Kansas state Rep. Joseph Scapa, center, of Wichita, confers with other legislators during a break in the House's work, Sunday, May 20, 2012, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Wichita ? The Kansas Republican Party is sending out mailers in legislative races depicting explosions and Islamic State fighters to help GOP candidates potentially caught in a backlash against Gov. Sam Brownback over the state’s budget problems.

The Wichita Eagle reports that one mailing to homes in Republican state Rep. Joseph Scapa’s district in Wichita shows an Islamic State fighter holding a machine gun with a message that reads: “Have you met the new neighbors?” It touts Scapa as a supporter of funding for law enforcement to help deal with threats.

Clay Barker, the state GOP’s executive director, confirmed that similar mailings have been sent across the state. He said internal polling showed that security is a good issue for Republicans, as opposed to education or taxes.

Democrats hope to cut significantly into GOP supermajorities in both chambers by tapping into voter discontent with the term-limited Republican governor. Fourteen conservative Republicans lost their legislative seats in the August primary.

Kansas has struggled to balance its budget since Republican legislators slashed personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 in an effort to stimulate the economy. Even some GOP voters believe Brownback’s tax-cutting experiment hasn’t worked as promised.

“We did polling and focus groups and the one issue that got overwhelming positive response and was associated with Republicans was safety,” Barker said.

He added: “Most other issues are muddled or this is not the year for Republicans to be arguing education or taxes because there’s a general feeling either Republicans aren’t effective or the voters aren’t quite sure who to believe.”

But the mailers drew criticism as “scare mongering” from Robert McCraw, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.

And Scapa’s Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Bishop, said the mailers verge on inciting violence against Muslims. Earlier this month, three western Kansas militia members were arrested and accused by federal prosecutors of plotting a bombing against Somali refugees in Garden City.

“I think it feeds into that,” Bishop said.

But Barker said the mailings allude to President Barack Obama’s promise to close the detention center for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and move the prisoners, possibly to Fort Leavenworth in northeast Kansas. Republicans have denounced the idea.

Scapa said the mailer is not intended to scare voters but raise their awareness of potential security threats.

“It’s not directed at Muslims,” he said. “It’s directed at potential threats we might face.”