FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Emma O’Brien
emma@kansasdems.org
November 4, 2022
PHOTOS: “BULLET TRAIN BACK TO BROWNBACK” LT. GOVERNOR TOLAND, LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES & ADVOCATES WARN OF DEREK SCHMIDT
Manhattan, KS – Yesterday, Lieutenant Governor David Toland was joined by Senator Tom Hawk, Representative Sydney Carlin, Manhattan firefighter Tim Davenport, and Hays healthcare worker Terry Siek to discuss the accomplishments of the first four years of the Kelly administration and what lies ahead for term two. They also warned of the risk posed by Derek Schmidt should he be elected this fall.
Read more from the speakers below:
Lieutenant Governor David Toland:
“Derek Schmidt had the power as the second highest ranking official in his party to stop this to get us back on track, but instead he chose to stay silent to help his chances of climbing the political ladder so that he could one day be governor. That’s not leadership. And now, Schmidt is hoping that Kansans will look the other way and ignore his past and vote for him in the upcoming elections. We don’t believe that Kansans are going to look the other way. They are not going to risk all that we have accomplished under Governor Laura Kelly, to go back to Brownback.”
Senator Tom Hawk:
“We’ve been on track. We were in a deep hole under Brownback, and that was supported by Derek Schmidt. And I expect the same thing. In fact, I’m afraid it will be a bullet train back to Brownback if we don’t keep Laura Kelly and David Toland at the helm of the ship…The ‘experiment’ didn’t work. I think everybody in Kansas recognized that it not didn’t work for government, because we couldn’t balance our budget, except on the backs of employees and taxpayers. It wasn’t fair.”
Representative Sydney Carlin:
“I’ve always enjoyed working with Laura Kelly. She’s a dedicated and serious leader. Like me, she believes in quality education, and she supported K-12 schools and higher education every year she’s been in office. We have fully funded education, unlike the Brownback years where they cut education first. First thing they would do was cut education…Every every area of the state has been improved under her leadership.”
Firefighter Tim Davenport:
“House Bill 2063 expanded the benefits for police and fire line of duty deaths to include diseases like cancer as a service-connected condition. So we really appreciate what the whole legislature did and that the Governor signed a bill to protect firefighters. We like Governor Kelly because you know, she’s a unifier, not a divider. And she brings people together and doesn’t divide. She has signed 286 bipartisan bills since she took office.”
Nurse Terry Siek:
“As a healthcare worker, I feel it’s essential to expand Medicaid in the state of Kansas…It is great to be here with Lieutenant Governor David Toland today, who back in the day used to advocate for Medicaid expansion at the statehouse because he knew it was essential for Kansas. The only person in the race for governor who publicly supports expanding Medicaid is Governor Kelly. We must get this done for Kansas.”
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