Boyda Leads in Independent Poll

From Roll Call:

Boyda, who upset Ryun in 2006 despite the heavy Republican lean of the eastern Kansas 2nd district, was at the critical 50 percent mark in a head-to-head matchup with Jenkins. And Kansas voters viewed Boyda fairly favorably despite their strikingly poor opinion of Congress and the fact that they preferred Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) by 13 points in the presidential race.

Asked whom they would vote for in November, 50 percent of poll respondents said Boyda and 43 percent said Jenkins. The poll of 620 likely voters, conducted Aug. 19-21 for Roll Call by the automated polling firm SurveyUSA, had a 4-point margin of error.

This is the first independent polling we've seen in the race- previous polls have always either been candidate polls or poll done by partisan groups. While we aren't so fond of the way SurveyUSA does it's polling, this is just that much more validation of what we've been saying for months: Boyda's well-regarded in her district, and even though Republicans hold a registration edge, they're happy with their current Member of Congress.

Pundit: Boyda More Secure

One of the more conservative prognosticators of political fortunes in this country, Stu Rothenberg, has, for the first time in recent months, moved Congresswoman Nancy Boyda's race for re-election out of the catagory of "Pure Toss-up" to "Toss-up/Tilt Democratic."

The race, of course, is still close, and could still turn on a dime, but it's nice to see some recognition of the fact Boyda's remarkably popular back at home, and that makes this R+7 seat not so likely to flip in 2008.

BB Poll Closed: Jenkins Pulls it Out

Our Boyda Bloc non-scientific poll just ended, and after Jim Ryun holding the lead for most of the week, Lynn Jenkins pulled it out in the end.

Final results:

Jim Ryun: 43% (36 votes)
Lynn Jenkins: 56% (46 votes)

So...again, not what you'd call a scientific poll...or even one that is remotely valid as an indicator of reality. But it does prove one thing: Jenkins supporters are better at the 'net than Ryun's...or, at least, more people who like Lynn read this blog. Either way- good for them.

For these results to come true Ms. Jenkins is going to have to do something, anything, to increase her name recognition outside of Topeka. That probably means significant TV time, because let me tell you, if you leave Topeka and go in south you see nary a one Lynn Jenkins yard sign.

Could it be Jenkins thinks she can win the primary on the backs of Shawnee & Jackson counties with massive loses everywhere else? That's a dangerous bet.

Boeing, Emmergency Supplemental & More on the Poll

Three things: Boyda's congressional office sent out two press releases over the last few days, but in all the excitement with the Boyda & the Jenkins poll, we didn't get them posted.

First, Boyda's response to the GAO decision to sustain an appeal made by Boeing regarding the awarding of a contract for new tankers.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today announced its decision to sustain an appeal by Boeing over a tanker contract awarded earlier this year to EADS, the European Aerospace conglomerate and Northrop Grumman. Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Kansas Second District) called the GAO's decision "the right thing to do – for national security and for America's economy."

[...]

Boyda said "I am extremely pleased the GAO has called for the Air Force to reopen contract discussions, re-evaluate the revised proposals and make a new source selection decision. After all, it just makes no sense for America to outsource our ability to defend our nation. In World War II, our nation's manufacturers turned on a dime to produce the planes and trucks we need to keep America safe. With every contract we send overseas, we lose our capacity to build for our own military."

"Please know," added Boyda, "I will continue the fight to help protect our nation's security and jobs in Kansas when it comes to awarding military contracts."

Boyda also issued a statement regarding her reasons behind supporting the new emergency supplemental bill containing funds for the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan, along with new monies for domestic programs.

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Kansas Second District) announced today that the U.S. House of Representatives, in a bipartisan show of support, voted for an Emergency Supplemental Funding Bill.

Boyda said "Kansans should be pleased that my colleagues from both sides of the aisle came together in voting for this bill. It addresses many important issues for the Second District of Kansas, including funding for a much needed new hospital at Fort Riley, assistance for disaster stricken areas, and an extension of unemployment benefits for the jobless."

The Supplemental contains $161.8 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the summer of 2009, as well as $2.65 billion in disaster relief funds for areas of the Midwest hit by tornadoes and flooding. It extends unemployment compensation by 13 weeks for Kansas workers unable to find jobs because of the ailing economy. It expands the GI Bill to provide improved education benefits for veterans and allows veterans to transfer education benefits to their families.

And, finally, another new analysis piece about the new poll showing Congresswoman Nancy Boyda polling substaintially ahead of her Republican challengers & with approval ratings higher than any other elected official in Kansas.

