By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
Kansas Democrats campaigning across the state made their last stop in Hays Saturday for Democracy Fest.
The event included candidates for U.S. Senate, Kansas Governor and Secretary of State. Kansas Democratic Party Chairwoman Jeanna Repass said Democrats are in a “dog fight” to keep their momentum going.
"In our state's history, we've never followed two back-to-back [governor] Democrats with another Democrat," Repass said.
Candidates also visited Colby and Dodge City to speak with Kansans and attended the “No Kings” rally in Hays after Democracy Fest.
Gubernatorial candidates
Sen. Cindy Holscher spoke about her rural background and what drove her to address school underfunding during former Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration.
Holscher said she has been one of the most successful Democrats at getting legislation passed.
"I've led initiatives to make lives more affordable for Kansans, including restoration of childhood tax credits, eliminating sales tax on food, eliminating taxes on Social Security, and I fought for single moms to make sure they get the child care payments they're owed," she said.
Sen. Ethan Corson tied his campaign to his western Kansas roots, vowing to make the state a place where future generations can thrive.
Corson said he will support rural health care, technical education and fair redistricting, noting he has previously challenged Ty Masterson over gerrymandered maps.
"We need to make Kansas more affordable. We need to bring in more jobs and businesses to keep young people in our state so they can have the careers that they want," he said. "We need to support our public schools, which are the backbone of our rural communities."
U.S. Senate candidates
Christy Davis highlighted her work across rural Kansas, including projects in downtown Hays, and said Kansans deserve representatives who show up and listen to their constituents.
"Kansas is different than any other state in the nation. We have a unique culture and history that changes the way we need to address things," she said.
Sandy Neumann, who recently announced her campaign, drew on her 40-year career in financial services, saying it taught her both fiscal responsibility and how to stand her ground.
"You would not get investments into your programs and reach your goals to protect people's jobs unless you could fight," she said.
Audience members asked Davis and Neumann how they approach faith and religion, noting that Republicans are often “very good at painting Democrats as faithless, godless and scary people.”
Neumann said she was raised Catholic but attended public school as a child, adding faith doesn’t always require going to a specific place of worship.
"[Republicans] have done a really good job of managing language, like when they say they're pro-life, but they're really pro-birth because if they were pro-life, they would take care of the mother and the child," Neumann said. "They wouldn't cut Medicaid that closes rural hospitals."
Davis said she attended church three times a week growing up and believes having a moral compass is essential. She described herself as a Christian, but not a Christian nationalist.
"I saw that shift in my own church, in a rural community. I heard a sermon one day that I considered hate speech, and I got up and walked out," Davis said. "I believe to my very core that God is love, and the No. 1 thing we need to do is love our neighbors."
Attorney general candidates
Chris Mann said he’s running to restore integrity, public service and strong leadership to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.
Mann said the Democratic Attorneys General Association identified the Kansas race as the nation’s top pickup opportunity following his close loss in 2022.
"I've been a police officer and a prosecutor. I fought for Kansas on the streets and in the courtroom," he said. "Kris Kobach has never worn a badge to protect Kansans."
An attendee asked how this campaign differs from his last. Mann said he previously lacked the resources to reach every community but is now traveling to every corner of the state.
"We're going to have these face-to-face conversations, making sure everyone knows who I am, what I stand for. I think we've got a great chance," he said.
Secretary of State candidates
Former representative Jennifer Day said polling access, mail voting and voter education should be expanded to modernize elections and boost voter turnout.
An attendee voiced concern about the shrinking number of polling places and limited voting access in rural areas, asking how Day plans to address the issue.
Day said the main challenges are funding and the limited availability of election workers on Election Day. She encouraged voters to take advantage of early voting options.
"We need to empower our county clerks and make sure that they've got that funding to be able to do the right thing by the voters," she said.
Sam Lane, who is also running for secretary of state, attended the event but did not address the crowd. He spoke individually with attendees after the main speaking portion.
First congressional district candidates
Colin McRoberts, a professor at the University of Kansas, said he’s running not as a politician, but as a businessman and negotiator.
McRoberts said President Donald Trump is engaging in executive overreach, citing what he described as illegal actions, including tariffs, federalized troop deployments, ICE arrests of U.S. citizens, arrests over speech and firing federal employees during a shutdown.
"The first district is red in a red state. This is not going to be an easy race, it's not going to be a cheap race, it's not going to be a short race, but it's possible to win in a way it hasn't been before," McRoberts said.
Lauren Reinhold, who has practiced law for 28 years and is a former federal union officer who worked in human resources advocating for employees, said she has not officially announced her candidacy yet but plans to file in the coming weeks.
Reinhold said she decided to run after witnessing firsthand how Trump, Congress and the Department of Government Efficiency have, in her view, undermined the federal government.
"They have gone in there and slashed programs that Kansans are dependent on and weakened our institutions like Social Security," she said. "We're not going to see the full impact for months, maybe even years, but the cracks are there."
Kansas House 110 candidate
Mark Schaukowitch, a former teacher, announced his campaign for House District 110, saying he is dissatisfied with the current legislative representation under Ken Rahjes.
"I'm running for this seat because, uniquely in this area, there is no one who wants to get the work done," he said. "We have an opportunity here that I never thought that we would have, and that's to build power."
Schaukowitch acknowledged that winning could be difficult in a Republican-leaning district. His priorities include creating a rural permanent fund using oil revenues to stabilize county services and advancing Medicaid expansion to support hospitals, nursing homes and rural workforce retention.