Stovall scramble

For the past week, the Kansas governor’s race has resembled the Kansas weather  no one knows what’s going to happen next.

If anyone in Kansas really knows what Atty. Gen. Carla Stovall is doing, they aren’t saying, but the firestorm fueled by speculation and clandestine meetings of Republican leaders made last week interesting for Kansas politics.

Stovall, the anointed candidate of the moderate wing of the Kansas Republican Party, is vacationing in Ukraine. Her only public comment on any of the rumors that have been flying this week is a “no comment” to a Kansas City reporter. And yet, speculation that whatever Stovall is doing could result in a decision to withdraw from the governor’s race has Republican leaders and would-be candidates shaking their heads and rethinking their strategies.

Several facts seem to be firmed up about the Stovall situation. The 45-year-old Stovall is vacationing in Ukraine with Larry Steckline, 60, an agriculture broadcasting executive from Garden Plain. According to various sources, Steckline is a “friend,” a “very close friend” or perhaps a fiance. Her political running mate, House Speaker Kent Glasscock, said a marriage was a possibility, but he, as well as most other leading Republicans in the state are either stunned by the current situation or they are doing an incredible acting job.

Glasscock isn’t even sure whether to put his run with Stovall in the present tense, saying on Wednesday, “It was going great  I mean it’s going great.” Ooops.

Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer is reconsidering his decision not to run for governor and the two other declared Republican candidates, State Treasurer Tim Shallenburger and Wichita Mayor Bob Knight are re-evaluating their campaigns. If Stovall bows out, Glasscock might get back in the race. At this point, who knows?

Meanwhile, Kansas Democrats have to be enjoying the spectacle. They’ve been united behind one candidate, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius, for months. She’s a strong candidate who certainly is benefiting from the confusion in the Republican Party, but it remains to be seen whether the weak leadership of the state Democratic Party can take full advantage of the situation.

Stovall is expected to hold a news conference on Monday. She certainly has some explaining to do, but it’s difficult to imagine what explanation she could offer that would get her campaign back on track. The past week’s comments and speculation by fellow Republicans  her moderate friends  have severely injured, if not mortally wounded, Stovall’s campaign.

If she is still running for governor, Stovall will have to stage a comeback that rivals that of Lazarus. If she isn’t still in the race, the comeback job will fall to moderate Kansas Republicans who put their money on the wrong horse this year.