RealClearPolitics: "Boyda Up Big"

More about the new 2008 General poll from RealClearPolitics:

Though she is widely believed to be one of the most vulnerable first-term Democrats in the country, Kansas Rep. Nancy Boyda may be in better shape than initially thought, a new survey conducted for national Democrats shows.

But in exactly the same place people on the ground in Kansas thought she was.

Despite some missteps in her first term, Boyda is hugely popular, if the poll is to be believed. 68% of respondents in her district said she was doing an excellent or good job, while just 21% had a negative impression of her job performance. 54% said they would definitely or probably vote to re-elect Boyda, while just 35% said they would give someone else a shot.

More popular than any other elected official in the state of Kansas, in fact.

In short, Boyda should be in serious jeopardy in her eastern Kansas district, which includes Topeka and Manhattan. The district gave President Bush a twenty-point win in 2004, the same year Ryun beat Boyda by a fifteen-point margin. And she's not on the DCCC's Frontline list of endangered members, after making clear she would not participate in the project to appear more independent to her district. But if the latest poll is accurate, Boyda may have struck a cord that would keep her safe in her first bid for re-election.

Hell yes she has- but having this kind of information out is only going to make the Republican Party and the NRCC fight even harder, even meaner, to knock her down. She needs your donation today.

Finally, just a little more about the Republican primary:

The late primary, just three months before Election Day, will force Ryun and Jenkins to spend much of their money on each other rather than on Boyda, who already has a financial advantage. Through the end of March, Boyda had $814,000 in the bank, while Jenkins held $486,000 in reserve and Ryun kept $459,000 around. Ryun had outraised both his opponents by wide margins, but much of that money went to paying off debt from last cycle.

Not quite right...Jim's been spending his money on postage stamps, but, the message is OK. Hey, maybe that's why Jenkins isn't doing anything to improve her name recognition- she's keeping her money in the bank for the general! Careful, honey, or you're not going to make it there to spend it.

More New Polling! Jenkins...trails Ryun?

In what strikes us as a case of "Me, too!" Lynn Jenkins' campaign shot out an email this morning about a new poll commissioned by them that contained some amazing, stunning, shocking news about the Republican primary in the 2nd District of Kansas!

She's still losing.

No, wait, that's not exactly what she said-

According to the findings, Lynn Jenkins leads Jim Ryun by 13 points among people who know both candidates! This is great news, but let me be clear - this indicates that once voters get introduced to Lynn, they support her.

Important: She leads among voters who know who they both are. Question: Exactly how many people is that, Lynn?

She'd rather not say.

This poll confirms that our greatest challenge is to get Lynn's name out there to the people.

Then why aren't you on TV? The radio? Anything?

Money troubles?

But, do you get the point? If people just knew who Lynn Jenkins was, they'd support her. In fact, according to this e-mail, the people of the district already just love her!

In fact, nearly one third of likely primary voters have a negative impression of Ryun as opposed to only 4% who view Lynn unfavorably.

Golly gee! That's amazing! But...wait...didn't you say no one in the district knew who you were? Isn't it awfully hard to have an opinion of any kind about something (or someone) of which you've never heard? Hmmm...Ms. Jenkins is trying to pull the wool over her supporter's eyes with that last one.

Regardless- the e-mail is important for what it leaves out. We don't have any idea how many people have any idea who Lynn Jenkins is, and we don't have any idea what her actual head-to-head with Jim Ryun is. Also, notice, she didn't tell you how she fairs against Nancy Boyda, either...that's because, as we saw yesterday, she's getting her hat handed to her.

Poor Lynn. Another bad week.

More on the Poll

Last night's breaking news about the astounding poll results coming out of the KS-02 drew considerable attention around the tubes.

Swing State Project, DailyKos, and Everyday Citizen all had the numbers on their front page. We'd encourage all of you visit each on, they all provide different interesting analysis of the numbers. (In a separate treat, Boyda's speech on FISA is currently also on the front page of kos...gosh, these poll numbers must really suck for all the people who spent so much time and money saying Boyda's position on FISA was wrong and out-of-step with the district...).

While this poll is good new for Boyda (obviously, seeing as she's more popular than any of the 2nd District-wide elected officials, including Gov. Kathleen Sebelius & both U.S. Senators), it particularly bad news for both Jenkins & Ryun. Their head-to-head match ups aren't even close- 37% and 27% respectively. That's got to hurt Ryun especially.

