Libertarian Party says it can’t get Wu to commit to Wichita mayoral debate with Whipple

The Libertarian Party of Kansas says it is excited to have a Libertarian candidate for Wichita mayor. But it has had trouble getting that candidate to participate in a debate hosted by the party.

And that is likely to cost Lily Wu the party’s endorsement, a party official says.

Olivia Hayse, marketing and advertising director for the state Libertarians, said incumbent Brandon Whipple, a Democrat, agreed to several possible dates for a debate but after initially expressing interest in participating, Wu, a registered Libertarian, stopped responding.

“We had it all set. All that needed to happen was for Lily to agree to show up,” Hayse told The Eagle in a phone interview.

“It’s kind of a bummer because she has an opportunity to really legitimize the party, and we are here to help her. We’re just as excited as anyone else to have a Libertarian candidate as mayor. All she had to do was show up.”

Wu, who criticized Whipple last month for skipping a Wichita Metro Crime Commission forum, did not respond to a request for comment. Her campaign manager Sheila Tigert said Wu is in no way trying to avoid a Libertarian debate.

“Lily has done almost everything she possibly can to be at every little thing that has been asked of her,” Tigert said. “I’ve worked in politics a long time and I actually have never seen a candidate or had a candidate as willing to engage as much as she has. I mean, she wants to be there. It’s just almost physically impossible.”

Tigert said she can’t remember a Wichita mayoral contest ever having as many debates and forums as this year. Wu and Whipple will square off Wednesday in a Wichita Beacon forum at Wichita State University. KWCH is televising a debate on Thursday and KAKE is doing so on Oct. 24.

Libertarian street cred

Local elections are technically nonpartisan, but you wouldn’t know it from the deluge of partisan outside spending used to boost and attack mayoral candidates. Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group funded by Libertarian billionaire Charles Koch, has spent heavily on Wu’s behalf. And the Kansas Democratic Party is sending out mailers in support of Whipple.

Hayse said several local Libertarians met with Wu this fall to gauge her interest in a forum that would be hosted at the Machinists union headquarters and emceed by KQAM host Andy Hoosier. The tentative date they had in mind was Oct. 16 but Hayse said she made it clear they would accommodate Wu’s schedule.

“They were even going to stream it on the radio, which was going to be huge recognition for our party,” Hayse said. “In person, she acted like, ‘Oh my gosh, yes, sounds great.’ But almost immediately, not even an hour went by before we got an email from somebody from her camp saying that she just could not do it because of the date.”

After Wu shared an image of her busy schedule with organizers, Hayse said they reached back out about several other dates for an in-person debate, as well as a virtual option.

“The dates that we went back to her with were not dates that were listed on her calendar,” Hayse said. “We were basically trying to make it so she could not say no and what she did is she just did not respond.”

Wu switched her voter registration from Republican to Libertarian in 2022, months before announcing her bid to unseat Whipple, the incumbent.

Hayse said the party considered moving forward with an event with only Whipple but decided it would be inappropriate to showcase a non-Libertarian running against Wu. She said some Libertarians have questions that they would like Wu to answer about her views.

“When it comes down to her platforms, those don’t always align [with the Libertarian Party],” Hayse said. “But then we have somebody in Brandon (Whipple) that is not actually registered with our party but he has worked with several of us on issues like the decriminalization of cannabis and other things and he has come to events before.”

She said the Wu campaign’s focus on Wichita Police Department recruitment and retention may be out of line with what the members of her party want.

“I never have heard a Libertarian be like, ‘Public safety is an issue and we need more oversight and more police and more governing,’” Hayse said. “That does not vibe with us. Again, this is one of those things where maybe she is coming at it from a Libertarian perspective and she could explain to us, but what we’re hearing isn’t resonating with our party.”

Hayse said that when the party hosted a mixer during the primary, Whipple attended along with then-candidates Bryan Frye and Celeste Racette. Wu did not show up.

As it stands, she said, the party is unlikely to make an endorsement in the mayoral race, which will be decided on Nov. 7.