Earlier this week, a number of prominent Kansas Republicans, many of whom were former elected officeholders, announced plans to support Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis rather than the incumbent Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

Many of those in this group have made their dislike or disappointment of Brownback known earlier, but Tuesday’s announcement was a political bombshell.

Some of the critics may be genuinely concerned about the drift of the state under Brownback policies; others may have more of a personal dislike of the governor; and some may have a deep, long-simmering anger over being defeated in previous political efforts, thinking they were not given proper support from the Kansas GOP. There was a lot of personal, mean-spirited bitterness and sour grapes involved in the anti-Brownback effort.

This split within the Kansas Republican Party is nothing new, as history shows times with Democratic gubernatorial candidates, such as Kathleen Sebelius and George Docking, were victorious thanks primarily to a split and civil war among the state’s Republicans.

Brownback rolled the dice with his taxing strategy for Kansas. If he rolled a winner, the state would be in good shape, but if he rolled snake eyes, the state would likely face severe fiscal challenges.

So far, the Brownback plan has not produced the revenues and jobs the governor had predicted.

The national economy has not helped, and Kansas’ fiscal situation is not unique or an isolated situation. Nevertheless, his reduced funding for many important state programs and the necessity to dip into other state funds to make up for serious shortfalls elsewhere have seriously damaged the Brownback economic blueprint.

Could conditions change sufficiently at this late point in Brownback’s first term to calm his critics? Not likely.

Could there be a significant improvement in the next four years if Brownback is re-elected?

No one knows.

What is known, however, is that Brownback’s opponent, Lawrence attorney Paul Davis and his lieutenant governor running mate, Jill Docking of Wichita, have benefited tremendously from the fallout of Brownback’s fiscal policies.

Both Davis and Docking have been strong, enthusiastic supporters of President Obama and his call for “fundamental changes” in America. Docking served as co-chair of the Kansas Obama effort in 2008, and Davis was a delegate to the 2008 and 2012 Democratic conventions that nominated Obama.

Brownback is criticized for being tied into the economic philosophy of the Koch brothers of Wichita, and it seems fair to tie the Davis-Docking political philosophy to the Obama plan for America. If Koch money is being used by Brownback, are Obama funds and political campaign techniques and strategies being provided to Davis and Docking?

Brownback has alienated a number of Kansas legislators even though Republicans enjoy a large majority in both the House and Senate. If Davis-Docking were to win the election, what kind of positive, productive relationship would they have with the GOP-controlled House and Senate?

The big question is what is best for Kansas? Kansans think their state is a great place to live, but it must be recognized that Kansas, over the years, has proven to be a tough place to attract new industry and businesses that provide added tax revenues to supply all the “wants” on the state’s wish list.

Good schools, a clean environment, good health care facilities, good job opportunities and a favorable economic environment that attracts new business and industry all are top priorities.

Like it or not, Kansas is in the national spotlight with writers such as economist Paul Krugman being extremely critical of Brownback and his record to date.

In a June 29 New York Times column, Krugman unloaded on Brownback, saying “Two years ago, Kansas embarked on a remarkable fiscal experiment. It sharply slashed income taxes without any clear idea of what would replace the lost revenue. Gov. Sam Brownback proposed the legislation– in percentage terms the largest tax cut in one year any state has ever enacted … Brownback predicted that the cuts would jump-start an economic boom … But Kansas isn’t booming, it’s economy is lagging both neighboring states and America as a whole.”

Kansas has tremendous potential, but it needs honest, inspired, visionary and courageous leadership. Brownback is smart, honest and enjoys an excellent background preparing him to be a governor, but he is not a spellbinding speaker and his economic plan has not met his predictions. Davis is a good individual but he, too, lacks the ability to fire up a crowd or inspire legislators and voters, and there is no way to know if, or when, his economic plans for Kansas might materialize.

Face it, there are not many Ronald Reagans or Barack Obamas.

Do the 100-plus current and former GOP officeholders think Davis would be a better governor, more productive with a GOP-dominated Legislature and better for the state than Brownback?

Or is this more a case of them just not liking Brownback, wanting to change the Republican Party in Kansas and playing a game of “getting even”?

Who knows what kind of governor Davis might be? What is known is that he is a strong supporter of Obama and apparently the president’s views relative to the need for fundamental changes in this country.

Again, what’s best for Kansas? Which candidate gives Kansas and its residents the best chance of success and growth for the next four years? There’s no guarantee with either candidate.

However, voters should realize candidates for political office find it extremely easy to make promises and pledges that sound nice and are made to win votes. They promise what the public wants to hear, not what they need to hear. There is no better example of this than Obama’s promises and pledges in his 2008 and 2012 election efforts. These have proven to be phony and unfulfilled, and the country is more of a nanny state and more vulnerable today than when Obama moved into office.

Sometimes, voters must face up to reality and not just nice-sounding campaign promises.

Again, what is best for Kansas’ future?