And while this poll shows the Republican primary much closer than previous polls (49-35-16 R-J-U), Jenkins still has an awfully long way to go to close the gap and pass for the former Congressman.

One thing though- she probably needs to stop saying she's the more difficult challenger for Boyda...because, by these numbers, she's quite obviously not.

BREAKING: Boyda Polling in the Lead

Just as the Republican Primary campaign bursts on to the stage, all of us watching the race in the Kansas 2nd Congressional District got a very, very unexpected surprised today that throws the conventional wisdom about this race right out the window.

Results of a poll conducted in the Kansas 2nd District in May by Anzalone Liszt Research, Inc. shows truly shocking numbers- and proves Congresswoman Nancy Boyda isn't quite as weak as previously thought.

Here they are as they were sent to us:



How would you rate the job that Nancy Boyda is doing as U.S. Congresswoman?

Total Positive- 68% (!!)
Total Negative- 21%
Don't Know- 10%

68% approval for a Democrat in eastern Kansas! That's currently better than either United States Senator or Governor Kathleen Sebelius!

Will you re-elect Nancy Boyda, or support someone new?

Re-elect- 54%
Someone new- 35%
Don't Know- 11%

That's what a year of hard work gives you- 54% want to re-elect Boyda in this R+7 district.

Nancy Boyda vs. Jim Ryun

Nancy Boyda- 54%
Jim Ryun- 37%
Undecided- 9%

After 10 years, the KS-2 has had enough of Jim Ryun!

Nancy Boyda vs. Lynn Jenkins

Nancy Boyda- 57%
Lynn Jenkins- 27%
Undecided- 15%

So much for the logic Lynn Jenkins is the stronger candidate against Boyda.

Lynn Jenkins vs. Jim Ryun

Lynn Jenkins- 35%
Jim Ryun- 49%
Undecided- 16%

(Link to the polling report as it was emailed to us)

Instant reactions: All the Republican posturing about how poor a fit Boyda is for her district is patently false- it's obvious the people of the Kansas 2nd Congressional district think Boyda is doing an exceptional job if 68% of people are giving her good or excellent marks.

Also, so far at least, the people of the district have no interest in trading out Boyda for the messages being peddled by either Ryun or Jenkins- and it looks like Jenkins still has a long way to go if she has any hope in the world of beating Ryun in the primary.

The only other thing- while this poll is good news for Nancy Boyda right now, all this new information means is, in the end, the fight is going to be even harder. Why? Because Ryun & Jenkins both know Boyda's winning, too, and they'll redouble their efforts to knock her out of her seat. Even though this polling shows Boyda's as strong as we had all hoped, this means the Republicans will pull out ever stop in an attempt to beat her.

She needs your help. Sign up to volunteer and, please, make a contribution of $10, $25, or $50- she's going to need it to stay in the lead.

You Be the Pundit: What are the Numbers?

A friend of ours says blogging isn't just about exposure- shoving a story out for people to see- but it's really about a conversation between the person blogging and the people reading and writing comments.

So, to fill what seems to a slow news day, we'd like to hear your gut instincts about where the Republican primary really is at this point. We've seen these poll numbers:

Mid-April 08 (from the Jenkins Campaign)
Ryun..........50
Jenkins.......34

Mid-May 08 (from the Ryun Campiagn)
Ryun..........65
Jenkins.......21

So...which one is closer? Has Jenkins closed the gap? Has Ryun pulled ahead? We've had a couple of people comment here about a rumored Jenkins poll that was in the field a few weeks ago...what did it show?

And what about Congresswoman Nancy Boyda? What's does her district think of her? We know there hasn't been any public polling on that point...but we're interested in your gut reaction

Have fun!

Roll Call: Stung by Poll, Jenkins Pulls D.C. Card on Ryun

Roll Call published (subscription required) a nice little piece demonstrating that when Lynn Jenkins says she wants to keep the campaign between herself and Jim Ryun "friendly" she really means no-holds-barred and personal.

And Lord it's fun to watch!

State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, running against former Rep. Jim Ryun for the 2nd district GOP nomination, has responded to an internal Ryun poll that showed a big lead for the ex-Congressman with a news release that labels him a carpetbagger and a product of Washington, D.C.

“As former Congressman Jim Ryun wraps up a tour of the Second District to introduce himself to those he previously represented for 10 years, he still has a home in Washington, D.C., his campaign has a branch in the D.C. suburbs, his entire paid staff hails from east of the Mississippi, and most of his supporters are not from Kansas,” the news release read.

