A top member of Republican leadership is headlining a fundraiser on Tuesday for U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas, a vulnerable incumbent congressman whose fight for a fifth term could help determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.
Republican Whip Steve Scalise is the special guest for the event hosted by a long list of prominent business people in the Kansas City area, including Doug Cusick, a plastic surgeon; corporate attorney Steve Rist; Greg Graves, the former CEO of engineering firm Burns & McDonnell; and Cliff Illig, who co-founded Cerner.
Yoder’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
Scalise’s name has been floated as a possible replacement for House Speaker Paul Ryan, although Scalise has said he’d back California Republican Kevin McCarthy for the job if he runs.
An invitation to the fundraiser for Yoder obtained by The Star suggests minimum contributions of $500 per couple or $250 per person to attend a reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Leawood. For $1,000, attendees to the reception also can get a photo.
Those who pony up $2,500 receive a photo and access to a VIP reception starting a half hour earlier.
All contributions go to the Yoder Kansas Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee formed by Yoder’s campaign, his leadership political action committee and the Kansas Republican Party.
Joint fundraising committees such as the Yoder Kansas Victory Fund can collect contributions up to the combined contribution limits of participating committees. Participants agree ahead of time how much of the proceeds will go to each committee.
Yoder is running for re-election against Democratic newcomer Sharice Davids, a Johnson County attorney, and Libertarian Chris Clemmons.
The Star’s Steve Vockrodt contributed to this report from Kansas City.