Libertarian Steve Hohe: Kansas 3rd District voters deserve to hear from all candidates

We have less than 30 days to go before 2022’s midterm elections. As a candidate running for the third time, with little money and support, it comes to one big question: What do voters value most in choosing whom to vote for?

Television commercials? Mailers? Interviews? Speeches to respective supporters? Those forms of communication are great, but they all lack interaction between candidates in front of voters.

After the 2016 primary, I was nominated as the Libertarian Party candidate in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District. I posted in the letters section of The Kansas City Star’s 913 newsmagazine a congratulatory statement and a proposal that each candidate host a debate. The response from my opponents? Nothing.

Debating gives an important tool to voters in making their decision about who they want representing them. Without debate, a form of deep tribalism develops, creating doubt, instilling fear — and voters mostly end up voting for the party and not the candidate.

In my experience, challenging opponents is a task all its own. Which opponent do you challenge first? This is determined by your political outlook. Being a Libertarian and a conservative, I challenge Republicans first.

In 2020, I privately challenged my Republican opponent at her campaign bus tour. She walked away and the campaign manager blocked me. The result? I wasn’t in the debate, but I enjoyed watching the Republican’s pandering and lack of conservatism, resulting in her defeat.

The political climate of 2022? Simply put, it feels like the 2008 presidential election. The political chasm of liberalism versus conservatism is wide and deep, the Incumbent Democrat is already set — and the Republican? Talking in social circles with Republican voters: “Well, this is what we got.”

My advice to the Republican candidate: You have 30 days. Instill voter confidence never seen before in the 3rd District. Be a rock solid conservative. Debate all your opponents on the ballot. Dump your endorsers. They give the impression of a weak candidate.

And good luck.

Steve Hohe is the Libertarian Party candidate for Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District.