Not news to any of our readers, of course- at least the parts saying that Ryun draws the great majority of his financial support from states like Texas and Virginia...and also that he considered himself a resident of Washington, DC for much of his final years in office (and right after he lost his seat, too), but the bit about Jim having a "branch office" in DC is new. But, hey, when Jenkins finds herself falling behind, she tends to lash out in whatever direction she's turned.

More Republican bloodsport? Read on:

“Time after time, we’re reminded just how deeply Washington changed Jim Ryun,” Jenkins campaign spokesman Pat Leopold said in a statement. “Jim spent 10 years in Washington talking a good game, but spent money on nearly everything except border enforcement.”

All true...and all why he lost in 2006. Ah, but the Ryun camp couldn't just let any of that go.

The Ryun campaign disputed several of the Jenkins campaign’s charges.

Really? Do tell!

The Ryun campaign emphasized that it doesn’t have a “branch” in Washington, D.C. — only that it uses a bookkeeping firm that has an office there — and noted that not all of its paid campaign staff “hails” from there, either.

Oh, so you just pay people in Virginia to handle your books. I ask you: Are there no CPAs in Topeka? (Look real hard...no, down, she's short).

As to staffing...unless you count the Ryun children, it appears every single person on the payroll is indeed a non-Kansan. 'Course, Lynn doesn't have any staff, so it's an easy attack for her to make. Boyda? Nearly all of her campaign staffers are Kansans- either by birth or tenure in the state. Don't believe us? Call 'em and ask yourself. But, really, arguing about staffers is bad form- keep it to each other, kids.

“A day after finding themselves down 44 points, Lynn Jenkins confirms our polling numbers are correct by launching a desperate attack,” Ryun campaign spokesman Kyle Robertson said. “Hey Lynn, there are real issues in this campaign more important than where campaign staff grew up.”

First- Kyle Robertson proves yet again he's an arrogant prick. Second...he's right. Jenkins is floundering, and obviously has flailed into a support response again on this one.

More in the next few days about this primary....we've got a doozy of a post about Lynn in the pipes. 'Til then!

KS GOP Blogs Stupid- Again

First they posted a link to a video that included a minute and a half of content countering the argument they thought it was defending.

Now they post a link to a survey that says Republican obstruction and George W. Bush's vetoes of common sense legislation makes people dislike Congress.

Let's look, shall we?

In their post, the KS GOP tries to convince you that it is Nancy Boyda & Dennis Moore's fault people hate Congress right now, pointing to the fact that body does indeed have the lowest approval rating of any Congress in the history of the Gallup poll.

The neglect to mention Todd Tiahrt, Jerry Moran, Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback are all also in Congress...and are actually the problem.

No, we aren't just saying that because we support Nancy Boyda- we're saying that because that's what the poll says.

The poll says Americans disapprove of Congress in about the same numbers. Now, the Republicans really want you to believe that the reason the public disapproves of Congress is because the disapprove of the kinds of things the Democratic leadership and people like Boyda and Moore are trying to accomplish.

That isn't true. And we can prove it with numbers.

They ignore that every poll released in the last year say people support increasing the minimum wage, they support stem cell research, and they support a reasoned withdrawal from Iraq- all the kinds of things the Democrats have championed, that the Republicans opposed, and that the President attempted to prevent.

Republicans, of course, disapprove of Congress...because they aren't in charge anymore. But that survey shows Democrats also disapprove of the job Congress is doing- because the Republicans are preventing any real action on the things that matter to people.

So, Christian, consider that a spike- Boyda and Moore are doing exactly what the people of the United States want them to do, while Republicans are standing pat in the way of progress.

More on the New Ryun-Jenkins Poll

Little snippet from The Hill gives us some more reaction to the recently released poll that shows Jim Ryun destroying Lynn Jenkins by 44 points in the primary in the KS-02:

Former Rep. Jim Ryun leads state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins by roughly 3-to-1, according to a Ryun-commissioned poll of their GOP primary race released Wednesday.

Ryun’s 65 percent-to-21 percent lead among GOP primary voters represents a significant bump for the former congressman since a poll released nearly a month ago showed Ryun leading 50 percent to 34.

That poll was conducted for a group supporting Jenkins.

“While this race is bound to tighten as the campaign progresses, there is no question that Jim Ryun has a very strong edge among GOP voters,” says the poll, which was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies. “The report indicates that Ryun benefits from significantly higher name identification.”

Jenkins campaign manager Patrick Leopold took issue with the poll, noting that it was not “independent.”

