RALPH DeZAGO

DeZago introduced himself by relating that he has been an attorney for 29 years. He was an Army Officer from 1971-1975. DeZago served in the Kansas Attorney General’s office fro 3.5 years under Phill Kline. Currently he is the full-time Prosecutor for Junction City.  He is an experienced attorney in that he has tried felony cases in court. In 1989 he tried the first DNA case in Kansas. He tried the first and third death penalty cases in Kansas. As the Chief State Public Defender he ran an office of ten attorneys. Having been both a prosecutor and defense counsel, he has seen the law from both sides. DeZago stated the role of the Attorney General is to enforce the laws of Kansas without an agenda. The legislature is constitutionally mandated and to make and repeal laws. The Attorney General does not make policy or make laws. The Attorney General upholds the law. DeZago stated he believes he has the qualifications and experience to run the Attorney General’s office and to prosecute with vigor those who make us unsafe.

 DEREK SCHMIDT

Schmidt reported that he is a 5^th generation Kansan from Independence in SE Kansas. He has been an attorney for fourteen years. He practiced law in Independence. He has worked as an Assistant Kansas Attorney General, a city prosecutor and as Special Counsel to Governor Bill Graves. He was elected to the Kansas Senate in 2000 and currently serves as the Senate Majority Leader.

Schmidt stated that currently Democrats appointed five of the six statewide offices. It’s time to take our state back. With elected officials it matters who is in charge. The current Attorney General will not join fourteen states in the fight against Obamacare. He will battle the EPA that could devastate the Kansas economy.

In the Montoy case the legal team dropped the ball and did not protect the state’s interests. No one represented the taxpayer in court. Schmidt stated that if the schools try to sue again, he will engage early in the process.

The Attorney General is not a policy maker but the Attorney General’s opinion does matter. There are laws that need to be changed but those must come from the Kansas Legislature.

 DAVID POWELL

Powell stated he is a Conservative Republican who believes the Constitution should be upheld. He has been a licensed insurance agent for 32 years and is a Certified Financial Planner. Powell informed the audience that he opposed Obamacare, believes the mandate is unconstitutional and the law should be repealed. Powell reported that he testified for the 10^th Amendment. Unfortunately, it did not pass. The law is not about health care, will not insure more people and the costs will increase. Many employers will drop health insurance for their employees. If employees continue to provide health insurance for their employees, the costs of goods and services will increase. 

If elected as Insurance Commissioner, Powell would work to make the laws more business friendly. Currently, insurance is the second or third largest line item in business budgets. Unless some changes are made, more businesses will move out of Kansas.

Insurance needs to be available, affordable and understandable. Insurance affects everyone in the state.

The voters have a choice of a career politician or someone who has had many years of experience working in the field.

SANDY PRAEGER was represented by Assistant Insurance Commissioner Bob Tomlinson.

Sandy Praeger served as a Kansas State Representative for eight years. In 2002 she was elected Insurance Commissioner.  Praeger is spending a lot of time with the National Insurance Commission to regard to the new Health Insurance Law. She has been a leader for responsible health care reform. She does not support the mandate required in the current law. . She believes the fundamentals of health care are between the patient and the patient’s doctor.

All insurance complaints go to Topeka. More than $85 million has been recovered for Kansas’s consumers. Praeger has recovered $16 million more than expected from insurance settlements for consumers. The Insurance Commissioner’s Office is the third largest revenue producer for the state. The Insurance Commissioner’s Office has reported a 13% budget decrease through attrition and technology improvements.  The Insurance Commissioner has a $15 million budget. The Insurance Commissioner has ten attorneys on staff.

 J.R. CLAEYS

J.R. Claeys was raised in Salina, Kansas. He has a degree from Kansas State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from George Washington University. He worked in Washington D.C. as the president of a major national trade association. He also was in international election observer. Claeys decided to return to Kansas and offer his experience as an administrator to the state as the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State is responsible for upholding 600 duties. Many of those duties are related to small business. Increasing those efficiencies can bring some tax relief to the small business owners of Kansas.

Voter ID is the number one issue for elections. He supports photo ID for voters. Everyone will be allowed to vote. No one would be denied the vote. Those without photo ID would vote a Provisional Ballot.  Implementation of these rules would affect the election offices around the state but is the most effective to prevent voter fraud. Voting must be a secure process. A law carefully worded would prevent a muddied/diluted version of voter ID. If elected, he would plan ahead so there would be no confusion.

KRIS KOBACH was represented by Bernie Bianchino.

Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft was in Topeka today in support of Kris Kobach. Ashcroft said, “Kris Kobach has the credentials and capability to be an outstanding Secretary of State.” Kobach served as Counsel to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft from 2001-2003. He served as chief advisor on immigration law and border security. Kobach has had opportunities to work at firms and make large sums of money. But Kobach has chosen to give back to Kansas and serve the people of his home state. He has many endorsements.

The two main issues for Kobach are proof of citizenship when registering to vote and proof of who you are when voting. Kobach has drafted a statute for the Kansas Legislature and can defend the law should it pass.

The Department of Revenue has issued ID s to illegals. This means Kansas has allowed 70,000 people to vote who may not be citizens. The HAVA law allows the DMV to register voters. Honest elections and recounts are the foundation of our system of government.

Kobach is a law professor at UMKC specializing in Constitutional Law, Election Law, Legislation, and Immigration Law from 1996 to the present. Kobach has a Bachelor’s Degree from Harvard University, a Doctorate from Oxford University and a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School.

 RON ESTES

Estes is a 5^th generation Kansan. Currently he is the Treasurer of Sedgwick County. Estes has held many jobs in the private sector. Businesses are looking for customer service, cost effectiveness and efficiencies in the Treasurer’s Office. The duties of the State Treasurer are:

            To manage the cash flow and invest idle cash for the most return.

            To manage unclaimed funds.

            To manage the Quest Program. This is a savings program that helps parents save for the college education of their children.

            To serve on the KPERS Board.

KPERS ranked 48^th in the nation in funding. It is only 59% funded.  Estes supports KPERS and will be an effective champion by working with the legislature to improve the system. In the last 20 years a couple of big investment mistakes have harmed KPERS. He would consider an independent commission that included businessmen and elected officials.