The Kansas Republican Party has pickled itself in a brackish brine of racism, homophobia and intolerance.

Officials can dissemble all they want, but the party can’t hope to represent everyday Kansans while tasting so sour. Poorly canned pickles can give you botulism, remember.

This distasteful metaphor suggested itself as the party staggered from embarrassment to embarrassment in recent months. You’ll recall the racist and white supremacist texts shared by young Republicans. GOP officials condemned the rhetoric. But on Nov. 28, the state party’s social media accounts posted a screed against democratic Gov. Laura Kelly from Ellis County GOP chairman Adam Peters.

Kansas Reflector readers might remember him as a central figure in our 2023 Church and State series. In recordings obtained by

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