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Local Democrats: This is the year
Record number of JoCo Democrats file for office
By: Chuck Kurtz, Staff Writer
There is a sparkle in the eyes and a bounce in the step of Bill Roy Jr. these days, the kind of optimism unprecedented in any Johnson County Democratic chairman before him.
Johnson County Election Office figures show the number of voters registering as Democrats has been steadily increasing, with more than 2,500 registering in the month of February alone, a bump directly related to the Democratic caucuses that month.
In fact, Johnson County has the most registered Democratic voters of any county in the state and to date has seen a net gain of more than 6,000 voters.
A record number of Democrats have filed for 28 legislative races. There are even two primary races, one for the Senate and another for the House.
It has been a long, slow process getting to this point, Roy said.
“In 2002, Democrats contested 30 percent of the races,” he said. “In ’06, it was the first time the Democrats had made an across-the-board effort in Johnson County and we came close in four races.
“So far, we have seen a net change of 6,000 voters registering as Democrats. That’s been going on for months, spiking in February because of Super Tuesday, and we’re still seeing that trend.”
Kansas and Johnson County are traditionally Republican-dominated. In 2002 and 2004, 75,000 Republicans participated in the primary elections. In 2006, that number had fallen to 36,500. In the 2006 general election, Johnson County voters supported Democrats Dennis Moore with 61 percent of the vote, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson with 62 percent, and Paul Morrison for attorney general with 65 percent.
“But even more than that,” Roy said, “we were winning over 90 percent of the precincts in Johnson County. That’s amazing. That means Democrats were winning virtually every neighborhood in those races.”
Johnson County Republican Chairman Scott Schwab does not want to rain on the Democrats’ parade, but he suggested they keep their umbrellas handy.
“Sure that’s happening,” Schwab said. “They have more Democrats running than they ever had. But is there substance behind it? I don’t think so.”
Schwab said the giddiness among local Democrats brings back memories of his college days.
“The 2006 election reminds me of a college party when I was a freshman,” he said. “I had a great time, but then you have to work and make things happen. I think that’s what (the Democrats) are up to now.”
There are a number of reasons for the surge in Democratic popularity in Johnson County, Roy said.
“The bottom line is that people want to see change in the country because they don’t think it’s headed in the right direction,” he said. “And they think change needs to happen at all levels of government, not just at the federal level. We’re seeing a lot of new voters registering as Democrats, former unaffiliated voters becoming Democrats, and a lot of Republicans are changing to vote Democratic.
“Throughout the country during the primaries, we saw state after state where nearly twice as many people participated in the Democratic elections than the Republican’s, especially in Kansas.”
Schwab does not dispute the primary numbers, but said people need to look beyond the math.
“Republicans are getting along like they haven’t done for a long time,” he said. “The party is less split today than the Democratic Party is and that isn’t rhetoric. Folks are upset about Paul Morrison and Mark Parkinson, and the Republicans have been working hard to get together.
“And the reason the primary numbers are down is because we are seeing candidates the Republicans want and that’s why they are not turning out for the primary elections.”
Roy said it has taken time and a lot of work for the Democrats to reach this point.
“We have to have candidates, and it has taken awhile and a concentrated effort by a lot of people for us to get to this point,” he said. “The Democratic Party is building on its successes in 2006 and we are again offering voters throughout Johnson County a clear choice across the entire ballot.
“Our candidates offer voters a wealth of experience from the fields of business, construction, engineering, law, education, communications, the military, health care, information technology, criminal justice and government.”
Roy looks forward to November.
“With this substantial narrowing of the registration gap, 2008 looks like it will also be a great year for Democrats in Johnson County,” he said. “Spread across the county, the registration change signals a potential pickup of 250 votes per House seat and 800 votes per state Senate seat.”
Schwab disagrees.
“I think it’s going to be a good Republican year in Kansas,” he said. “(Gov.) Sebelius is busy recruiting candidates, and if she doesn’t do that, her national stock goes down. Locally, her popularity is going down, and if she can’t help recruit candidates and voters nationally, she’s washed up.”
