This week’s Kansas primary election is being seen as a repudiation of Sam Brownback’s tax policy, reports The Wall Street Journal. At least 11 conservative state lawmakers in Kansas were ousted on Tuesday. Many were allied with Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
The state appears to be rebuking many of the Tea Party officials who were swept into office in a wave of anti-Federal sentiment in recent years. Brownback and the Legislature’s scorched-earth tax policy was widely criticized for endangering public-school funding.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce was among those who lost their seats. Five other conservative senators who had been allies of the governor were also sent packing. The most prominent loser was Kansas U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a darling of the Tea Party and a member of the extreme-right House Freedom Caucus.