As election season draws closer, candidates will soon be circling the state asking voters for their support.
Former Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann was in Manhattan this week, and spoke with KMAN about the challenges of the campaign trail amid the coronavirus pandemic as he seeks the open 1st Congressional District seat. Right now, he says a lot of that is happening via phone or online and says his campaign was helped immensely by a key endorsement from Kansas Farm Bureau earlier this month.
“Kansas Farm Bureau has long been the gold standard in Big First politics and we’re delighted to get it,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday.
Mann kicked off a media tour this week and says agriculture is listed as one of his six key platform issues. He says he supports the president’s executive order recently to ensure meat packing plants stay open during the pandemic.
“Which is really important for our livestock producers and the supply chain moving forward. Without a doubt times are tough on the farm and with prices the way they are it’s not a lot of fun for anybody. But we’re Kansans and we’ll get through it,” he said.
Mann says the pandemic has highlighted a critical need for rural broadband expansion.
“Now with this COVID thing and school from home, that all sounds good if you have a good internet connection but if you don’t it’s pretty hard to do school from home and via Zoom. I would support efforts to make sure we have market-based solutions and ways to get broadband to all our rural communities and the folks who live out in the country as well,” he said.
Much like current Rep. Roger Marshall, Mann is billing himself as the most conservative candidate in the race.
“Pro-life, pro-ag, pro-gun and pro-Trump,” he said.
Mann says if elected, he’ll seek a spot on the House Agriculture Committee and says increased trade is the way forward to improve commodity and livestock prices for Kansas ag producers.
Mann currently lives in Salina with his wife and four children. He is a Kansas State University alumnus.
Mann’s current opponents for the Republican nomination include Finney County Commissioner Bill Clifford and State Rep. Troy Waymaster of Bunker Hill.
Democrats include Garden City music teacher Kali Barnett, former Symphony in the Flint Hills Executive Director Christy Davis of Cottonwood Falls and Hutchinson Walmart manager Brandon Williams.
The full interview with Tracey Mann can be found here.
