Douglas County voters get barbecue meet-and-greet with three Kansas candidates

Douglas County voters will get an early look at three Kansas candidates next week, and the appeal is simple: one room, one meal, and a chance to hear how each contender talks before campaign mailers and online ads take over. The Eudora Democrats of Douglas County will host the meet-and-greet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at Barbwire Barbecue in Eudora, where guests can buy food and drinks and be entered to win a gift card.

The lineup brings together Don Coover, Dinah Sykes and Chris Mann, giving local voters a chance to compare a congressional race, a statewide executive race and the contest for Kansas attorney general in a single stop. Coover is a southeast Kansas farmer, veterinarian and Army veteran running as a Democrat in Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District, where he is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt. Sykes, the Kansas Senate minority leader from Lenexa, is running for Kansas insurance commissioner, and earlier this year she said she would not accept campaign money from the insurance industry. Mann is running for attorney general in the Democratic primary.

For people in Douglas County, especially in and around Eudora, the value of the evening is practical. Coover can be pressed on how he would represent a district that includes rural communities with agricultural interests similar to the ones he grew up around in southeast Kansas. Sykes can explain why a Senate leader wants the insurance office and how she would approach premiums, claims and consumer complaints. Mann can spell out what he sees as the attorney general’s role in Topeka and how he would use that office on issues that reach well beyond party labels.

The calendar makes the timing even more relevant. The Kansas Secretary of State sets noon on June 1 as the deadline to file as a candidate, and July 14 as the deadline to register or update a voter registration for the Aug. 4 primary. For the general election, the registration deadline is Oct. 13, and advance voting begins Oct. 14. Douglas County has also launched an election data dashboard with voter demographics and precinct-by-precinct registration totals, adding another layer to a campaign season that is already moving quickly toward the primary and, later, the fall ballot.