By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
Gov. Sam Brownback is asking lobbyists to contribute during a fundraiser for 14 Republican state Senate candidates.
Sponsors of the event, which will be held later today, must contribute $1,000 to each of the candidates, for a total of $14,000, and donors, $500, for a total of $7,000, according to an invitation obtained by the Lawrence Journal-World.
The candidates who will be helped are Tom Arpke, Elaine Bowers, Jim Denning, Mitch Holmes, Dan Kerschen, Forrest Knox, Jacob LaTurner, Jeff Melcher, Michael O'Donnell, Larry Powell, Bob Reader, Greg Smith, Caryn Tyson and Kay Wolf.
Many of those candidates defeated Republican incumbents during the August GOP primary.
They were helped by Brownback, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, the Koch brothers and Americans for Prosperity.
According to the invitation, the 14 candidates will be in attendance at event, which will be hosted at the office of the law firm of Polsinelli Shughart in Topeka.
The current list of sponsors is a Who's Who of lobbyists who represent interests in the Statehouse, and people and organizations tied to Brownback.
The list of sponsors are Polsinelli Shughart, Road Map Political Action Committee, Kensinger & Associates, Stafford Consulting, Hickam Public Affairs, JE Dunn, John Peterson (Capitol Strategies), Kansas Dental Association, Federico Consulting Inc., Gaches, Braden & Associates, Jon Small, Whitney Damron, Brad Smoot and Larrie Ann Brown, Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Kathy Damron, Tuck Duncan, Jerry Moran's Free State PAC, and Ron and Julie Hein.
