The Kansas Traditional Republican Majority (KTRM) is a political action committee founded in 2005 that supports more state government programs (especially education) and moderate social policies. It is connected to the Republican Main Street Partnership. Becky Johnson chairs the group.
In the United States and Canada, a political action committee (PAC) is a 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The legal term PAC has been created in pursuit of campaign finance reform in the United States. This term is quite specific to all activities of campaign finance in the United States. Democracies of other countries use different terms for the units of campaign spending or spending on political competition. At the U.S. federal level, an organization becomes a PAC when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election, and registers with the Federal Election Commission, according to the Federal Election Campaign Act as amended by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. At the state level, an organization becomes a PAC according to the state's election laws.
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderately conservative members of the United States Republican Party within the United States Congress, somewhat similar to the Blue Dog Democrats.
KTRM's website states, "Our Republican Party must be a model that not only claims the mantle of Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Nancy Kassebaum, but that is also willing to embody their values."
Abraham Lincoln was an American statesman, politician, and lawyer who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War, its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis. He preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the U.S. economy.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to his presidency, he was a Hollywood actor and union leader before serving as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975.
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was an American army general and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was a five-star general in the United States Army and served as supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe. He was responsible for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–43 and the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45 from the Western Front.
KTRM is notable for opposing the conservative Republican members of the state school board who wanted to introduce the teaching of Creationism or Intelligent Design at various times in 2005 and 2006.
Creationism is the religious belief that the universe and life originated "from specific acts of divine creation", as opposed to through natural processes, such as evolution.
One of the first newspapers articles about KTRM said their purpose was to disempower the far right. [1] Charlotte Esau, a leading conservative from Kansas Republican Assembly, said, "Based on what I've seen so far, this is not a Republican group. It's a liberal front group for Democrats who want to pretend they are Republicans so they can hoodwink the voters into electing candidates who will talk Republican before the election and vote Democrat once in office."
KTRM representing Kansas moderates says they attempt to move the Kansas Republican Party to the political center. Moderates object to being labeled as RINOs.
Conservatives say KTRM is attempting to move the Kansas Republican Party to the left and is a liberal group since KTRM has shared major donors with the Kansas Democratic Party. [2] A political profile of KTRM members shows their help to Kansas Democrats, including Governor Kathleen Sebelius. [3]
Kathleen Sebelius is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 21st United States Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. Previously, she was the 44th Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the second woman to hold that office. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Sebelius was the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address and is chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors Association. On April 10, 2014, Sebelius announced her resignation as Secretary of Health and Human Services. She is CEO of Sebelius Resources LLC.
KTRM has received much support from former Kansas Senator and 1996 Presidential Candidate Bob Dole.
KTRM has joined with moderate GOP groups such as the Republican Main Street Partnership and Republicans for Environmental Protection.
In the August 2012 Republican primary KTRM was a major recipient of funds from the leadership PAC, Senate Republican Leadership Committee PAC, controlled by moderate Kansas Senate President Stephen Morris. [4] A former KTRM treasurer and executive director was a key player in other PACs receiving funds directly or indirectly from the Senate Republican Leadership PAC.
