Tobias Challenges Opponent in First TV Debate
Press Release
In their first TV debate, challenger Tobias Schlingensiepen said Tuesday that Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins' ambition to be a "Washington insider" hurts the 2nd District.
"I don't want to be a Washington insider," Schingensiepen said. "My opponent does. She just told reporters she's running for a leadership position in her party's Congressional caucus. This is a problem for a couple of reasons. First, Congresswoman Jenkins is assuming she'll be re-elected. She's just assuming your vote doesn't matter, and I think that's insulting to everyone in this district."
If the Congresswoman fulfills her ambition, then her job will be to score political points instead of finding solutions to the challenges the 2nd District faces, he said.
"Her job will be to create gridlock, not break it," Schlingensiepen said.
Schlingensiepen said he is in the race for the 2nd District Congressional seat to bring jobs to the district, to find real solutions to the national debt, and to end deficit spending and fiscal recklessness. "But I can't do that -- no one can -- until we change the way Washington works."
Describing Congresswoman Jenkins as part of the problem in Washington, Schlingensiepen said she has taken in hundreds of thousands of dollars from the insurance industry, commercial banks, the securities and investment industry, and finance and credit companies.
"And she has turned around and voted against the interest of the 2nd District, and for those big corporations," he said. For example, Congresswoman Jenkins voted against the creation of a watchdog agency to police the finance industry and to stop banks and credit card companies from preying on consumers.
Congresswoman Jenkins told both Roll Call and The Hill newspapers last week that after the November election, she is running for the post of vice chair of the House Republican Conference.
The debate was sponsored by the League of Women Voters and KTWU and was taped at the KTWU studio in Topeka. It will be broadcast by KTWU at 7 pm on Oct. 17.
Roll Call reports on Jenkins ambitions:
http://www.rollcall.com/news/gop_race_highlights_freshman_versus_sophomore_dynamic-217880-1.html
The Hill reports on Jenkins ambitions:
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/259273-gop-freshmen-look-for-promotions-in-113th-congress
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