KS-02: Felony Charges Altered The Dynamics Of U.S. Rep. Watkins' Run For A Second Term
AWRENCE, Kansas — The dynamics of U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins’ run for re-election continue to shift in the wake of felony charges filed last week after he listed a UPS storefront in Topeka as his address on a voter registration form.
High-profile endorsements quickly gravitated to his top challenger in the Republican primary, Kansas Treasurer Jake LaTurner.
Meanwhile, prosecutors and Watkins’ defense team have swapped briefs in court — the congressman’s attorneys saying the charges come from a politically motivated Shawnee County district attorney, and the prosecutor’s office saying Watkins was slow to respond to investigators. Watkins wants District Attorney Michael Kagay disqualified from the case.
University of Kansas political scientist Patrick Miller said with little polling, it’s hard to gauge the impact the charges have had on the race. He said the charges have heightened an already contentious fight, where Watkins is hammering LaTurner as a “swamp creature” advancing his political career and LaTurner is blasting Watkins over the registration investigation.
“We’re starting to see more of that,” Miller said, “that negativity.”
https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-21/felony-voter-registration-charges-altered-the-dynamics-of-u-s-rep-watkins-run-for-a-second-term
