In latest report, Kansas GOP reports being short on cash

? Fundraising for the Republican Party in Kansas has been slow recently, while the state Democratic Party has raised more money this year, according to financial reports.

Accounting on the end-of-July report to the Federal Elections Commission shows that the state GOP’s federal activity account had a deficit of $4,200, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Tuesday. The party’s federal account took in $150,000 in the first half of the year, but $155,000 was spent.

“Our fundraising just fell below our estimates,” said Clay Barker, executive director of the state Republican Party. “We’re not where I would want it to be.”

The state Republican Party’s separate account for state political activities had less than $3,000 at the end of July. Because federal and state campaign finance laws differ, the Republican and Democratic parties in Kansas have separate accounts for federal and state activities.

The Kansas Democratic Party, which lost all statewide offices and federal office in 2010, reported $202,000 in cash at midyear. Some of that was carried over from last year. The Democrats’ funneled $288,000 into its federal account in the first six months of the year, and spent $224,000 from that fund, according to the FEC filing.

Joan Wagnon, chairwoman of the Kansas Democratic Party, had sharp criticism for the state GOP budgeting.

“The Kansas GOP can’t even balance their own party budget,” Wagnon said. “They claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility, constantly reminding Kansans that the state must balance its budget just like families do.”

Barker said the negative balance in the July federal account summary to the FEC shouldn’t technically be viewed as a deficit because accounting rules allow for delayed shifting of cash to cover any shortfall on paper.

“We pay our bills,” he said. “We’ve never bounced a check.”

Barker also said attracting donations to the state GOP is a challenge in part because some Republican donors don’t feel an urgency to contribute between election years. A separate issue for Kansas Republicans, he said, is the numerical advantage for the GOP among registered voters and the success Republicans had in 2010 in statewide, congressional and Kansas House races.

“The more solid Republican a state is, the harder it is to fundraise,” Barker said.

Barker said he was optimistic that a new fundraising drive featuring elected GOP officeholders would improve the balance sheet during the remainder of 2011. And he said Gov. Sam Brownback agreed to help the state party with a mass-mail campaign.