Yes, those are Kansas Republicans putting their enthusiasm behind the Democrats looking to shovel Sam Brownback out of office.

It looks like Kansans don't appreciate it when billionaires shove education cuts and austerity down their throats. From their press release:

The group pointed to Brownback’s experimental tax plan, severe cuts to schools, and fiscally irresponsible budgeting as reasons for their historic decision. They also praised Davis’s moderate, commonsense leadership and his focus on proven solutions.

“We support Paul Davis and Jill Docking for many reasons, the first of which is their steadfast support for our public schools. Paul has been a champion of schools for his entire career,” said Carol Rupe Linnens, former member of the Kansas State Board of Education. “One of the unique values most Kansans share is a strong commitment to our schools and our top-notch education system. It is clear Sam Brownback does not share this Kansas value.”

Republicans for Kansas values strongly endorsed Davis’ record of bringing people together – regardless of political affiliation – to get things done for Kansas families.

Sam Brownback currently has one of the lowest approval ratings of any governor in the nation, which gives me a degree of hope for our future. It seems voters do not approve when their leaders are nothing more than billionaire puppets.

Davis leads by 6 points in the polls right now at 47 percent, with Brownback at 41 percent and Libertarian Keen Umbehr at 5 percent. Bob Beatty at the Topeka Capital-Journal breaks down the numbers further:

Diving into the numbers reveal some interesting nuggets. First, female voters prefer Davis over Brownback by 14 points. This advantage is likely related to the education issue, as women traditionally rank education higher than men do as a key issue. In the SurveyUSA poll, 73 percent of those who listed “education funding” as their top issue in the governor’s race said they were voting for Davis.

Second, those polled who consider themselves politically moderate favor Davis over Brownback 69 percent to 23 percent. While Brownback wins Republicans overall, 62 percent to 26 percent, the poll numbers indicate what looks to be a willingness by enough moderate Republicans to vote for Davis to make this election competitive.

The Brownback campaign has indicated recently that it will be able to swing moderates back into the Brownback camp once they start TV advertising. Said Brownback in a July 9 interview: “We’re moving in the right direction. And we haven’t been able to get any of this information really out. The media has been very negative overall in the state. New we get a chance to advertise and put those things out there.”

It looks like those moderate Republicans are stepping up their game right now. While I'm sure Sam Brownback's long-standing billionaires will move in with the Big Bucks for ads and smear campaigns, it looks as though Kansas will be a squeaker.