Phony flyer targets KS Supreme Court justices — traces to GOP campaign guru | Opinion

Well, I guess it wouldn’t be a Kansas election without a fraudulent attempt by state Republicans to scam pro-choice Kansans into voting pro-life.

This time, it’s a bogus mailer that traces back to the owner of the state’s dominant Republican campaign advertising firm, Kristian Van Meteren.

The mailer seeks to trick Kansans into voting against retaining the justices of the Kansas Supreme Court. It implies that they would overturn Kansas abortion rights, like U.S. Supreme Court justices (who are pictured on the mailer) overturned Roe v. Wade.

Here’s a cute, but deceitful touch: a big red X through the well-known logo for “Value Them Both,” the ill-fated anti-abortion constitutional amendment that voters shot down hard in August.

The mailer is the opposite of the truth.

The Kansas anti-abortion movement is trying to unseat the justices because the court ruled that women in this state have a basic right to an abortion that’s protected by the state constitution, regardless of what the federal courts do.

To be clear: The Kansas justices aren’t taking away abortion rights. They’re the only thing left in this state protecting them.

Pro-life groups got their heads handed to them in the August vote. So now they’re attacking the justices in this last-ditch campaign of lies and deceit.

Van Meteren didn’t return a message seeking comment.

But we’ve seen this movie before.

In August, just before the “Value Them Both” election, voters received scammy text messages on their phones trying to convince them that a “yes” vote would prevent the banning of abortions in Kansas, when the only purpose of the amendment was to circumvent the state Supreme Court ruling that kept abortion legal.

The Washington Post traced that skeevy piece of attempted political trickery to a PAC run by Tim Huelskamp, a former Kansas congressman.

But in the hierarchy of Kansas Republican politics, Huelskamp’s a has-been backbencher compared to Van Meteren.

Van Meteren is the sole owner of Singularis Group, the dominant Republican campaign firm in Kansas, whose campaigns reach across the country.

Singularis’ clients, just to name a few, include: Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, all three Kansas Republican congressmen — Ron Estes, Jake LaTurner and Tracey Mann — and 3rd District Republican congressional candidate Amanda Adkins. Also Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon.

Them, along with scores of Republican state senators and representatives.

The sneak attack on the Kansas Supreme Court justices clearly appears to have been laundered through the Van Meteren Charitable Foundation Inc., which has only one member, Kristian Van Meteren.

The return address on the mailer traces to a UPS Store mail drop in Lenexa. It doesn’t mention Van Meteren or his foundation by name. Instead, it says VMCF, Inc.

If you dig a little through Kansas Secretary of State records, you’ll find that the Van Meteren Charitable Foundation changed its name to VMCF Inc. on Oct. 24 of this year and then changed it back on Monday, seven days later.

Apparently, that’s how long it takes to run a smear campaign and try to throw sand on the trail these days.

The “authorized officer” making both those name changes was, you guessed it, Kristian Van Meteran.

It’s not the best effort we’ve seen to cover tracks after a political attack.

If he’s going to play games, Van Meteren could take some lessons from onetime Wichita politicians Michael Capps, Michael O’Donnell and James Clendenin. Their false smear campaign against Mayor Brandon Whipple took months to unravel.

Van Meteren’s cover-up fell apart in an afternoon.

Bottom line: If you’re a voter and get one of these mailers, ignore it.

Three of the seven justices on the ballot weren’t even on the court in 2019 when abortion rights were affirmed.

Of the justices still there, Marla Luckert, Eric Rosen and Dan Biles voted to uphold abortion rights. Justice Caleb Stegall dissented.

Justice Melissa Taylor Standridge was on the Court of Appeals that heard the case and sent it up to the Supreme Court on a split decision.

Justices Evelyn Wilson and K.J. Wall had nothing to do with it.

The main lesson here is when you go the polls, know who and what you’re voting for.

And postcards, no matter how slickly designed and produced, almost never tell you that.