ShawneeDispatch.com

Republican voters in Kansas' 39th House District will choose Aug. 1 between two Shawnee residents -- a moderate and a conservative.

Ray Cox, who represented the 39th District for 13 years, announced his retirement last spring and endorsed Quentin Brewer, manager and co-owner of Brewer's Price Chopper in Bonner Springs. Brewer faces Owen Donohoe, owner of Donohoe & Associates, a medical devices distributor, and the winner of the primary will face Cory Mohn, who is the sole Democratic candidate for the district.

Donohoe, who has no experience in public office, said he is a traditional Republican, describing himself as a fiscal conservative, for limited government, a strong proponent of individual property rights and "pro-life."

Brewer, the co-owner of Brewer's Price Chopper in Bonner Springs and a resident of Shawnee, is also a political novice, and has described himself as a moderate Republican in the mold of Cox.

Donohoe said he was motivated to run by the confluence of several issues important to him: taxes, education, healthcare, energy and immigration.

Brewer, meanwhile, said he had no "wild issues," and that his positions on the issues Donohoe cited would closely conform to those of Cox.

Donohoe said taxes were a concern to him as a small-business owner and "we need to keep them in line."

Brewer said he thought the state should consider legalizin gambling. Having a casino near the Kansas Speedway, for instance, would boost the local economy with added jobs and tourism, Brewer said. The state is losing money to Missouri, he said, because residents are crossing the border to spend their gambling money there.

Donohoe said that through his company he hears a lot of complaints from doctors as well as patients about the state of health care. Donohoe blames paperwork in part for increasing premiums each year, which he compared to a tax increase on employers.

Brewer said he had some good ideas for the school districts and that he thought school districts ought to be able to raise by a "reasonable increase" their local budget options in order to pump in extra money to their schools.

Although Donohoe is running as a conservative Republican against a moderate Republican in a district that has elected a moderate the last seven elections, and that same moderate -- Cox -- is supporting his opponent, Donohoe said after filing he thought he stood a good chance of winning.

On Tuesday, Brewer said of the primary election, "I feel good about it. Just hope it pays off."

The "it" Brewer referred to was meeting what he estimated to be 80 percent of the households in Shawnee, plus several community, education and civic groups and leaders.

Donohoe said he hadn't given many speeches or met with many groups, and that he "didn't know how it's going" with his campaign.

The one venue in which both candidates appeared was a meeting of the Johnson County League of Women Voters. Donohoe said the differences between him and Brewer became even more apparent at the event, during which the candidates answered questions but didn't debate.

One of those issues was a so-called "Taxpayers Bill of Rights" for Kansas, which Donohoe said he supports in a modified version of the Colorado law, and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. Donohoe said he couldn't understand why "breaking the law should be rewarded" with state funds, while Brewer refuted the idea that granting in-state tuition was tantamount to funding.