Ron DeSantis in Kansas for Derek Schmidt event. Here's what his stop means for the governor's race.
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OLATHE — As Attorney General Derek Schmidt attempts to make inroads with voters on education, the Republican gubernatorial hopeful was joined Sunday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has garnered national attention for his work on those issues.
Indeed, DeSantis has has forged a brand and a potential pathway to the White House by signing laws limiting the teaching of gender and sexual identity in the Sunshine State, as well as bills restricting how race and history can be taught.
And DeSantis gained attention again just days before the rally after sending a group of Venezuelan migrants to Martha's Vineyard, Mass., something he said was a way of pushing back against President Joe Biden's immigration policies.
More: Laura Kelly, Derek Schmidt vie for Kansas' ‘middle-of-the-road’ voters. Here's what analysis shows.
His nearly hour-long address interwove Kansas-specific nuggets amid a broader commentary on the nation's political landscape.
DeSantis argued that Kansas needed to elect Schmidt as part of a broader effort to push back on an increasingly radical slate of Democratic officials on everything from energy to immigration — as well as enact policies that mirrored his vision for Florida.
"Governors are more important to people's freedoms than ever before," DeSantis said. "And you saw this here in Kansas."
Ron DeSantis talks education, as Derek Schmidt touts parents' bill of rights
By associating himself with DeSantis, Schmidt is hitching his wagon to a paragon of what some Republicans — though not all — would want to achieve in Kansas by ousting Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
Attendees were keenly aware of DeSantis, who has been considered a frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024 and has been a frequent guest on cable news programs since being elected in 2018.
"What he's doing in Florida, it is very good," said Richard Lavin of Kansas City, Kan. "It is an example of the way Kansas should be."
Much of Schmidt's speech, meanwhile, continued themes from his campaign, including efforts to tie Kelly to President Joe Biden, including a joke the governor should invite the president to Kansas to campaign.
But Schmidt has doubled down on his support for a ban on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports. The rally comes days after he similarly ratcheted up the rhetoric on a proposed parents' bill of rights, vetoed by Kelly earlier this year.
That legislation would have allowed parents more access to course materials and allowed for the challenging of objectionable items, either from classrooms or library shelves.
More: Kansas House fails to override vetoes on transgender athletes ban, parents' bill of rights
Kansas' parents' bill of rights proposal is less aggressive than what has been considered in other states, including Florida, that have required a more robust effort from teachers to upload curriculum materials online and, in some cases, required schools allow parents to observe lessons.
Florida also became embroiled in controversy after DeSantis signed the so-called "Don't Say Gay" last year, legislation that prompted calls of boycotts from Florida companies, including a high-profile battle between the governor and Disney Corporation.
But DeSantis said Schmidt would sign a similar measure limiting the teaching of gender identity, a topic the attorney general briefly touched on in his remarks.
"As your governor, I will enthusiastically sign (transgender athletes ban) the second it hits my desk — that is Kansas common sense," Schmidt said. "More common sense: Men shouldn't be competing in women's sports and teachers shouldn't be talking about gender identity."
The Schmidt campaign has been banking on these issues resonating for voters, particularly in the Johnson County suburbs, where residents may have voted for Kelly before turning out last year to sweep in change on several school boards.
Schmidt himself chided Kelly's claim that she is the "education governor," a moniker her campaign consistently in advertisements and campaign spots, pointing to her efforts to increase education funding.
"I think America’s education governor currently resides in Tallahassee, not Topeka," he said.
Voters Schmidt is trying to reach include Erica Frans, of Overland Park, who was particularly critical of Kelly's decision to close schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kelly has defended that move during the campaign, saying she "does not apologize" for doing what she considered necessary to protect student health.
But Frans said having to homeschool her children was an eyeopener. She added she has had a difficult time getting the attention of the Shawnee Mission school district, arguing meetings have been difficult to access online and saying the board isn't interested in what she has to say.
"It is another way they're trying to silence parents," Frans said. "Parents are not the enemy. They need to have a voice in their school district."
Schmidt and DeSantis took aim at Kelly's lockdown policies in their speeches.
"You had leftist governors locking people down," DeSantis said. "And in Florida, we lifted people up."
Ron DeSantis visit comes days after Martha's Vineyard controversy
DeSantis' presence was not without controversy.
A group of counter-protesters demonstrated outside the hotel complex where the event was to be held, and Democrats have criticized Schmidt for supporting DeSantis' decision to send migrants to Martha's Vineyard.
DeSantis has said he is likely to launch more flights and has mocked outrage from Democrats over his actions. The migrants are currently being housed at a Massachusetts National Guard base in Cape Cod.
Schmidt and the other speakers joked about the move, with conservative radio host Pete Mundo saying the protesters themselves should be shipped to the Massachusetts vacation enclave.
More: Massachusetts seeks human trafficking probe targeting Florida Gov. DeSantis over migrants
DeSantis himself quipped that the immigration issue is "now getting a little bit more attention" thanks to his actions.
"Certainly in Martha's Vineyard, you have people that are claiming to be a sanctuary jurisdiction," he said. "And now we see that's just self-congratulatory virtue signaling, it is hollow. And the reason it's hollow is because you just can't run society without the rule of law. You can't run society without having structure to the immigration process."
But to Amy Cunningham, a protestor from Olathe, the move was a sign that DeSantis does not share the state's values.
"As Kansas has shown in the recent election, Kansas showed we are a more moderate state, though still Republican leaning, than maybe Mr. DeSantis stands for," she said.
In a statement, Kelly's spokesperson, Madison Andrus, did not mention the migrant controversy but said “unlike Derek Schmidt, who has to bring out-of-state, divisive politicians to Kansas for support, Governor Kelly’s common-sense leadership has built a bi-partisan coalition of support from Kansans."
Others pilloried DeSantis for signing the "Don't Say Gay" bill, with one protestor circulating with a megaphone, repeating the word "gay," joking that such a move would not be allowed in Florida.
Rep. Heather Meyer, D-Overland Park, one of four LGBT legislators in the Statehouse, said the bill was an example of "extremist ideologies."
Schmidt's overtures to suburban voters on education would not be successful, she added.
"I would say that the majority of the area said, 'No, we don't want this kind of extremist hateful rhetoric, and we want our kids to learn,'" she said.
But Schmidt said he was comfortable with DeSantis' backing and pledged that his presence in office would make Kansas look like its counterpart in the South — minus the palm trees and alligators.
"I want a future for our great State of Kansas that looks a whole lot more like Ron DeSantis has in Florida," Schmidt said.
Andrew Bahl is a senior statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at abahl@gannett.com or by phone at 443-979-6100.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Amid Martha's Vineyard migrant firestorm, Ron DeSantis stops in Kansas
