Over six figures in independent money spent in 102nd district

CAPTION: CREDIT MICHAEL GLENN/THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE

By Michael Glenn

• Facebook
• X
• ShareCopied to clipboard

The Hutchinson Tribune identified nine political action committees, political party organizations and special interest groups who have spent $141,122.61 supporting their preferred candidate for the 2024 Kansas House District 102 General Election. 

Six groups have spent $108,816 in support of Republican challenger Kyler Sweely, who will face off against Democratic incumbent Rep. Jason Probst on Nov. 5 for the district’s seat.

The largest spender identified was the Republican House Campaign Committee, which spent $35,495 in electronic advertising, YouTube advertising, door knocking, postcards, Facebook advertising and text messaging from 7/26/2024 through 10/24/2024.

The Republican House Campaign Committee is chaired by Rep. Avery Anderson of Newton. 

The second largest spender was the Lift Up Kansas Political Action Committee, which spent $27,746.70 in digital advertising, video editing and mailings. 

Lift Up Kansas is based out of Topeka, and the chairperson of the PAC is Matthew Billingsley. Billingsley wrote on the official statement of organization articles submitted to the Kansas Secretary of State that the purpose of the PAC is “To help elect and promote individuals who reflect Kansas values.”

Americans for Prosperity spent $27,536.10 in support of Sweely in mailings and electronic advertising. Americans for Prosperity is neither a PAC nor a political party and is defined as “For a Person Other Than A Candidate, Party Committee or Political Committee” according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s website.

Americans for Prosperity is based out of Alexandria Virg., a Washington D.C. suburb, and spent $722,536.64 across the Sunflower State in total.

The Kansas Chamber of Commerce also spent $9,675.00 in support of Sweely.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s PAC, the Prairie Fire PAC, spent $7,056.36 in support of Sweely throughout the general election cycle. 

The Right Future for Kansas PAC spent $1,306.50 in support of Sweely. The PAC’s primary interest is “To help elect candidates that are focused on the right future for Kansas,” according to its statement of organization. The PAC is based out of Wichita and is chaired by Seth Stahlheber.

Three PACs or political parties have spent $32,306.88 in support of Probst. The Middle of the Road PAC, supported by Governor Laura Kelly, has spent $13,698.20 on mail in support of Probst. 

The American Energy Action Fund, which is neither a political party nor a PAC, spent $7,950 in support of Probst through digital media/text messages.

The American Energy Action Fund is based out of Washington, D.C. and has also supported Kansas politicians such as Anderson, Republican J. R. Claeys of Salina, Republican Brenda Dietrich of Topeka and Democrat Jeff Pittman of Leavenworth.

The Kansas Democratic Party has spent $10,658.68 in support of Probst. 

Organizations that spend this money are not supported or endorsed by any candidate and are doing it independently of any campaign. While there are contribution limits organizations can give to candidates, there are none on expenditures not endorsed by any candidate.

CAPTION: CREDIT MICHAEL GLENN/THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE By Michael Glenn The Hutchinson Tribune identified nine political action committees, political party organizations and special interest groups who have spent $141,122.61 supporting their preferred candidate for the 2024 Kansas House District 102 General Election.  Six groups have spent $108,816 in support

Wichita police investigated videos of Kansas legislative candidate jumping on woman in bed

CAPTION: Kyler Sweely, a Republican seeking a Kansas House seat in Hutchinson, appears during a June 21, 2024, hearing in Topeka, after Republicans objected to his candidacy. Videos surfaced online last week that show Sweely jumping on a motionless woman in bed, but the woman told police there was no crime. CREDIT SHERMAN SMITH/KANSAS REFLECTOR

By Sherman Smith and Allison Kite

Kansas Reflector

• Facebook
• X
• ShareCopied to clipboard

TOPEKA — Videos surfaced online last week showing a legislative candidate jumping on a motionless woman in bed and holding a pillow over her head.

Wichita police investigated the videos before they appeared online, and the woman told police she didn’t consider herself to be a victim.

The candidate, Republican Kyler Sweely, is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Jason Probst in a Hutchinson district. Sweely has faced criticism from Probst as well as fellow Republicans over whether he lives outside the district.

