TOPEKA — Democratic congressional candidate Michelle De La Isla vilified Republican opponent Jake LaTurner as a liar Tuesday for perpetuating the false claim in campaign commercials and during debates that she supported reductions in spending on law enforcement as mayor of Topeka.
De La Isla said the city since 2017 increased by $5 million funding to the Topeka Police Department, but LaTurner’s “extremely irresponsible” message was fostering concern among some Topeka residents that their safety was being compromised. She urged LaTurner and his allies to pull ads asserting the city police department’s budget had been undermined.
“If you don’t,” she said, “you have to admit you are the very swamp that we are trying to get away from. Integrity matters in elections.”
