Crawford County Democrats host candidate for congressional seat

Eli Woody to run for Republican-held seat in U.S. Congress.

Key Takeaways

• Congressional candidate Eli Woody spoke at the Crawford County Democrats’ monthly meeting
• Woody is challenging Republican Jake LaTurner for the Kansas 2nd Congressional District seat
• Woody sees education as a critical issue for Kansas

March 14, 2023

By Cecily Stephens

The Crawford County Democrats introduced the Democratic challenger to Republican Jake LaTurner at its monthly meeting last Sunday.

Eli Woody was a special guest at the meeting, held at the Jolly Fox Brewery in Pittsburg. Woody is running for the Kansas 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, currently held by LaTurner.

“Your representatives should speak for the community, not for corporations,” Woody said. “LaTurner speaks for special interests, not yours.”

Woody, a Topeka native who graduated from Washburn University and earned a Master of Arts in communication at the University of Colorado, spent several years teaching English, speech and debate. He now works with an educational nonprofit that provides support for students participating in speech and debate activities.

A major topic of discussion was the state of education in Kansas. Woody sees education as one of the most critical issues facing Kansans as well as all American citizens.

“Everything starts with education—no matter where we came from or where we ended up, we all benefited from education,” Woody said. “As an educator,  I have seen firsthand what a difference that access to quality education can make, and how challenging learning can be when schools are not adequately resourced.”

Woody said that we need a strong public school system that addresses the needs of all students, regardless of where they live.

“A student’s zip code should not determine their likelihood of success in the classroom,” Woody said. “It’s not just about paying teachers more—all schools need access to quality learning resources; all students need to be fed; all schools need adequate support staff like counselors, teaching assistants and health professionals.”

His comments led several members of the audience, some of whom were educators themselves, to recall the years when Governor Sam Brownback tried to address the state’s soaring budget deficits by cutting an estimated $44.5 million from education. The lack of funding resulted in an acute shortage of resources for public schools, especially in less affluent districts.   

“There was no money for anything—teachers were paying for essential supplies out of their own pockets,” said one who identified herself as a retired teacher. “It was a nightmare.”

Woody also spoke at length about the dangers of false information that could lead voters to decisions that are contrary to their own interests. He characterized LaTurner as the quintessential politician who uses alarmism to mislead voters. 

“The voting public has the need and right to accurate information about the issues, “ Woody said. “Instead, LaTurner relies on the politics of fear.”

One of the focal points of the conversation was the need for voter education to ensure that voters are able to make informed decisions. There was a consensus that voters should be given the tools to evaluate news sources as well as information about participating in the electoral process.

“The people need to be informed, mobilized and engaged,” said Bert Patrick, vice-chair of the Crawford County Democrats. “It’s comparable to planting a garden.”

It is necessary to “prepare the soil” by making certain that voters have access to accurate information, “enrich the soil” with voter education to make them receptive to different ideas, and “harvest” results by impressing on the voting public that their voices are essential if they want to effect change, Patrick said.

Throughout the discussion, Woody stressed his working-class roots and his sensitivity to the struggles of the average citizen.

“LaTurner caters to the interests of the rich and powerful,” Woody said. “I’ve never been rich or powerful, but I do have a strong sense of the needs of the community.”

Jackson Bertocino, co-chair of the Community Outreach Committee for the Crawford County Democrats, applauded Woody’s emphasis on education and on the day-to-day concerns of ordinary citizens.  

“We need someone who cares about the community and who understands their needs,” Bertocino said.

Eli Woody was warmly received by the crowd, who met his ideas with enthusiasm. But Ted Monsour, who identifies himself a “concerned citizen” living in the Pittsburg area, pointed out that Kansas is still heavily Republican, and many of them are influenced by political spin.

“At meetings like this, Eli is preaching to the choir,“ Monsour said. “We’re not the ones he needs to convince.”

For more about Eli Woody, see https://www.woody4congress.com/

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