Tonight, Representative Sharice Davids showed Kansans why they chose her over longtime Brownback advisor Amanda Adkins last election, and why they will do it again in November.

During the debate hosted by the Shawnee Mission Post, KCUR, and Kansas City Public television, Davids highlighted her strong bipartisan record, her successful push to lower prescription drug costs for Kansans, and the clear contrast on economic issues between her and Adkins, who worked alongside Sam Brownback as he decimated the state budget. 

Adkins also struggled to defend her contradictory and evasive positions on reproductive rights during the debate, with no clear answer on why she endorsed a Congressional agenda that would ban all abortions without exception for rape, incest, or life of the mother.

“Tonight, voters saw two different paths for Kansas: one that places partisanship over people and one that continues to move our state forward by working together on tough issues,” said Ellie Turner, spokesperson for Sharice for Congress. “Whether on economic issues, reproductive rights, or defending democracy, Rep. Sharice Davids clearly showed that her independent approach works and her priorities are in line with the voters of the Third District. Amanda Adkins cannot say the same.”

Davids will participate in a second debate on Tuesday, October 25 at 7pm CT, hosted by Fox4 KC and the Kansas City Star.

Davids Enters Final Weeks with Record Breaking Haul

Today, Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) announced her campaign raised more than $2.1 million in the third quarter of 2022. Davids goes into the final weeks until the election with $1.5 million cash on hand and her highest haul this cycle. 

“It has been great watching our team grow in size and support as we head into election day,” said Davids. “I’m grateful for the continued grassroots energy in this campaign, and look forward to making progress on the issues that matter to our community, from lowering costs to protecting reproductive rights.”

After posting record-breaking totals in 2021, this continues Davids’ streak. Davids’ Q3 total places her as one of the top fundraisers this cycle—a true sign of the energy and excitement to re-elect her in November.

KC Star: ‘Davids stands far above her challenger, and richly deserves another term’

Today, The Kansas City Star Editorial Board endorsed Representative Sharice Davids for the Kansas Third Congressional District. The Star highlighted Rep. Davids’ commitment to working for her constituents, regardless of party, as a key reason to why she earned their support. 

The Star detailed how Rep. Davids tackles real issues by working across the aisle—nearly 75 percent of the bills she’s cosponsored have been bipartisan. She’s also in line with key issues in the Kansas Third, evidenced by her work to learn more about agriculture and her support of reproductive rights in the face of Adkins’ extremism. 

Read more here or below:

“​​… We think voters should send Davids back to Washington in January. 

The incumbent has done well getting to know what her constituents care about and want. That’s changing, because the district is changing. Davids told the board she’s spent most of the last year listening and learning more about rural issues.

[…]

We like Davids’ willingness to work with both parties on legislation. That will come in handy should the GOP take control of the House. ‘From health care to infrastructure to agriculture, I’ll work with anyone, regardless of party, to do what’s best for Kansas,’ Davids said.

Her record backs that claim up. Nearly 75% of the bills Davids has introduced or co-sponsored have been bipartisan. This session, Davids has her name on new laws such as the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which would improve supply chain problems. While visiting rural towns in her district, she learned how supply chain clogs have a negative impact on the farm industry. She also worked to pass the COVID-19 Fraud Statute of Limitations Act to help catch pandemic scammers, and to pass a law expanding health care and benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. 

Davids stands beside Kansas voters in her strong support for abortion rights. ‘I believe people have a right to make their own health care decisions, not the government,’ she said.

Adkins, a former Cerner Corporation vice president and senior Sam Brownback aide who served four years as Kansas Republican Party chair, declined to meet with the editorial board. She describes herself as ‘very pro-life.’

[…]

Sharice Davids has been a serious and unpretentious representative for Kansans in Congress for four years. Every election is about a choice between candidates. In this race, Davids stands far above her challenger, and richly deserves another term.”

Representative Sharice Davids: ‘Kansas has a clear choice this election. I’ve stood up for Kansas and worked across the aisle to bring jobs and economic opportunity back to our district’

With less than 30 days to the election, Representative Sharice Davids penned an op-ed for the Kansas City Star summing up why she is the best choice to represent the Kansas Third District. Rep. Davids detailed how listening to her constituents informs her approach to legislating, and how she tackles real issues by working across the aisle to move Kansas forward. 

