DODGE CITY, Kan. — Dodge City is known as the cattle capital of the U.S. It’s not just farm country, but beef country, and locals are proud of their role in feeding the world. It is also a community of immigrants, with a majority Hispanic population.
When federal immigration officers stepped up activity here in September, carrying out the president’s immigration crackdown, voters in both parties were left frustrated.
Asked whether what happened last month went too far, Gary Harshberger, a farmer, business owner and Republican in Dodge City, said ICE “came in to round up some bad actors. And they did that.”
“We’ve got to find a solution for those good people that don’t want to get caught up in that web,” Harshberger added. “ … It’s not even reasonable to think we’re going to round them all up and send them out of this country because some of them don’t even have another country that they know.”
The raids led to protests and a chilling effect in this agricultural hub.
“They saw what the policies were doing to the community,” said Angelica Plata, a Dodge City community organizer who helped lead protests. “They saw their families affected, their coworkers affected, their favorite restaurants, the places they go to on the daily affected. And so, through that, I know that that was an insane turning point.”
Plata was one of several Democrats who gathered to discuss with Spectrum News the impact of the president’s policies on Kansas and on the Senate race between Republican incumbent Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton.
“I can’t support Marshall because I don’t know if he’s forgotten or if he just never understood the concept of what representative government is,” said Jane Holwerda, a Dodge City resident.
Kansas last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1932, but local Republicans acknowledge that Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, is giving Marshall a run for his money.
“It’s not usual for us,” said Scott Fischer, who has chaired the Ford County GOP for 15 years.
“We can always go back and do things differently looking at history, and there’s probably things he (Marshall) might do differently, but that’s the way everybody looks at things,” Fischer said. “If people want to keep the Senate on the Republican side, there going to vote for Roger Marshall no matter what he’s done.”
Trump’s trade wars, the war in Iran and his decision to import discounted foreign beef have all hurt the economy in Dodge City. But local Republicans still say the president has enough support that they hope will help Marshall, though they say Hamilton has more momentum here than any Democrat in recent history.
Source: spectrumlocalnews.com
