Queen of the RINOs

Good morning!! Another week on the campaign trail, what a privilege it is to have to go out and visit with Kansans of all walks of life. Saturday morning, nice and early (8:00 a.m.) I had the honor of addressing the Jefferson County Republicans in Perry, on 24 Highway, between Lawrence and Topeka, then I delivered signs in Berryton and at 1:30 p.m. attended a community meeting in Wyandotte County at the KCK main library.

Now on to this week’s column!  I’m diving into the Republican Party’s mania of UNITY!!!  Last September the Kansas GOP sent out a contract to the gubernatorial candidates, one of the stipulations to participate in the GOP debates was that the candidates must pledge to support the Republican nominee. 7 of the 8 active gubernatorial candidates (including Vicki Schmidt) signed the contract.

In October at the Winfield gubernatorial forum all 8 of the active candidates (including me) attended, each of us was asked about the unity clause and if we would support the eventual nominee. ALL of my opponents, including the one candidate who did not sign the contract, publicly stated YES, they pledged to support the party’s nominee.  I was the only candidate who amended my contract stipulating that I would only support the Republican nominee if they were pro-life and pro-2^nd Amendment and reiterated that fact publicly at Winfield.

I had no idea if the state party would accept my amended contract, but they did and really how could they have rejected my contract requiring the nominee to be pro-life and pro-2^nd Amendment?

With my rebellion of demanding that the party nominee adheres to the Republican Party Platform on the two foundational planks of life and the right to bear arms, I broke open the ugly truth of the mega presence of RINOs (Republican in Name Only) in our party. I would argue there are many levels of this malady, but there is no doubt the Republican superstar RINO is Vicki Schmidt.

You see Vicki Schmidt has an extensive pro-choice voting record in lock-step with then Senator Laura Kelly. Also, a minor little issue, Vicki Schmidt was rated F by the National Rifle Association in 2018 while she was a state senator. So, the Kansas GOP in their unity mania have themselves in a real conundrum of being on record that they will support Vicki Schmidt should she win the primary. AND folks, that is a REAL possibility.

So, I decided to go out and study Vicki’s website and also went through her Kansas Reflector interview. WOW, talk about a bunch of nothing!!  Let’s see she wants Kansans to elect her because she was elected twice as Insurance Commissioner, she was born in Wichita, graduated from K.U., married her high school sweetheart and oh, by the way, she does not support abortion on demand EXCEPT she voted NO on 10 pro-life bills with her buddy, Laura Kelly, including the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act (the only Republican to vote no).  Here is the list of the 10 bills she voted against along with then Senator Laura Kelly:

https://kflpac.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/VickiSchmidt-Handout-3_small.pdf

And this is from the Reflector interview with Vicki Schmidt, Tim Carpenter: So, do you think we have a truthiness problem in politics these days?  Vicki Schmidt: Oh, I think, I think that it’s important for a governor to tell the truth. And I mean, I hope I live by that.

Wow, ok, I guess we now understand Vicki’s litmus test on truth, she does not support abortion on demand while she voted against pro-life legislation with Laura Kelly 10 times, including protecting unborn babies from dismemberment. She also stated at the Winfield forum that Kansans had spoken on the abortion issue in 2022 and our current morally bankrupt killing of babies is settled law. Remember, there were 19,811 abortions in Kansas in 2024. I wonder if Vicki Schmidt would have said that the Dred Scott decision in 1858 settled the slavery question in the U.S.?

Now let’s look at her stance on economic development, Tim Carpenter with the Reflector: Let’s chat about economic development. What would be your focus?

Vicki Schmidt: My focus is just pretty plain and simple thing. It’s the people of Kansas. I want to make sure that the people of Kansas have what they need. I don’t think that government is always so efficient, and I think government doesn’t always work for the people, and I think it should, I don’t think it should be the other way around. It should work for the people.

Whoa, I’m sure glad her stance on tax giveaways to the billionaires is so plain and simple to the point of simply being empty platitudes which don’t even fit the question.

When Morgan Zumbaugh (Manhattan podcast) asked what my perspective was on governing, my answer: I believe that government is to serve people instead of special interests…We have a two-tiered tax system…One set of rules for those who get all of the tax incentives and another set of rules for the rest of us.

Plain and simple, tax incentives do not work, they steal money from us funding billionaires’ playgrounds. And, oh, by the way, I am pro-life and running around Kansas with an NRA sticker on my car.

God Bless and Keep Your Eyes on Jesus!!

Charlotte O’Hara
Republican for Kansas Governor, 2026