Goyle holds campaign kick-off event in Old Town

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In front of a crowd of enthusiastic supporters at the Pumphouse in Old Town Wichita, Kansas House of Representatives member Raj Goyle held a kick-off event for his campaign for the United States Congress from the fourth district of Kansas.

In his brief remarks, Goyle said that after receiving his education out-of-state, he — unlike many young people — came back to Kansas. He told how outside Kansas, out state’s perception is not what we know it should be. The perception is that we’re not forward-thinking or dynamic. So he decided to run for the Kansas House of Representatives in 2006, from a district that had never elected a Democrat.

He mentioned his work and leadership in passing legislation limiting the ability of Fred Phelps and members of his church from disruptively protesting funerals of soldiers.

He also mentioned his advocacy in passing a bill that allowed Kansas to accept $70 million in federal stimulus money to extend unemployment benefits.

He mentioned that he has never missed a vote in the Kansas House He said he has never taken a free personal meal from a lobbyist, nor has he accepted a taxpayer-funded trip.

Goyle said that the American dream is in jeopardy, and is slowly slipping away, and that he will work every day to make sure that dream is “as available to you as it was for me.”

He told young people that they should not have to choose between a well-paying, high-quality job and leaving Wichita.

Analysis

As Goyle has no serious challenger in the primary, and as he is unlikely to draw a challenger with name recognition and the ability to raise money, it’s a bit of a puzzle as to why he’s hitting the campaign trail so soon, some 11 months before the primary. The real action in the fourth district Congressional race in is the crowded Republican primary field.

Goyle’s talk was short on substantive discussion of issues, which is probably the strategy I’d follow if I had no serious primary opposition and was speaking to an audience of enthusiastic supporters.

I attended the event with my colleague John Todd, and as far as we could tell, we were the only non-Democrats in attendance. My presence caused a few tweets on Twitter, one remarking “Oh dear lord!” at my presence. Most of the Democrats I talked to were cordial — including the candidate himself — except for one quite disagreeable union activist who assumed I was there to collect dirt on Goyle, assumed I supported President Obama’s heckler, and painted me as a racist simply because I belong to the same party as Lynn Jenkins, she of the “great white hope” remark.

Comments

4 responses to “Goyle holds campaign kick-off event in Old Town”

  1. Jessica

    what exactly is that American Dream Goyle refers to?

  2. Mike

    If the American Dream is to get a job, and make enough money to AFFORD to buy your own house, and provide for your own family and he wants to SAVE the AMERICAN DREAM, he needs to switch parties.

    The problem with Socialism is that eventually, you run out of other people’s money. -Margret Thatcher

    Mike

  3. Joe

    Goyle may be a Democrat, but he isn’t a Socialist. I find him to be quite moderate and well versed and educated. He may garner lots of support from the Wichita area, but I think his major problem for gaining votes will be the rural and agricultural constituents in the 4th District.

    The 4th District will shrink and be more Wichita and urban centric after 2010 Census is done, but that will not apply until 2012 (if Kansas doesn’t loose a Congressional seat).

  4. Wichitator

    Rep. Goyle may talk like a “moderate” to the home folks and be described that way the KS news media. Goyle’s legislative vote ratings by Americans for Prosperity in 2009 on economic and fiscal issues was in single digits and the Kansas Taxpayers Network’s scorecard in prior years was not much better. Both indicate that Goyle usually votes like a liberal advocate for bigger and more expensive government.

    The elite media may provide cover for Raj but on fiscal issues (they did this in the past for Dan and the Red Star does so today for Dennis here in KS; in DC they all have been covering for Obama–see Bernie Goldberg’s “Slobbering Love Affair” if you doubt this fact) he is identical with his Democratic colleagues who are expanding the mess in Washington. Raj Goyle is well educated, articulate, ambitious, as well as a strong advocate for bigger and more expensive government. It will be interesting to see how Goyle performs against the eventual 4th district winner out of the crowded GOP primary field a year from now.

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