I'm gonna need a little help here...
My run for House District 102 will require Hutchinson residents, Kansans, to engage
Friends -
I’m running to represent Hutchinson and the 102nd District in the Kansas House of Representatives.
Success will depend on you.
Everything is going to be different this time around. I’m the challenger. I’m the underdog candidate. The state-level Democrat Party has written off Hutchinson as lost. The Governor’s leverage and resources will be deployed in other races that seem more winnable on paper.
The ruling party in Topeka and the lobbyists who support them do not want to see me in the legislature. They know that I think independently and ask tough questions. They know I’m not moved by their money. They know that I have a long history of exposing the ways they exploit and enrich themselves from a system that’s supposed to work for you.
And if they haven’t figured it out, I’ll make it very clear: I am not running to get along, play nice, or to help keep things the way they’ve always been. I am running to disrupt - because it’s time to stop pretending that this system functions for Kansans.
I am running because the Kansas legislature never has money for the policies that would enrich or improve the lives of Kansans - but they always have money for their lobbyist friends’ pet projects and government handouts. I’m running because I’m tired of hearing excuses from the people in charge - people who keep running on the promise to lower taxes and make your life better, while throwing your hard-earned money at billionaires and wealthy corporations.
I’m running to represent this community and the people who live here.
Depending on who wins the Aug. 4 primary election, I’ll be up against either Tyson Thrall or the incumbent Kyler Sweely. I hope Tyson is successful in the primary. He’s a good and honest man. And though we don’t align on many of our policy ideas, I like and respect him. He’s dedicated to his family, his faith, and his community, and he’s transparently authentic about who he is, what he believes, and where he stands. Hutchinson Republicans would be in far better hands sending Thrall to Topeka than it is with the current incumbent.
Kyler Sweely came into Hutchinson under a cloud of suspicion about his residency and his character, raised even among members of his own party - and those questions persist still today. He is financed by big business, high-dollar lobbyists, and all the dark money he needs to win his election. In my view, he’s never been authentic or truthful with Hutchinson about who he is, where he is on anything, or what he stands for. From what I’ve seen, he produces little more than the list of talking points provided to him by leadership in Topeka and Washington, D.C.
My support will come from you - Kansans who believe that we can be something better. Who have watched our state fall further and further behind under an entrenched, self-serving establishment system and politicians who forget who they serve.
Over the next several months, I will share my values and ideas with voters. Concrete ways we can offset the costs of property taxes, and ideas to develop lasting changes to the property tax code. You’ll hear how your tax dollars could be spent differently in your community - instead of throwing it away in the name of “economic development” for things like data centers. We’ll talk about ways to curb excessive government surveillance on law-abiding citizens, the need to prevent corporations from price-gouging Kansans through practices like dynamic pricing, and the tools we could deploy to better support small business.
It’s also quite likely if the incumbent wins the primary on Aug. 4, that you’ll be bombarded with dark money ads and mailers using AI-produced images and misleading, inaccurate, and deceitful information. It’s the favorite tool of politicians without their own ideas, identity, or any sense of moral clarity.
I can’t outspend these groups and their networks. That’s why I’ll need all the help you can lend. If I’ve ever helped you in any way in the past, now’s the time I need you to return the favor.
First, put Aug. 7 on your calendar! We’ll be hosting a Campaign Kick Off Party from 6:30 to 8 p.m. - At Jason’s House. In Hutchinson. Where he lives. Look for more information on this in the coming days! But be sure to save the date!
I will need volunteers. A lot of them. I guarantee you that there is a way you can help - even if it’s talking with your neighbors or putting one of our signs in your yard. There will be a job for you - and your help will be the difference between winning or losing.
In fact, one of the simplest and most impactful ways you can help is by talking with your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances about who I am and my love for our community. You can sign up to volunteer here.
Campaigns also need money to help get our message out to voters. Anything you can give will be greatly appreciated. Our first fundraising deadline is coming up on July 23 - the max contribution this cycle is $1,000, but you can give again following the Aug. 4 primary election.
There are a lot of ways to donate.
Your help will be more important than ever this year - and our community, our state, and our country are on the line.
Thank you for your help, and your continued support.
Ad Astra per Aspera.
Paid for by Vote Probst, Leslie Shea, treasurer