Many Kansas Republicans are blaming State Senator Dennis Pyle for Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s narrow reelection victory. Pyle ran for Governor as an Independent candidate, and GOP leaders say he both siphoned votes from Republican nominee Derek Schmidt and decreased GOP turnout by making conservatives less enthusiastic about Schmidt.
Pyle was a Republican and one of the Legislature’s most conservative members before he left the GOP in June to run for Governor. He says he ran to give voters a true conservative alternative and suggests GOP leaders are refusing to confront their own failures. Now the Kansas Republican Party is looking to punish party officials who supported Pyle.