“We haven’t spent a dime on advertising and sit here today with more money to spend on the primary than Ryun,” Leopold said, adding that the April poll showed that “the more people hear about his record, the better we do.”

Ryun communications director Jacqueline Harrison said: “This poll speaks for itself.”

Indeed the poll does speak for itself- Jim Ryun continues to out-perform the pro-choice, pro-tax Lynn Jenkins with Republican primary voters. We will, however, have to wait and see what these numbers do after both candidates go up on TV, which should, probably, be any time now.

Ryun Crushes Jenkins in New District Poll

As released today in the DC-based newspaper Roll Call (which you must have a subscription to access), Jim Ryun has a shocking 44 point advantage over Lynn Jenkins in the run up to their August primary.

Ryun’s internal poll found that he led Jenkins 65 percent to 21 percent, showing a net gain for the former Congressman since he polled at this time last year. Last May, Ryun’s internal polling had him out in front of Jenkins by a margin of 61 percent to 27 percent.

Ryun’s poll, conducted by Republican pollster Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies on April 27 and 28, surveyed 350 likely GOP voters, and had a margin of error of 5.66 points.

And, in what we think is simply classic:

The Jenkins campaign declined to comment.

Of course they did! What could they have said? "Nuh-uh!"

So, now it looks like you just have to decided who's internal polling you agree with more: the Ryun polling that shows Jenkins down by 44, or the Jenkins polling that shows her down by 16. Either way, looks like Jenkins is fairly desperate waters.

KS-02 Rankings & Ratings: Boyda in a Close Race Pundits Say She's Likely to Win

Something is certain in the Kansas 2nd, regardless of how much faith you put in DC talking heads: The race for the seat currently held by Congresswoman Nancy Boyda is going to be hard fought- and, quite possibly, the hottest congressional race in the country.

We say that, but we thought it would be nice to back it up with some context for you. We love context...and links...links are awesome in blogs.

So, today, we thought we'd give you a quick rundown of how those pundits perceive the KS-02 right now, and then tell you why that makes sure that much more optimisic as we get closer and closer to election day (180 days...).

• CQ Politics: No Clear Favorite
• Swing State Project: Lean Democratic
• Roll Call: Tossup
• Rothenberg Political Report: Pure Tossup
• Cook Political Report: Leans Democratic
• Larry J. Sabato: Leans Democratic
• DC's Political Report: 5 Star Democratic Retention

Those of us who support Boyda will point you to the four raters who say the seat leans in her direction, while we're sure those of you who hate her with a burning evil passion will point to the three who say the seat is just too close to call at this point. You needn't scream, we can see it, too.

That's fine, of course, but it certainly doesn't point to anything even approaching a likely lose. No, if anyone thought that was going to be the case, they'd classify this seat as a "Leans Republican" or even a "Likely Republican." But no one does- ever- and they haven't in the nearly year and a half Boyda has been in office.

That in itself is an amazing turn of events- in just two years this seat went from "Solid Republican" to "Leans Democratic." Thanks in large part to the ineptness of the Kansas Republican Party leadership, of course, and to a gentleman named Jim Ryun. Oh, and of course to our current Congresswoman's ability to connect with her district in away they haven't felt since Jim Slattery represented them in the Eighties.

So, take it or leave it that's where the national pundits put this race as of today. Our guess it will only look better and better for Boyda as the Republican primary takes to the TVs districtwide.

But when 26% of Republicans say they'd rather vote Boyda than one of her Republican counterparts, you know things are getting better in Kansas.

A Helluva Bad Week: Jenkins Encourages Increase in Social Security Taxes

This has to be the very worst week Lynn Jenkins has had thus far in her sad little campaign for Congress.

Now, on top of a tiny FEC report, a fundraiser with the poster child of pro-choice Republicans, and a poll that shows her getting just slammed by Jim Ryun, we're hearing from all over the tubes that Jenkins has actually said she wants to increase Social Security withholding taxes.

We'll say it again more slowly: Lynn Jenkins has suggested the government increase taxes.

Just...wow.

Honestly, though, when we read the quote from Kyle Robertson in the article about the new poll in yesterday's The Hill, we thought he was reacting very strangely to what we thought looked like good news for the Ryun campaign. Really, a 16-point margin isn't anything to sneeze at, but the Ryun campaign called Jenkins out for "dirty tricks."

“It’s obvious that Lynn Jenkins will use dirty tactics to avoid discussing her latest plan to raise taxes on Social Security.”

