"Kansas Chamber members should take an active role in the upcoming November elections," said Lew Ebert, Chamber president and CEO.

"Business leaders in Kansas need to work toward increasing the size of our business caucus in Topeka in the next session of the legislature, because this election could very well set the stage for eventually making Kansas the best state in America to do business," he said.

Ebert said, "Let me be very clear. The Chamber's role in these races will be strong, focused, and aggressive -- but it will be issue-based and not driven by partisanship or personalities.

"The November elections are absolutely critical to the success of the business agenda in the 2005 Kansas Legislature. It's make or break," Ebert said.

Businesses across Kansas are encouraged to check the list of ChamberPAC endorsements, call local candidates and offer support in any way possible…including walking door-to-door, putting up yard signs and giving money to assist pro-business candidates.

"Our goal is to elect 100 percent of ChamberPAC endorsed candidates. If you are concerned about the economy and if you are concerned about jobs, then do what you can to get these pro-business candidates elected," Ebert said.

"You can be certain that the opposition -- big labor, the trial lawyers and other anti-business interests -- will be doing their best to elect candidates who don't vote pro-business," Ebert added. "And, if you don't look out for business, who will?"

The ChamberPAC has aligned a number of pro-business interests in a common framework, enhanced its political intelligence capabilities, and strengthened fundraising and political contributions to enhance the chances of victory for pro-business candidates for seats in the 2005 legislature.

"Together with Kansas Chamber members and affiliated organizations, The ChamberPAC will help allocate some $500,000 in political contributions during the 2004 elections," Ebert said.

"In these tough economic times, business needs more advocates at the Statehouse and we have pledged to do all we can to ensure that there is a stronger business caucus in place for the 2005 legislative session."

The 2004 Kansas elections will likely be some of the most contested in recent memory. A number of special interests - ranging from organizations interested in taxes to gay marriage issues, gun rights, and abortion - will be mounting heavier than usual political campaigns in this election cycle.

They will be working to get their candidates elected while the traditional groups like business, labor and the trial lawyers are also working hard.

We can't let the business message be drowned out by all of the competing interests in 2004. And voter turnout, with the many competing issues, will be critical to business success.

The Kansas ChamberPAC is positioning itself as a leading factor in the upcoming elections working hard to keep pro business legislators in office and to add to their number.

ChamberPAC carries the banner for employers and businesspeople throughout Kansas, Ebert said. Beyond direct political contributions, ChamberPAC also offers in-kind services and other types of political assistance to the campaigns of ChamberPAC-endorsed candidates.

The Kansas ChamberPAC looks at a number of factors to determine its endorsements. Including.

1. Voting Record -- The Kansas Chamber's Voting Record is used as a guide for endorsements, but is not the only determinant. In addition, committee votes are an important element of the legislative process and are considered.

2. Leadership -- Key committee chairs and committee members are critical to the legislative process and have a higher level of visibility in the ChamberPAC endorsement process than in previous years. The same is true for majority and minority leadership.

3. Election Realities -- The competitiveness of a candidate's campaign is another important factor in the endorsement process and in the amount of financial support. If candidates are strong business advocates with tough races, more resources are made available to them than to candidates who are running unopposed. Another test is whether ChamberPAC endorsement and support is likely to influence the outcome.

4. Local Input -- Local chamber and local business input is considered in the endorsement process.

"In our representative society, individuals and businesses can either choose to be effective participants in the development of public policy or victims of government shaped by others -- because politics shapes public policy," Ebert said.

"The Kansas ChamberPAC is built on a simple, yet solid premise: to identify, endorse and elect to the Kansas Legislature champions of free enterprise, and to encourage greater business participation in the state's elections.

"There is no role more critical for business than that of keeping our nation and our state economically strong by creating jobs, expanding opportunities for all Americans to participate in the economy, encouraging entrepreneurship, and strengthening our competitiveness," Ebert said.

ChamberPAC is an independent, bipartisan organization supported by the state's small, medium and large businesses. Other state trade and business associations look to ChamberPAC for astute analysis of candidates, leadership on political strategy and tactics, and identification of the most important legislative races for business involvement. .

Following is The ChamberPAC's list of endorsements:

Endorsed Senate Candidates

Name	Hometown	District
Barbara Allen	Overland Park	8
Pat Apple	Louisburg	12
James Barnett	Emporia	17
Donald Betts	Wichita	29
Karin Brownlee	Olathe	23
Terry Bruce	Hutchinson	34
Pete Brungardt	Salina	24
Mark Buhler	Lawrence	2
Leslie Donovan	Wichita	27
Jay Emler	Lindsborg	35
Mark Gilstrap	Kansas City	5
Greta Goodwin	Winfield	32
Henry Helgerson	Wichita	28
Tim Huelskamp	Fowler	38
Dave Jackson	Topeka	18
Nick Jordan	Shawnee	10
Phillip Journey	Haysville	26
Carolyn McGinn	Sedgwick	31
Steve Morris	Hugoton	39
Kay O'Connor	Olathe	9
Ralph Ostmeyer	Grinnell	40
Peggy Palmer	Augusta	16
Roger Pine	Lawrence	3
Dennis Pyle	Hiawatha	1
Roger Reitz	Manhattan	22
Derek Schmidt	Independence	15
Vicki Schmidt	Topeka	20
Jean Schodorf	Wichita	25
Chris Steineger	Kansas City	6
Mark Taddiken	Clifton	21
Ruth Teichman	Stafford	33
Dwayne Umbarger	Thayer	14
John Vratil	Leawood	11
Susan Wagle	Wichita	30
Dennis Wilson	Overland Park	37
David Wysong	Mission Hills	7

Kansas now allows residents to vote early, either in person or by mail, without requiring the voter to state a specific reason for doing so.

Also, absentee ballots regulations encourage many citizens who may be traveling on Election Day or who may find it difficult for other reasons to vote on that day to do so early.

The Kansas Chamber encourages busy business executives, small business owners and managers, and workers to take advantage of the early voting options that are now available.

Read more about early voting go the Kansas Secretary of State advance voting web site at:
http://www.kssos.org/elections/elections_registration_voting.html.