FF12 Fact Check: Ad parallels Schmidt, Brownback

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - While he has yet to file, Derek Schmidt is presumed to be the Republican nominee for the Kansas gubernatorial race. Elections have already begun to run, comparing him to former Kansas governor, Sam Brownback.

Kansas Values Institute, a tax-exempt social welfare organization, is funding the ad. But the connection the ad attempts to use to connect the two men needs clarification.

“He will take Kansas back to Brownback,” the ad says.

“Here’s what Brownback delivered. Devastating cuts to schools and dismal job growth,” it goes on to say.

The ad uses quotes from two campaign events posted on YouTube. One in 2010, and the other in 2014.

The 2010 event was a press conference on Obamacare, and at the time, Brownback, who was a candidate at the time said, “If elected governor, I hope very much to have the help of like-minded individuals in key positions, and one of those most important positions is the Attorney General.”

In the 2014 campaign event, Schmidt said Brownback “delivered time and again” by supporting the office’s priorities, like building a new forensic laboratory.

For context, this is what Schmidt said: “We have had a receptive ear and supporter for the needs of public safety when we’ve gone to the governor’s office and Governor Brownback has listened attentively and delivered time and again on requests that we’ve made.”

On the ad, CJ Grover, Derek Schmidt’s Campaign Manager said, “Laura Kelly and her dark-money friends are desperate to relive their glory days by campaigning against Sam Brownback, who isn’t on the ballot. But this race is about the future, not the past, and Derek Schmidt like most Kansans is fighting for a bright future that is better than the vetoes, lockdowns, spending sprees, liberal partisanship, and gross mismanagement that have been hallmarks of the failed Kelly and Biden administrations.”

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