A Wichita police incident report, which Kansas Reflector obtained through an open records request, shows the videos were taken last year in a Wichita apartment where Sweely lived. The report lists a Newton residence as Sweely’s current address.

The report also shows an officer on Oct. 21 talked to Rep. Avery Anderson, a Republican and friend of Sweely’s who represents a Newton-area district. Police also talked to the woman who appears in the video and another woman who previously dated Anderson.

Anderson told police the videos “depict friends having fun.” The 24-year-old woman who appears in the videos told police she recalled “going out with Avery and Kyler and noted that they were friends who had been drinking and ‘just having fun’ in the videos.”

“She reiterated that no crime had taken place and that she did not consider herself a victim,” the report said.

In one of the clips, which is seven seconds long, the clothed woman is lying motionless on a bed in the background. An off-screen voice — identified in the police report as Anderson — yells, “Kyler, go!” Sweely turns away from the camera, toward the bed, and leaps on top of the woman.

A two-second video clip shows Sweely laughing as he appears to forcibly hold a pillow over the woman’s face while she lies in bed. She moves her arm to swat at him as the clip ends.

The two videos were stitched together and distributed on Oct. 24 across channels on the social media platform Reddit, fueling speculation and outrage about the incident. More than 500 users commented on the videos in a r/Kansas subreddit post before moderators removed it.

The woman in the videos didn’t answer questions for this story.

Sweely described the release of the videos as a “political smear” in a statement on his campaign’s Facebook page. In a statement for this story, Sweely said “we were just goofing around,” and that he was disappointed the woman’s “privacy has been violated for political gain.”

According to the police report, Anderson confirmed his voice can be heard off-camera in the video. Blake Shuart, an attorney for Anderson, disputed his client’s involvement and said police would amend the report. Police didn’t immediately respond to an email from Kansas Reflector asking if the report has been updated.

Anderson said in a statement that he is not involved in the video “in any way,” and that “completely random accusations are nothing more than a pathetic attempt to score political points in the days before an election.”

Probst, the westernmost Democrat in the Legislature, said he received the videos from “an unknown source” before they appeared online.

“I was very disturbed by what I saw,” Probst said. “I felt I had a duty to turn them over to law enforcement, and that’s exactly what I did.”

“I think the videos show a callous disregard for another person, and I think we should not accept the normalization of sexual abuse,” Probst added. “My opponent may laugh this off as a joke, but most normal people don’t think it’s funny.”

Probst also said the police report confirms Sweely doesn’t live in Hutchinson.

Police investigated the videos after receiving them in an email, the report shows, but the report doesn’t identify the sender of the email.

Sweely is a 26-year-old U.S. Army veteran who worked as a committee assistant this year for a committee chaired by Anderson. Sweely leased a home in Reno County on May 29, shortly before the June 3 candidate filing deadline. Reno County Republicans in June objected to Sweely’s candidacy, but a state board allowed him to remain on the ballot.

In his statement on Facebook, Sweely said the videos were “from a double date with friends” and accused his political rivals of trying to take them out of context. He told Kansas Reflector that Probst owes the woman in the video a public apology.

“When Democrats say ‘trust and believe women,’ they should stand by it consistently — not just when it’s politically convenient,” Sweely said.

Kansas Reflector received the videos on Oct. 14 but declined to publish a story before identifying the woman in the videos and attempting to talk to her.

Kansas Reflector filed an open records request with Wichita police on Oct. 24 for incident reports involving Sweely or Anderson. Such reports are public records, easily accessible and routinely turned over quickly.

Wichita police waited two days to respond with a cost estimate for fulfilling the request, which Kansas Reflector promptly paid. But later that day, police claimed they couldn’t turn the records over without proof of payment, even though the department had given Kansas Reflector a receipt.

On Monday, Wichita police spokesman Andrew Ford explained that the records wouldn’t be provided that day, as required by state statute, because “requests are processed in the order that payment is received.” He didn’t answer questions about the unnecessary delay.

The department provided the records on Tuesday, six days after the request was made.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and X.

