2006 New Member Profiles
Kansas' Second District: Nancy Boyda (D)
The Almanac of American Politics
© National Journal Group Inc.
| Nancy Boyda |
| Born: |
August 2, 1955 |
| Family: |
Husband, Steve; seven children |
| Religion: |
Methodist |
| Education: |
William Jewell College, B.S. 1977 |
| Career: |
Pharmaceutical company manager; chemist and inspector, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; math teacher |
Elected
Office: |
None
|
In a race that remained off the national radar until the final weeks of the campaign,
Nancy Boyda came back from her 2004 loss to GOP Rep.
Jim Ryun to deliver one of the most unexpected upsets of Election Day.
Two years ago, Boyda, a lifelong Republican, switched parties and quit her job to challenge Ryun. He aired commercials painting her as a war-protest organizer -- Boyda acknowledges participating in protests before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 -- and he tried to link her to radical groups opposed to the hunt for Osama bin Laden. With help from national Democrats, a hefty contribution from labor, and almost $300,000 of her own money, Boyda managed to out-fundraise the incumbent by $130,000 but still lost the election, 56 percent to 41 percent.
Based on that disappointing performance -- she spent $1.1 million but couldn't break 41 percent of the vote -- her campaign hardly seemed worth watching at the beginning of this year. Indeed, the national party all but ignored her until the final weeks of the 2006 campaign, when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee pumped in money for TV commercials.
This time, Boyda had key support from local organized labor and, more important, the advantage of an environment in which voters were hostile to Republicans and disillusioned with the course of the Iraq war.
Ryun's support for Bush and the war never wavered, even as Boyda reiterated her mantra, "Had enough? Nothing will change until we change Congress." While Ryun spent his money blanketing the eastern Kansas district with television spots, Boyda purchased 12- and 16-page newspaper inserts to familiarize voters with her background and positions.
By October, when Boyda's grassroots campaign (her husband was her campaign manager) suddenly bolted into close contention, the Republican Party began to take notice. Vice President Cheney stumped for Ryun, and President Bush appeared at a rally just two days before the election.
By then, it was too late. Ryun, who was unaccustomed to such a competitive election, accused Boyda of being a radical liberal who supported a "cut and run" approach to Iraq and amnesty for illegal immigrants, a harsh attack that may have seemed out of character for the five-term incumbent. A heavy DCCC investment in TV spots late in the campaign also took its toll as Ryun was forced to answer charges that he voted against a $1,500 combat bonus for troops while giving himself two pay raises.