By highlighting her record of bipartisan success, Rep. Davids makes the choice in this election clear. Longtime Brownback advisor Amanda Adkins has a history of supporting divisive policies including “absolutely” endorsing a controversial manifesto that aims to slash Medicare, limit Social Security, and ban abortion nationwide with no exceptions.

Read more here or key quotes below:

• “I’ve taken the approach of putting people over politics throughout my time serving Kansas’ 3rd District, and it shows. In a time marked by division and partisan rhetoric, I’ve stayed focused on the issues that I hear about most from our community.”
   
• “… I’m not afraid to stand up to those in my own party when it’s right for Kansas. When I had a mom calling my office to say she was spending so much on gas that she couldn’t contribute to her son’s college fund anymore, I called on the president to take immediate action and suspend the federal gas tax. People in my party disagreed, but I know we have to do everything possible to help folks get through these extraordinary times.”
   
• “This is how we keep Kansas moving forward at a time when some politicians seem more interested in pursuing election conspiracies than policymaking. It’s how we continue our recovery from the Sam Brownback era that bankrupted our state. And it’s how we continue to fight against extremism, even when it comes to our front door.”
   
• “Conversely, my opponent and a longtime adviser to Sam Brownback, Amanda Adkins, thinks good policy is slashing Social Security, putting women in danger by banning abortion without exception and criminalizing doctors — not to mention that she helped put our state in the Brownback budget hole in the first place.”

SHAWNEE, KS – Today, Representative Sharice Davids participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Johnson County NAACP, Mainstream Coalition, the Johnson County League of Women Voters, MORE2, and the Voter Rights Network of Wyandotte County. She spoke with voters and answered questions about her work on the economy and her position on voting rights and the right to choose. 

“It’s always great to get out and talk with folks in our community about the issues that matter most to them, from my work to lower costs to protecting free and fair elections,” said Davids. “Today I heard a lot of concern about our rights: both the right to vote and our reproductive rights. I’m the only candidate who is working to protect both.”

Rep. Davids has long advocated to keep politicians out of Kansans’ health care decisions, including by opposing the anti-choice amendment in August. Conversely, Republican candidate and longtime Brownback advisor Amanda Adkins is an anti-abortion extremist with a lengthy history of working to strip away reproductive rights—a position that puts her at odds with Third District voters. 

At today’s event, Rep. Davids also shared her record of working with anyone – Republican or Democrat – to get things done for Kansas. She spoke about her work to lower costs by making investments in our infrastructure and supply chain, boosting domestic manufacturing, and capping the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.

Sharice for Congress Ad Highlights Real-Life Dangers of Adkins’ Extreme Anti-Choice Agenda

This weekend, Sharice for Congress released a new ad, “Duty,” featuring Dr. Kristi Weaver, a practicing OB/GYN in Overland Park. Dr. Weaver shares how Amanda Adkins’ support of extreme abortion bans with no exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or for the health of the mother would endanger Kansas women like her patients.

Watch “Duty” here:

“I have been an OB/GYN for over 10 years. It is my duty to care for my patients and keep them from harm. So when I hear Amanda Adkins say that she absolutely supports banning all abortions with no exceptions, it makes me wonder how I am going to be able to take care of my patients,” Dr. Weaver says in the ad.

Adkins, a self-proclaimed “pro-life advocate,” endorsed a far-right manifesto that would put forth a nationwide total abortion ban from five to seven weeks of gestation. The proposal that she supports would also ban abortion without exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother and send doctors to prison for doing their jobs. Adkins, who vocally supported the anti-choice constitutional amendment in August, is also endorsed by extremist groups who said a 10-year-old rape victim should be forced to have the baby.

Meanwhile, Rep. Davids joined over 67 percent of voters in the Kansas Third in rejecting the extreme anti-abortion amendment and in Congress, she has voted to codify Roe and keep politicians out of Kansans’ health care decisions. 

Representative Sharice Davids Announces Participation in Two Debates, Consistent with Previous Campaign Cycle

Today, Sharice for Congress announced that Representative Sharice Davids has accepted invitations for two general election debates and is eager to share her work on important issues like lowering costs, growing our economy, and protecting Kansans’ rights.

