Fred Phelps has passed over "the edge of death"

[old timey villain]

my thoughts exactly

[old timey villain]

Did he actually get a above 40% in the Kansas senate primary in 1992?

How the hell did that happen?

He got 31% and won a couple of counties. Quite the bizarre/impressive/frightening showing especially considering that he was a Democrat.

A little over 30% is still ridiculous.  However, he likely got those votes the same way Alvin Greene won the South Carolina senate primary in 2010.  I doubt the Senate primary was a high priority for Democratic voters in 1992, since whoever won was going to lose to Bob Dole in November.

It also could be that some voters remembered the younger Phelps.  Before he went nutters over gays, he actually had a reputation as a civil rights lawyer fighting racial discrimination.

But you know that this will become the new hot talking point among right wingers. "Fred Phelps was a Democrat. Therefore, Democrats are the REAL party of homophobes and terrible people."

[old timey villain]