As noxious rhetoric spreads, Kansas Republican leaders whitewash intolerance within their ranks

Former Kansas Young Republican vice chair William Hendrix holds up a sign at the Kansas State Fair on Sept. 10, 2022, in Hutchinson. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

The Kansas Republican Party has pickled itself in a brackish brine of racism, homophobia and intolerance.

Officials can dissemble all they want, but the party can’t hope to represent everyday Kansans while tasting so sour. Poorly canned pickles can give you botulism, remember.

This distasteful metaphor suggested itself as the party staggered from embarrassment to embarrassment in recent months. You’ll recall the racist and white supremacist texts shared by young Republicans. GOP officials condemned the rhetoric. But on Nov. 28, the state party’s social media accounts posted a screed against democratic Gov. Laura Kelly from Ellis County GOP chairman Adam Peters.

Kansas Reflector readers might remember him as a central figure in our 2023 Church and State series. In recordings obtained by Kansas Reflector, Peters called for turning Kansas into a conservative sanctuary.

“If you can make it hostile to that group of people, that small sliver of society, and have them move elsewhere, that does a huge amount to shut this down,” he said of liberal Kansans.

While decrying “Antifa tactics,” Peters also told his audience: “We need to use the tools that are at our disposal. You know, if we look in scripture, there was a time when the nation of Israel had to take up arms in defense of themselves.”

He offered an offensive jumble of takes about race, suggesting all humans shared a common ancestry while saying “the main reason why Black suspects are disproportionately killed by the police is they disproportionately tried to kill the police.” He hinted that pastors who supported LGBTQ+ people had signed contracts with Satan.

The Ellis County party tried to deny that Peters had made such statements. But they were recorded for all to hear and judge.

No sane party seeking to appeal to mainstream voters would elevate someone like Peters. His apparent beliefs, as reported more than two years ago, should raise alarm bells for anyone. On the other hand, he said mean things about Kelly, so perhaps all was forgiven.

I reached out to state Republican Party Chairwoman Danedri Herbert for comment Friday evening. She didn’t respond by press time.

Meanwhile, one of the young Republicans at the center of the texting scandal made an unwelcome return to public view. The New York Times, of all outlets, elevated William Hendrix in a bewildering profile from Sabrina Tavernise and Georgia Gee. The organization’s former vice chairman used the words “n–ga” and “n–guh” and noted that “Missouri doesn’t like f–s.” I’m not sure why the Times decided to broadcast Hendrix’s self justifications across the nation. A slow news day, perhaps?

Hendrix, apparently unlike those of us who don’t text racist epithets to one another, just wants to support his family and live his life. The rest of us don’t have the opportunity to have our profiles boosted by the nation’s newspaper of record.

Regardless of my quibbles, state GOP leaders promptly exiled Hendrix and dissolved the Young Republicans after Politico exposed texts. They destroyed his future in the party. Yet just a few weeks later, they elevated Peters, whose comments were made at a public forum and shared throughout the state.

I’ve written this before and I’ll write it again: The Kansas Republican Party cannot have it both ways. It cannot claim to despise discrimination while tolerating a host of hatreds within its ranks.

Don’t believe me? Try Republican condemnation of supposedly homophobic remarks directed toward Rep. Kyler Sweely, R-Hutchison. Its detestation of homophobia lasts until the point when lawmakers are asked to support gay children. The Kansas GOP also opposes racism, until a Black Democrat calls out double standards on the House floor and gets hauled into a disciplinary hearing.

Not all Republicans behave this way or believe these things. That’s what makes it bad.

When I lived for more than a decade in New Hampshire, I knew prominent Republicans. They believed in racial equality. They supported gay rights. They supported fiscal discipline, personal moderation and loathing of income taxes. They would have unhesitatingly purged their beloved party of the kind of vile nihilism you see in Kansas.

I might not have agreed with New Hampshire Republicans’ ideology. But their lack of overt hate sure made them more appealing. I suspect swing voters liked them, too.

The First Amendment still applies, of course. Anyone should feel free to believe anything they want as long as it does not involve physically harming or threatening others. Political parties have the same freedom. However, every one of us has the choice to coddle or confront. If members of your coalition hold offensive and destructive beliefs, you can make it clear they’re not welcome. Republicans can survive and thrive without white supremacists, homophobes and Groypers.

If the Republican brand has truly been pickled beyond palatability, voters can make their own choice. Pick a fresh cucumber and start again.

Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com.