This is one of those days when something happens and you don’t know exactly what it means, but you know it means something.
I woke up Friday to find that Nancy Kassebaum, one of the few living legends left in Kansas Republican politics, had endorsed the Democratic presidential ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
Joining her in the endorsement statement, which was provided to Fox News Digital, were Sandy Praeger, Kansas insurance commissioner from 2003 to 2015, and former federal appeals Judge Deanell Reece Tacha, a Kansas native appointed to the 10th Circuit Court by Ronald Reagan in 1985, who served until her retirement as chief judge in 2011.
In their joint statement to Fox, they said Americans are presented with “a stark choice.”
“No candidate is perfect, and we do not pretend that we subscribe to all the policy positions taken by either the national parties or any individual candidates,” they wrote. “However, we fervently believe that we must do our part to try to build a brighter future, which is why we will be voting for Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz] in this election.
“We believe they most closely align with the aspirations of Kansans and reflect our rich history of working together ‘to the stars through difficulty.’”
Donald Trump’s campaign responded with their usual belittling disdain of anyone who disagrees with them: “Nobody knows who these people are, and nobody cares.”
Here in Kansas, most of us know at least two of the three. And our history says we do care what they think.
Deserving of respect
Kassebaum was the first woman ever to serve Kansas in the U.S. Senate, and voters here elected her to three terms.
She’s the daughter of the late Alf Landon, former Kansas governor and the Republican candidate for president against Franklin Roosevelt in 1936.
Praeger was so widely popular as insurance commissioner that the Democrats didn’t even field a candidate against her the last time she ran, and she won with 99.6% of the vote.
Tacha wasn’t a household name — appellate court judges seldom are — but her long and distinguished career as a jurist and law-school dean merits respect.
Kassebaum made a highly publicized endorsement of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in her 2018 campaign against Kris Kobach, and four years later when Kelly ran against Derek Schmidt.
Praeger also endorsed Kelly in 2022. The pair were considered part of the moderate wing of the Republican Party, that was essentially purged from the Statehouse in a campaign masterminded by Sam Brownback when he was governor.
