In his run for Kansas governor, Democratic candidate Tom Holland says the state needs three important changes — creation of quality jobs, maintaining critical social-service programs and more efficiency in state operations. But the biggest platform he’s standing on right now as he travels the state is even simpler.
During a visit to The Gazette on Wednesday, Holland kept returning to the theme that Republican candidate Sam Brownback is beatable, even in a predominantly red state.
Holland said he has wide support throughout the state, despite launching his campaign fairly late — just this past February. Holland noted that since campaigning began for the 2010 races, he has raised the most money of any Democrat running for a statewide seat.
Characterizing Brownback as a career politician who has spent much of his time away from Kansas and has voted for legislation that has hurt the state’s residents, Holland said he offers a stark contrast. A Kansan since 1991, Holland is a small business owner who has served in the state Legislature since 2002, first in the House then in the Senate.
Gov. Mark Parkinson and former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius recruited Holland for the race, he said, because they believed “I could win the race.”
If elected, Holland said, one priority of his administration would be to create what he calls “quality jobs.” To do so, he said, requires investment in education. Holland proposes raising the ceiling on local-option budgets for school districts as well as taking revenue from the Kansas Lottery earmarked for economic development and putting it toward technical-education scholarships.
To continue to fund social services, Holland said, Kansas should create a “rainy day fund” in which revenues above a set level are protected from spending. This would create something like a savings account for the state to use to balance the budget when revenues dip.
As for more efficiency in government, Holland cited the multiple types of information technologies used by the state. As president of Holland Technologies, Holland specializes in IT issues.
The state of Kansas, he said, could save money by taking an inventory of IT technology currently being used and eliminate redundancies.
As the campaign picks up steam in the final weeks — Election Day is just more than eight weeks away — Holland said he planned to travel the state spreading his message.