The new group, called the Sunflower State PAC, has quietly reserved $850,000 for ads just this week alone, according to data from the Campaign Media Analysis Group. The ad, reviewed by CNN, bashes Republican US Rep. Roger Marshall as a “phony” and “soft on Trump” and notes that Kobach is called “too conservative” who “won’t compromise on building a wall” or “getting tough on China.”
Kobach, an immigration hard-liner and voter fraud crusader with staunchly conservative views in line with President Donald Trump, has long maintained that the criticisms he would be a weak general election candidate are misplaced, in part because 2020 is a presidential election year, far different than the 2018 cycle when he lost a race for the governorship.
Sunflower State formed just this week, filing a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission on July 13. By forming shortly after the end of the second quarter, on June 30, the group could avoid disclosing any information about its donors until the end of the third quarter, all the way in September, even if it spends millions between now and then. Even if the group chooses to file more regular monthly reports with the FEC, it won’t have to disclose donors until late August, weeks after the Kansas primary on August 4.