CAPTION: Kyler Sweely, a Republican seeking a Kansas House seat in Hutchinson, appears during a June 21, 2024, hearing in Topeka, after Republicans objected to his candidacy. Videos surfaced online last week that show Sweely jumping on a motionless woman in bed, but the woman

Reno County Democrats host Kansas Women Vote Rally

Founder of Kanas Women for Kamala Harris Rebecca Yoder-Shetler addresses the crowd at the Kansas Women Vote Rally inside the Stringer Fine Arts Center recital hall on Wed., Oct. 30, 2024 CREDIT EMMIE BOESE

By Emmie Boese

“Don’t let them take your power” are the lyrics from The Lighthouse, an anthem sung by Stevie Nicks. The music video features women’s reproductive rights rallies, which started off the Kansas Women Vote Rally on Wednesday night at Stringer Fine Arts Center. The rally was presented by Reno County Democrats.

Several Kansas Democratic leaders and politicians spoke at the rally, including Rebecca Yoder-Shetler, founder of Kansas Women for Kamala Harris, “Vote No” Spokesperson Ashley All, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and Jason Probst, Representative for House District 102.

“Protecting your rights and standing up for your rights cannot be left up to anyone else,” Probst said to those in attendance. “No one has the best interest in protecting your rights as you do.”
Yoder-Shetler told the audience at the rally about her personal reproductive struggles. She said before giving birth to her son, she had six miscarriages.

Yoder-Shettler said during the birthing process for her son, her midwife encouraged her to physically and mentally lean into the pain she experienced during contractions. “She said don’t let your pain be unproductive,” Yoder-Shetler said.

She said that piece of advice from her midwife became a driving force for the rest of her life. Yoder-Shetller said she does not subscribe to any idea that women are saints or the saviors of the nation. She said women are human beings who deserve to be treated with respect.

Yoder-Shetler also said that it’s important to like yourself amid misogyny and racism against everyone. She developed this concept based on an interview that featured former First Lady Michelle Obama.

”When you are raised in a world that finds a million ways to devalue you because of your gender… really and truly liking yourself is a form of defiance,” Yoder-Shetler said.

All, who was the communications director for the “Vote No” campaign, said the campaign’s success needs to carry on into this year’s election. The “Vote No” campaign essentially helped keep abortion legal in Kansas. This Kansas amendment was overturned after the national overturn of Roe V. Wade in the Supreme Court.”Yes I was one of many working on this campaign, but as I look out into this audience I am certain that most of you were also very busy working on this campaign,” All said.

All said, the day after Roe v. Wade fell in the Supreme Court, she made a promise to herself to do everything possible to win the race for “Vote No.” She said that in order to protect women’s reproductive health rights in Kansas, we must have uncomfortable conversations.

“When we wake up on the day after the election, we want to make sure we did as much as we did in 2022 and more to make sure our state and our country looks the way we want it to in the future,” All said.

Kelly spoke to the audience virtually due to poor weather conditions for travel. She said in order to continue the work to protect women’s reproductive health rights, there needs to be a change in the Republican majority in the Kansas Legislature.

“Clearly, we had huge success in 2022 when we were able to defeat that amendment, but that hasn’t stopped the extremes in the legislature from introducing and passing some of the additional restrictions on abortion in our state,” Kelly said. “I’ve had to veto those and by large have had to sustain those vetoes, but that’s because there were at that time a few moderate Republicans who, depending on the issue, would come over and help sustain a veto.

She said most of the moderate Republicans who helped balance the veto are not running again this year.

Probst also spoke to the audience virtually due to sickness. Probst said only two seats need to be held by a Democrat in the Kansas Legislature to break the supermajority.

“We protected those in Kansas in August 2022,” Probst said.”We came out to vote, but we have to make sure people understand that the issue is on the ballot every election, and it is on the ballot this election. If we are able to break the Republican supermajority, they will not be able to get these bad policies through, and they will not be able to violate your rights without coming up against stiff resistance.”

More information about the Reno County Democrats is available at renocountydems.com.

Founder of Kanas Women for Kamala Harris Rebecca Yoder-Shetler addresses the crowd at the Kansas Women Vote Rally inside the Stringer Fine Arts Center recital hall on Wed., Oct. 30, 2024 CREDIT EMMIE BOESE By Emmie Boese "Don’t let them take your power" are the lyrics from