by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Kansas Governor candidate Paul Davis and his running mate Jill Docking stopped in Wellington Saturday afternoon at Andy’s Supper Club Restaurant. Davis, a Democrat, is hoping to defeat incumbent Governor Sam Brownback in the general election in November.

Around 40 Sumner County people gathered to hear Davis and Docking speak about the upcoming governor’s campaign, which promises to be contentious. The event was organized by former state representative Vince Wetta.

“We have a governor who has touted having a revolutionary tax plan, the best in the nation.” Davis said. “Yet property taxes are soaring, we’ve had a $777,000 sales tax increase, college tuition is out the roof, and state utility rates are up 30 percent.

“Our taxes keep going up and up and up.”

Davis said he joined forces with Docking, because they both felt Kansas was going in the wrong direction. And he feels he has a great chance of becoming governor in 2015.

“But it is going to take a lot of work,” Davis said. “We have to unite as Democrats, Independents and Republicans, who are concerned with how this state is going.”

It was reported that Davis has raised $1.02 million for the campaign. That is still not near the total of Brownback, who has raised $1.6 million.

He said, though, he has a groundswell of support from people who are dedicated with getting him elected.

“It’s not about being a Democrat or a Republican,” Davis said. “It is what we is best for Kansas.”

Docking spoke before Davis at the gathering. Once a candidate against Brownback in the U.S. Senate in the 1990s, she is now working to get Davis elected.

“For almost 40 years in my time in politics, Democrats and Republicans have had good ship captains,” Docking said. “They sometimes wavered to the left and sometimes they wavered to the right but they steered the ship in the right direction in an effort to make Kansas competitive.

“I believe with the election of Sam Brownback, that ship steered in the wrong direction. I feel strongly we have to restore Kansas in the right direction.”

Davis has served in the Kansas House of Representatives since 2003 in eastern Lawrence.