The voters will have the final say Nov. 4.
Contact Chuck Kurtz at 385-6009 or chuckkurtz@npgco.com.
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Johnson County Election Office figures show the number of voters registering as Democrats has been steadily increasing, with more than 2,500 registering in the month of February alone, a bump directly related to the Democratic caucuses that month.
In fact, Johnson County has the most registered Democratic voters of any county in the state and to date has seen a net gain of more than 6,000 voters.
A record number of Democrats have filed for 28 legislative races. There are even two primary races, one for the Senate and another for the House.
It has been a long, slow process getting to this point, Roy said.
“In 2002, Democrats contested 30 percent of the races,” he said. “In ’06, it was the first time the Democrats had made an across-the-board effort in Johnson County and we came close in four races.
“So far, we have seen a net change of 6,000 voters registering as Democrats. That’s been going on for months, spiking in February because of Super Tuesday, and we’re still seeing that trend.”
Kansas and Johnson County are traditionally Republican-dominated. In 2002 and 2004, 75,000 Republicans participated in the primary elections. In 2006, that number had fallen to 36,500. In the 2006 general election, Johnson County voters supported Democrats Dennis Moore with 61 percent of the vote, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson with 62 percent, and Paul Morrison for attorney general with 65 percent.
“But even more than that,” Roy said, “we were winning over 90 percent of the precincts in Johnson County. That’s amazing. That means Democrats were winning virtually every neighborhood in those races.”
Johnson County Republican Chairman Scott Schwab does not want to rain on the Democrats’ parade, but he suggested they keep their umbrellas handy.
“Sure that’s happening,” Schwab said. “They have more Democrats running than they ever had. But is there substance behind it? I don’t think so.”
Schwab said the giddiness among local Democrats brings back memories of his college days.
“The 2006 election reminds me of a college party when I was a freshman,” he said. “I had a great time, but then you have to work and make things happen. I think that’s what (the Democrats) are up to now.”
There are a number of reasons for the surge in Democratic popularity in Johnson County, Roy said.
“The bottom line is that people want to see change in the country because they don’t think it’s headed in the right direction,” he said. “And they think change needs to happen at all levels of government, not just at the federal level. We’re seeing a lot of new voters registering as Democrats, former unaffiliated voters becoming Democrats, and a lot of Republicans are changing to vote Democratic.
“Throughout the country during the primaries, we saw state after state where nearly twice as many people participated in the Democratic elections than the Republican’s, especially in Kansas.”
Schwab does not dispute the primary numbers, but said people need to look beyond the math.
“Republicans are getting along like they haven’t done for a long time,” he said. “The party is less split today than the Democratic Party is and that isn’t rhetoric. Folks are upset about Paul Morrison and Mark Parkinson, and the Republicans have been working hard to get together.
“And the reason the primary numbers are down is because we are seeing candidates the Republicans want and that’s why they are not turning out for the primary elections.”
Roy said it has taken time and a lot of work for the Democrats to reach this point.
“We have to have candidates, and it has taken awhile and a concentrated effort by a lot of people for us to get to this point,” he said. “The Democratic Party is building on its successes in 2006 and we are again offering voters throughout Johnson County a clear choice across the entire ballot.
“Our candidates offer voters a wealth of experience from the fields of business, construction, engineering, law, education, communications, the military, health care, information technology, criminal justice and government.”
Roy looks forward to November.
“With this substantial narrowing of the registration gap, 2008 looks like it will also be a great year for Democrats in Johnson County,” he said. “Spread across the county, the registration change signals a potential pickup of 250 votes per House seat and 800 votes per state Senate seat.”
Schwab disagrees.
“I think it’s going to be a good Republican year in Kansas,” he said. “(Gov.) Sebelius is busy recruiting candidates, and if she doesn’t do that, her national stock goes down. Locally, her popularity is going down, and if she can’t help recruit candidates and voters nationally, she’s washed up.”
The voters will have the final say Nov. 4.
Contact Chuck Kurtz at 385-6009 or chuckkurtz@npgco.com.