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Kansas Governor Race: Morris backs Davis

cjonline.com

Former Senate President Steve Morris is one of 104 Kansas Republicans backing Paul Davis in his bid to be governor according to a recent article in the Garden City Telegram

There are two reasons Morris is backing Davis.

The first is Governor Sam Brownback’s plan to “double down” the income tax cuts because they are working so well.  Brownback made this statement on a recent segment of MSNBC.

Morris recalls when separate tax-policy experts each claimed Kansas had the worst tax plan in the country.

"It was a year ago, The Brookings Institute, which is a liberal Think Tank, and a conservative think tank, called, I think, the Tax Foundation, issued reports the same day saying that. I thought it was very significant they did that,” says Morris.

Morris also says the state’s health-care compact is a huge concern, but not getting much press. 

The compact was recently passed by the Legislature, and now has to be approved by Congress.

"It would entail exempting Kansas from Obamacare. A lot of people are pro-con on that, but the compact also takes Medicare away from the federal government in Kansas and puts it in the hands of the Kansas governor, so people would have to do what the governor wanted to do with their health-care dollars."

Morris says Medicaid by itself is a very complicated system.

"To try and take over Medicare? No other state's ever done that. It would be a total train wreck," he said.

Kelly Arnold is the chair of the Kansas Republican party.  She says several of the former office holders endorsing Davis were defeated in the 2012 campaign by more conservative candidates.

"The Kansas Republican Party is disappointed that these former officials, many of whom were thrown out by Kansas voters, have decided to endorse the Obama agenda,” she says.  “Almost all of them served in the past, and their principles are defined by higher taxes and bigger government. Kansans have rejected their big-government ideas before, and Kansans will reject their big-government, Democrat agenda in November."