What? Increase taxes on Social Security? Hadn't yet heard that one..but we're obviously behind the times, because a poster at RedState.com says this has been Jenkins' MO for awhile now:

Jenkins' has been saying for weeks that the best way to fix Social Security is to do at the federal level what Kansas did (under her leadership as State Treasurer) to KPERS- the Kansas state government retirement system. Jenkins actually lead the charge to increase withholdings from employee paychecks. Now she says that's exactly how we should "save Social Security"- more taxes.

And, yes children, there is video:

Golly gee, Lynn...this doesn't seem wise. You remember you're running in a Republican primary, right?

Worth noting that Lynn Jenkins isn't the only Republican jumping on the third rail of politics (Social Security- touch it and you die) in this race, because Jim Ryun is an advocate for privatization. Which extreme will the Republicans prefer?

GOP Primary Poll: Ryun Leads Jenkins 50-34

From The Hill:

Former Rep. Jim Ryun leads state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, 50 percent to 34, in a GOP primary poll released by a pro-Jenkins group.

The poll, which was conducted for the state chapter of the Republican Main Street Partnership, showed the 2nd district congressional race narrowing from the 61-27 margin in a poll commissioned by Ryun from May 2007.

The winner of the primary will face freshman Rep. Nancy Boyda (D), who defeated Ryun in 2006.

The poll surveyed 451 self-identified likely primary voters last week by phone and was conducted by Mary Christine and Associates. Mary Christine Banwart is relatively unknown as a pollster but is an assistant professor of communications studies at the University of Kansas.

“The more voters in this district learn about Lynn Jenkins, the more her message resonates, and these poll numbers clearly reflect this,” said Ryan Wright, the executive director of the pro-Jenkins Kansas Traditional Republican Majority.

Ryun campaign manager Kyle Robertson suggested the poll wasn’t credible because it also tested a negative message about Ryun’s connection to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff: “It’s obvious that Lynn Jenkins will use dirty tactics to avoid discussing her latest plan to raise taxes on Social Security.”

— Aaron Blake

So it appears Jenkins campaign activity has made a dent in Ryun's standing amongst likely Republican primary voters, but, really, what is Kyle Robertson complaining about? His boss is still kicking tail, and Jenkins has succeeded in making more people undecided.

Still, for a statewide "moderate" officeholder to not even break 40% against a once-defeated has-been should be horribly unsettling for all you Jenkins supporters out there.

But, looks like the conventional wisdom remains the same: Jim Ryun will beat Lynn Jenkins in Republican primary.

Caucus recovery and a little Republican poll

Back in full strength after the Caucuses...it really took it out of our team (just because we've been asked, one of us caucused for Barack Obama, one of us caucused for Hillary Clinton, and one of us caucused for John McCain. And, no, we don't know how Jason Croucher caucused...).

Anyway, the Republican Caucus was exciting from our point of view for a couple reasons. First, turnout was embarrassingly small (one of those times you wish Sen. Phil Journey would just shut up, huh, Republicans?). Another was that, as always in Kansas politics, the crazy right wing of the Republican Party dominated the day, and picked the candidate with the very best shot of getting creamed by the Democrats in November

Something unexpected came out of the Republican embarrassment on Saturday: A wonderful poll up that was conducted at the Riley County Republican Caucus:

• Ryun- 53%
• Jenkins- 14%
• Boyda- 7%
• Undecided- 26%

Quick comments: Those of us here would like NOTHING better than to see Jim Ryun win the nomination. The people of the 2nd District (those who aren't the radical right wing- so most of them) have absolutely no desire to go backward- they kicked Ryun out because he was a stunningly poor representative who had lost touch with the people he was supposed to be representing. Jeez, even he didn't consider himself a Kansan anymore.

But, we're all nearly certain Ryun will win the nomination...for the same reason Huckabee won the caucus: Nearly all the activists in the Republican Party are exactly as out-of-touch as Jim Ryun. While Lynn Jenkins is, obviously, a horrifyingly miserable alternative, her pro-choice views at least make her slightly less radically opposed to the people she's trying to represent.

And then you have the 7% of registered Republican activists who said they planned to vote for Congresswoman Nancy Boyda in November. Know why that is? Because Nancy Boyda is clearly the best of the three options, and there are even individuals at the very heart of the Kansas Republican Party that realize that.

It was a tiny sample, so it's meaningless in the end, but, we can't help but really enjoy watching the Kansas Republican Party shoot themselves in the foot...agian...and again.