The Kansas Democratic Party will gather in Wichita this weekend for its annual mid-year DemoFest convention.

Usually in odd-numbered years, these conventions can be something of a yawner. But this year could be different, with the 2016 elections coming up, and internal angst growing within the party over its three consecutive “clean-sweep” losses to Republicans.

So here are four things that political junkies of all stripes will be watching for this weekend:

• Paul Davis: Made a surprisingly strong run for governor in 2014 against incumbent Republican Sam Brownback, and led in most polls up until the final weeks of the campaign. The party has sent out emails inviting Democrats to “join him” at DemoFest, although he’s not officially listed on any of the programs. Still, he’s expected to show up, and a lot of people will be watching for signals or announcements about any future political ambitions he may have.

• The ‘dark money’ question: Officially, most Democrats are still against it. But the U.S. Supreme Court has said it’s legal, and Democrats know a lot of their candidates have been crushed in recent elections under the weight of dark money flowing into campaigns from conservative groups with ties to Koch Industries.

Will Democrats stop complaining about dark money and finally decide to go get some? Well, it’s worth noting that the keynote speaker at Saturday’s banquet will be former Michigan Congressman Mark Schauer, who now heads Advantage 2020, a super-PAC dedicated to helping Democrats win state legislative races.

Question two on that subject: Can Kansas Democrats convince Schauer to spend any of that PAC money here?

• New candidates: We’re still more than a year out from the 2016 elections, but Democrats have already started rolling out some candidates who plan to challenge sitting Republicans next year. Will any more make announcements at DemoFest, including potential congressional candidates?

• New message: For years, Kansas Democrats have branded themselves as the “pro-education” party. But lately, that hasn’t been enough to win on a statewide basis. And the 2014 elections pretty much proved that their other main message, “Brownback = Bad,” isn’t enough either.

Some Democrats have urged party leaders to focus elsewhere — they already have the “pro-education” vote — and start talking more forcefully about bread-and-butter issues: tax fairness; rural development; highways; the minimum wage; and health care.

Larry Meeker, the new party chairman, has tried running a new theme up the flagpole, “Red State Democrats,” emphasizing the idea that they recognize Kansas is a conservative state, and therefore trying to play down the “liberal” label they’re often tagged with.

We’re hoping get a better sense of how well that plays with the party faithful this weekend.