“Representative Davids looks forward to participating in the debates this fall and making clear the choice voters have this November between Rep. Davids’ record of working across the aisle to lower costs and protect Kansans’ rights, and Amanda Adkins’ extreme agenda aimed at banning abortion and slashing Social Security,” said Ellie Turner, spokesperson for Sharice for Congress. 

Davids’ campaign accepted invitations for the Shawnee Mission Post debate on Friday, October 21, co-hosted and broadcast by KCUR and Kansas City Public Television, and the 4 Star Politics debate on Tuesday, October 25, broadcast by FOX4 Kansas City.

New Ad Slams Adkins’ Extreme Abortion Positions
On Saturday, NBC News reported on a new ad in the Kansas Third Congressional race highlighting longtime Brownback advisor Amanda Adkins’ support for extreme abortion policies, from her time as chair of the Kansas Republican Party pushing for a “Human Life Amendment” that would ban abortions without exceptions for rape or incest, to her recent support for a controversial budget plan that “contains a proposed federal abortion ban” that would send doctors to prison.

Read more from NBC News:

“Davids’ six-figure ad, shared in advance with NBC News, targets Adkins for saying earlier this year that she was “100%” in favor of the proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would have removed language enshrining abortion rights there. 

That amendment failed in August with nearly 60% of voters casting ballots against it — a vote that has influenced the conversation around abortion rights nationally in the weeks since.

The ad, which airs on broadcast, cable and satellite TV, also highlights Adkins’ support for the proposed Republican Study Committee’s fiscal year 2023 budget. Adkins framed her support for the plan around its budget-reduction measures, but the proposal also contains a proposed federal abortion ban that would begin when a fetal heartbeat is first detected — generally between five and seven weeks.

The ad links Adkins’ being endorsed by the anti-abortion rights group Kansans for Life with comments made by a National Right to Life official — the group’s parent organization — in which he said a 10-year-old should carry a pregnancy to term.

[…]”

Read the full article here.

Today, longtime Brownback advisor Amanda Adkins called herself a “policy-driven” candidate. Adkins’ policy ideas include a controversial budget plan that would cut Medicare and Social Security, slash early childhood education, ban abortion without exceptions, and send doctors to prison. 

After saying she would “absolutely” support the 122-page plan released by Congressional Republicans earlier this year, Adkins put it on her website, calling it a “very solid” document. Included in it are bills to:

• Slash trillions from Medicare
• Raise the retirement age for Social Security to 69
• Ban abortion without exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the mother
• Halt government efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs
• End the Head Start program for low-income preschoolers
• Cut federal spending on crop insurance
• Roll back climate change initiatives and gun safety laws
• And much, much more

“Kansans should know that when Amanda Adkins says she is policy driven, those policies include cutting Social Security, ending Medicare as we know it, and banning abortion without exception. Don’t take my word for it—just look at the plan she said she ‘absolutely’ supports,” said Ellie Turner, spokesperson for Sharice for Congress.

This week, longtime Brownback advisor Amanda Adkins doubled down on her endorsement of a controversial budget plan that would cut Medicare and Social Security, slash early childhood education, ban abortion without exceptions, and send doctors to prison—even as other Republican candidates shy away from its “political vulnerabilities.”

• In an email to supporters, Adkins again confirmed her support for the drastic cuts that would make millions of Kansas seniors wait longer for their hard earned benefits and end Medicare as we know it, calling it “a very solid budget.”
   
• In a radio interview, Adkins reiterated that she wants to end early childhood programs like Head Start, which thousands of families in Kansas rely on for affordable child care—continuing her record from Sam Brownback’s administration, where she oversaw a 75% cut in early education funding.
   
• But when asked why Adkins supports this platform, which includes a total ban on abortion without exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother—she had nothing to say for herself.

Nothing new here…the Kansas Reflector reported how Adkins’ support of this plan is similar to her support of the “philosophy of governing advanced in Kansas when Sam Brownback was governor from 2011 to 2018.” Adkins stood with Brownback for decades as he “tanked” Kansas’ budget, schools and social services to pay for corporate tax giveaways.

“Amanda Adkins’ vision for Kansas is a nightmare for seniors, women, and families. She wants to cut your Social Security to pay for her corporate tax giveaways—but Kansas has been through this Adkins-Brownback agenda before, and we are not doing it again,” said Ellie Turner, spokesperson for Sharice for Congress.