Mother used in ad attacking Kansas Dem candidate is state GOP official

A mother used in an attack ad against a Kansas Democratic congressional candidate is a top GOP official in the state. 

In the advertisement, which comes from a super PAC linked to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Alana Roethle says she opposes Democratic House candidate Sharice Davids, whom she dubs “too risky for Kansas families,” McClatchy reported. 

“As a mom of four, I care about about keeping our community safe. That’s why I oppose Sharice Davids,” Roethle says, before saying that Davids supports an extreme agenda that would include abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

The ad, however, does not disclose that Roethle is the secretary of Kansas’s Republican Party. She is also a member of the Kansas Lottery Commission who was appointed to her position in 2015, according to McClatchy.{mosads}

Roethle has ties to both the Kansas and national GOP, the outlet noted. A biography of Roethle on the Kansas GOP website says that she served as a delegate during the 2016 Republican National Convention and that she attended President Trump’s inauguration. 

McClatchy noted that advertisement was paid for by the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC connected to House GOP leadership. The ad never notes Roethle’s affiliation or role with the Kansas Republican Party. 

The ad was first broadcast Friday. 

Davids won the Democratic primary for Kansas’s 3rd Congressional District in August after receiving 37 percent of the vote. If she wins in the general election in November, she would be the first Native American woman elected to Congress.

She faces Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.) in her bid for Congress.