Two dozen GOP lawmakers endorse Democrat Kelly for governor

More than two dozen current and former Kansas Republican lawmakers followed Friday in the footsteps of former Gov. Bill Graves by endorsing Democrat Laura Kelly for governor, inspiring a rival’s denunciation of “Republicans in name only.”

Kelly’s campaign has recruited GOP members to broaden the Topeka state senator’s appeal across party lines and undercut both Republican Kris Kobach and independent Greg Orman.

Some members of the group of 27 Republicans joining Kelly also endorsed Democrat Paul Davis in the 2014 campaign won by incumbent Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican. In both contests, dissident Republicans expressed common ground on issues of health care, education, jobs and the economy.

Former Senate president Dick Bond, a Johnson County Republican, said Kelly was committed to working on bipartisan solutions to state government’s financial challenges.

Read more: http://www.cjonline.com/news/20180913/two-dozen-gop-lawmakers-endorse-democrat-kelly-for-governor