By John Celock
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) is pledging to create 100,000 new jobs in his second term at the same time as his opponent is trumpeting a 10-point lead in the polls.
Brownback made the jobs pledge Tuesday as he rolled out the first stage of his Road Map 2.0 agenda as he battles for reelection. In the agenda, Brownback focuses on over 20 items that he says will create jobs for Kansas. The Republican is facing off against Democratic state Minority Leader Paul Davis (D-Lawrence) in what has become a competitive gubernatorial race in the Sunflower State. Brownback unveiled the second term economic plan during a statewide series of events Tuesday with Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer (R).
“All Kansans deserve opportunities for success, the ability to earn a family-sustaining wage and to enjoy a good quality of life,” Brownback wrote in a statement on his website. “We must recognize and embrace the ever-changing economic realities of the nation and the world. We must also build on our heritage, leveraging our inherent strengths and leading the way to economic prosperity. Together, we can get it done.”
Brownback, who is promising 25,000 new jobs a year for his second term, trumpeted the creation of 55,000 jobs during his first term. He pledges to keep taxes for small business low in the economic plan. Brownback has made tax cuts a key part of his economic agenda, including dramatic cuts in the corporate and income taxes statewide.
Democrats, including Davis, have fought Brownback’s tax plan, saying that it has harmed the state’s long-term economic condition and is underfunding state government. Republicans have argued that the state will see increased revenues as time progresses and more businesses enter the state. Last week, Standard and Poors lowered the state’s credit rating, citing the revenue shortfalls. The nonpartisan Legislative Research Office has projected revenue shortfalls for the state under the tax plan.
Brownback trumpets what he says is an economic success story in his Road Map 2.0, saying that the 55,000 new private sector jobs in his first term has helped lead the state to grow three times the jobs than the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro area in the last four years. He also notes the state has been rated as fourth in new construction nationally and that new businesses were being formed in the state. The plan outlined on the governor’s campaign website, notes that disposable income has increased per capita statewide.
Republicans have cited the new business formation as a reason Brownback’s tax cuts have worked. As part of Brownback’s plan, taxes on limited liability corporations in the state have been zeroed out.
In his 2.0 economic plan, Brownback pledges to reduce taxes and regulations for small businesses, while also working to bring companies seeking to “repatriate” to Kansas, along with growing the state’s manufacturing and information technology sectors. The IT sector has been experiencing growth in the state, with the Google Fiber opening in Kansas City, Mo. and the creation of the Kansas City Start-Up Village on the Kansas side of the state line.
Brownback’s plan also includes the creation of a statewide export strategy, along with seeking to bring “iconic brands” to Kansas for event and tourism marketing. He is pledging to invest in the state’s energy and agricultural industries for job creation, along with increasing training for manufacturing. Brownback also wants to create an “Outdoor Lifestyle Center” in the state, which he says will include whitewater rafting, zip lines and other outdoor experiences. The Lawrence Journal-World reported last week that the state Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism has had preliminary conversations with the North Carolina-based U.S. National Whitewater Center about creating such a facility at Clinton Lake State Park just outside of Lawrence.
Brownback’s entire plan can be found here.
Davis campaign spokesman Chris Pumpelly released a statement criticizing Brownback’s 2.0 plan, calling Brownback’s first term an “unmitigated failure.” Pumpelly stressed that Kansas residents “could not afford” Brownback’s tax policies.
“Four years ago, Sam Brownback rolled out his original ‘Road Map for Kansas,’ in which he outlined five measurable goals he promised his administration would accomplish if elected governor,” Pumpelly said in the statement. “By his own metrics, his ‘Road Map’ has been an unmitigated failure. Not only has Sam Brownback missed the mark on all of his chosen benchmarks, the Kansas economy is stagnant, our schools are struggling, middle class families are hurting and the state is facing a budget crisis of Sam Brownback’s making.”
Davis and Democrats have made the budget and schools key areas of their platform. The education criticism stems from what Democrats say is GOP underfunding of schools and the passage of a school finance bill that eliminated due process for public school teachers, if local district decide to adopt the plan. Republicans have countered that they have increased education funding, saying that former Democratic Govs. Mark Parkinson and Kathleen Sebelius cut school funding in the years before Brownback’s 2010 election.
The rollout of Brownback’s second term plan comes the same day as a new Rasmussen poll shows Davis with a 51 percent to 41 percent lead over the Republican. It is the latest in a series of polls that have had the Democrat ahead. In last week’s GOP primary, Brownback defeated little known primary opponent Jennifer Winn, 63 percent to 37 percent. The margin of Brownback’s primary win has led Democrats to say that Brownback is vulnerable within his own party.
Republicans have begun to up the ante in the Kansas gubernatorial campaign. Last week, the Republican Governors Association unveiled a new ad criticizing Davis’ past support for President Barack Obama and noting that he hails from the Lawrence, the liberal stronghold that is home to the University of Kansas. Obama, the son and grandson of Kansas natives, is deeply unpopular in the state.