas don't need the third parties coming into Kansas. They resent it."
However, Boyda expected Jenkins and Republicans to attack her brief record in Congress and attempt frequently to link her to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or New York Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the House committee that writes tax legislation.
"I will defend myself," Boyda said.
