'Tacky and crass': GOP candidate slammed for fundraising off devastating tornado

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly objected to Republican governor candidate Jeff Colyer’s fundraising appeals tied to a devastating tornado that tore through Pratt, Stafford and Reno counties in May.

In a letter obtained by Kansas Reflector, Kelly criticized Colyer for issuing two fundraising messages in June that alleged Kelly’s response to the storm fell short of expectations after an EF3 tornado barreled into the communities of Grinnell and Plevna. Damage to buildings and equipment was substantial, but no one was killed.

“You should know better than to use an emergency disaster response for patently political purposes,” Kelly said in the letter to Colyer. “Beyond tacky and crass.”

She said it was wrong to manipulate damaged Kansas communities for campaign photo opportunities or to package such heartbreaking events to attack a political rival.

“Just to set the record straight, Jeff, my emergency management team was in communication and on the ground with local responders immediately,” Kelly’s letter said. “And, as soon as my presence would be helpful, and not get in the way of recovery efforts, I was there.”

Colyer’s requests for campaign donations of $25, $50 or $100 were laced with claims Kelly was slow to seek disaster assistance. He said he was building a “movement to put Kansas first, to ensure no community is left behind and to deliver the kind of leadership that doesn’t flinch in a crisis.”

Colyer, who served nearly a year as governor following the resignation of Gov. Sam Brownback, said he would have immediately deployed the Kansas National Guard and promptly ordered removal of storm debris after the May 18-19 storm.

He said he would have requested the presidential disaster declaration before Kelly did on June 17.

“This is a moment for leadership and compassion,” Colyer’s campaign messages said. “Our neighbors are hurting. I’ve walked their shattered fields and seen the wreckage of a lifetime.”

Colyer asserted — falsely, the governor’s office said — that neither Kelly nor administration officials visited the damage zone before June 3. Colyer published images of him touring storm damage with a half-dozen state legislators.

In a news release published June 18, Kelly said the Kansas Division of Emergency Management began coordination of the storm response with local officials on May 18.

The Kansas Department of Transportation mobilized the night of the tornado to close Interstate 70 and clear debris and downed powerlines, the governor said. KDOT organized traffic control for interstate lane reductions until new power poles were installed by May 21.

Officials with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued a disposal-without-a-permit to Grinnell on May 20 for on-site burial of disaster debris. KDHE issued a fee waiver to Plevna for the Reno County landfill.

On May 21, KDHE suspended fees for obtaining certified copies of birth and marriage certificates for Gove County residents through July 18.

The governor said she visited Grinnell on May 22, secured U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest loans for nine counties on May 31, issued a state disaster emergency proclamation for 11 counties on June 4, initiated the process of documenting damage for the Federal Emergency Management Agency on June 5 and submitted the major presidential disaster declaration on June 17.

“You owe the people of Grinnell and Plevna an apology,” Kelly’s letter to Colyer said. “Next time, before you make a fool of yourself, call me. I’ll be glad to give you the facts.”

In response to Kelly’s communication with Colyer, Republican Reps. Kyle Hoffman, Kevin Schwertfeger and Joe Siewert and Republican Sen. Michael Murphy issued a statement that said “Kelly is out of touch and in full campaign mode.”

The legislators’ said they invited Colyer to tour the property damage and recovery efforts to bring greater awareness to the challenge of rebuilding. There was a sense two weeks after the storms, the statement said, the Kelly administration was “ignoring our communities.”

“Governor Kelly is upset that her team was forced to respond weeks after the leadership shown by Governor Colyer. It’s also clear what Republican candidate she’s most scared of,” the statement said. “Jeff Colyer has been a hero to our communities through this trial, while Governor Kelly has been asleep at the wheel.”

The GOP primary for governor in August 2026 is expected to include Colyer, Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt in addition to others. Kelly, who is in her second term as governor, cannot seek reelection.