JD Vance renews call for GOP voters. Annual Kansas Speaks survey. About an accent.

By Clay Wirestone | opinion editor

TOPEKA — Vice President JD Vance returned to the state Monday for a second time since mid-September to rally voters on behalf of Republican Roger Marshall and try to prevent the first Kansas victory by a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate since the 1930s.

Vance’s visit to a steel fabrication business came days after President Donald Trump headlined an arena rally in Park City and six weeks since the vice president was in Olathe to deliver a shot of adrenaline for Marshall in the race against Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton, founder of the largest United Methodist congregation in the United States.

Despite Trump’s endorsement, Marshall has struggled to break away from Hamilton in a state the president carried three times and won by 16 percentage points in 2024. In 2020, with Trump on the ballot, Marshall won his first campaign for U.S. Senate by 11 points.

“Next week’s election, ladies and gentlemen, it’s not just red team versus blue team,” said Vance, who lauded Marshall’s leadership. “It’s about whether we stand for a fighter who’s always stood for the normal, everyday Americans who keep this country running.”

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly remains the most-liked politician in Kansas, as public support crumbles for U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, President Donald Trump, the Republican and Democratic parties, and politics at large.

The Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University released its annual Kansas Speaks survey on Monday, which examines public opinions about politicians and a wide range of topics.

LAWRENCE — Linguists at the University of Kansas revealed that the way Kansans speak is much more diverse than some people think, and perceptions of a Kansas accent differ, depending on whether listeners are Kansans or non-Kansans

By Martin Rosas

In September, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed up here in Kansas and swarmed small towns in the “Golden Triangle of Meatpacking,” where the communities of Dodge City, Liberal, and Garden City produce a fifth of the nation’s beef supply. At UFCW Local 2, we represent three of the four plants in the Golden Triangle of Meatpacking. During ICE’s operations, U.S. citizens were pulled on their way home from work by agents demanding papers, leaving them shaking and crying.

Tracking of advance balloting by the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office offered insight into voter engagement. As of Monday, 204,000 Kansans had submitted advance ballots in-person or by mail. That surpassed advance voting — at this juncture — in the previous two midterm elections. At this time in 2022, 135,000 Kansas had cast votes. By this point in the 2018 election cycle, 162,000 had put pen on paper to vote.

Rising costs of healthcare, gas and groceries during President Donald Trump’s second term have put Republicans on defense, not only in Washington, but in statehouse and gubernatorial races across the country.

As days grow shorter and darkness arrives earlier across much of the country, a new study suggests that brighter streetlights may help reduce nighttime violence — at least temporarily.

The way we speak is a culmination of our life experiences, according to Jeff Holliday, a linguist and professor at the University of Kansas. He and Lacey Wade, also a professor and linguist at KU, recently authored research on how people inside and outside of Kansas perceive Kansas speech.

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