Kansas Dem Drops Out Of Race As Sex Claim Against Her Resurfaces

A Kansas woman seeking election to Congress on the Democratic ticket has dropped out the race after she was asked by a newspaper reporter about a 2005 lawsuit in which she was accused of sexually harassing and retaliating against a male subordinate after he refused to have sex with her, according to media reports. Andrea Ramsey said Friday the allegation against her “is a lie” and that she is the victim of a “whisper campaign” by her political opponents during what is seen as a watershed moment in America for a discussion of sexual harassment and assault.

The 56-year-old Ramsey, who was running in a district that was considered winnable for Democrats in the red state of Kansas, has denied the allegations raised by a former employee of LabOne, where Ramsey was executive vice president in human resources in 2005. Ramsey was not personally named in the lawsuit, which LabOne settled. It was filed after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission declined to investigate the former employee’s claim.

In a letter to constituents of Kansas’ 3rd District, where Ramsey was among six Democrats seeking to replace Congressman Kevin Yoder, she said “the false allegations are disgraceful and demean the moment this country is in.”

“For far too long, complaints of sexual harassment have been completely ignored. The timely and thorough investigation of complaints is a very good thing. We are seeing real change in how harassment is being handled from Topeka to Washington. We should always make it as safe as possible for people who have been wronged to come forward, and I have based my professional career as an employment lawyer and human resources executive on that principle.”

She said that in its “rush to claim the high ground in our rolling national conversation about harassment, the Democratic Party has implemented a zero tolerance standard.”

“For me, that means a vindictive, terminated employee’s false allegations are enough for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) to decide not to support our promising campaign,” she wrote. “We are in a national moment where rough justice stands in place of careful analysis, nuance and due process.”

She said that “on balance, it is far more important to me that women are stepping forward to tell their stories and confront their harassers than it is to continue our campaign, but said her withdrawal from the race diminishes Democrats’ chances to flip the 3rd District.

The Democratic National Committee had targeted the 3rd District among 23 nationwide that Democrats could reclaim in the 2018 midterm elections. In those targeted districts, Democrat Hillary Clinton received more votes than Republican President Donald Trump.

In a statement, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Meredith Kelly said both members and candidates should be held to the highest possible standards. The DCCC has not endorsed a candidate in the 3rd District primary race.

“If anyone is guilty of sexual harassment or sexual assault, that person should not hold public office,” Kelly said.

Ramsey was not personally named in the action and did not participation in mediation that led to the permanent dismissal of the lawsuit, she told the Kansas City Star. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigated the man’s complaint and opted not to pursue it, and he voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit, Ramsey said in the letter.

Also in the letter, she wrote:

“Since I was in sixth grade, I wanted to be a lawyer. What drew me to the field of law was the idea of due process, that both sides presented their case and an objective judge or jury weighed the evidence. I have been swept up in decisions without due process. A man sued my company twelve years ago and made false accusations against me. Had the false allegations been brought against me directly, I would have fought to exonerate my name and my reputation. I would have sued the disgruntled, vindictive employee for defamation. Now, twelve years later this suit is being used to force me out of my race for Congress. Let me be clear: I never engaged in any of the alleged behavior. And the due process that I love, that drew me to the field of law, is totally denied.”

The lawsuit had been filed by Gary Funkhouser, who declined to discuss the case when asked about it by a Kansas City Star reporter.

In the now-sealed complaint obtained by The Star and the McClatchy Washington Bureau, Funkhouser claimed Ramsey made sexual advances toward him on a business trip in 2005.

“After I told her I was not interested in having a sexual relationship with her, she stopped talking to me,” he wrote in the complaint. “In the office she completely ignored me and avoided having any contact with me.”

Funkhouser maintained that prior to the trip, Ramsey “repeatedly told me she heard great things from others about my performance."

"After I rejected her, she told me she now was hearing bad things about my performance and on June 13, 2005, terminated my employment," he wrote.

Ramsey told The Star the decision to fire Funkhouser was reached with LabOne's management team.

“It became clear to me that he wasn’t managing his subordinates adequately,” she said. “... He didn’t have open lines of communication with his subordinates and furthermore there was this additional layer of management.”

She also told The Star she doesn't recall the business trip 12 years ago.

Photo: Andrea Ramsey for Congress campaign website