BY: SHERMAN SMITH, MAYA SMITH AND GRACE HILLS -
Kansas Reflector
LAWRENCE — Kansas voters on Tuesday ousted an incumbent Senate Republican and House Democrat who were seen as traitors by their parties, expanding an expected shakeup of the Legislature and setting the stage for a high-stakes general election.
In the 40-member Senate, there will be at least 12 newcomers by January. In the 125-member House, there will be at least 21 newcomers. Those numbers could increase, depending on November results, when Democrats hope to break GOP supermajorities in both chambers.
Democratic voters in Kansas City favored educator Wanda Brownlee Paige over incumbent Rep. Marvin Robinson, who voted almost exclusively with Republicans for most of his single term in office. He was backed by GOP-aligned special interest groups, which flooded the district with mailers favorable to Robinson. But Paige prevailed with 49% of the vote, compared with 22% for Robinson, 20% for Michelle Watley and 9% for Kimberly DeWitt.
“I am so excited, grateful, thankful and just want to continue to turn the page,” Paige said. “After I noticed this man wasn’t going for the people in the district, he voted with the Republicans and for the Republicans, I thought we needed to do something to help the people.”
Sen. Dennis Pyle, a Hiawatha Republican who has represented his district for 20 years, finished in third place. Pyle rankled party members who accused him of helping Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly win reelection by running as an independent candidate for governor in 2022. He also routinely challenged Senate leadership, who redrew his district to make it more difficult for him to win reelection.
Craig Bowser, a U.S. Army Reserve veteran from Holton, was leading the race with 41% of the vote over Rep. John Eplee, an Atchison physician, with 37%. Pyle had 23%.
In a Democratic primary in Lawrence, five-term Sen. Marci Francisco held off a challenge from Rep. Christina Haswood, who was backed by former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
In a victory speech Tuesday night at Black Stag Brewery and Pub, Francisco told supporters she “absolutely did not get here on my own.”
“I have had so many people come out, be willing to walk, be willing to talk to their friends, be willing to write postcards, give me advice, give me endorsements,” Francisco said.
Francisco emphasized her experience as a legislator, during which she has never missed a vote, in a race where there was little policy difference between the two candidates.
“I mean, it was two people who are essentially saying the same thing, right?” Francisco said. “We want to expand Medicaid. We want to be concerned about the environment. We want to fund public education.”
In a Democratic Senate primary in Topeka, Navy veteran Patrick Schmidt won 54% of the vote to defeat longtime legislator and House Minority Leader Vic Miller, who had 34%, and educator ShaMecha King Simms with 12%.
Republican Sens. Chase Blasi, of Wichita; Brenda Dietrich, of Topeka; Beverly Gossage, of Eudora; Caryn Tyson, of Parker; Tim Shallenburger, of Baxter Springs; and Elaine Bowers, of Concordia, defeated or held large leads over primary challengers. Democratic Sen. David Haley, of Kansas City, also defeated a challenger.
Rep. Tory Marie Blew, of Great Bend, defeated John Sturn, of Ellinwood, in the GOP primary for a Senate seat.
Seven other House members who are seeking a Senate seat didn’t have a primary opponent.
Among contested House races, Leavenworth County Commissioner Mike Stieben led Rep. Lance Neelly, of Tonganoxie, by 41 votes after all ballots were counted Tuesday night in the GOP primary for Neelly’s House seat. But the outcome could depend on mail-in ballots, as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday and received by Friday, as well as provisional ballots.
Rep. Mark Schreiber, an Emporia Republican, won 64% of the vote to defeat businessman Will Spencer.
Micah Kubic, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, praised voters for favoring Schreiber, who is viewed as a moderate, and for disposing of Robinson, who cast anti-LGBTQ+ votes. The ACLU of Kansas PAC targeted both races with “educational materials.”
“Kansans have had enough of politicians’ misinformation or misrepresentation of their positions,” Kubic said. “When given truthful, reliable, and accurate sources focused on issues of civil liberties and civil rights, voters prioritize those issues even amidst the noise of the campaign season.”
Former Rep. Steve Huebert, a Valley Center Republican, won 64% of the vote in a four-way race for a seat he held until two years ago. Rep. Carl Maughan, of Colwich, was on the ballot but stopped campaigning after the Kansas Supreme Court in June suspended his law license for engaging in a conflict of interest. Maughan also was arrested in March after driving drunk.
Alexis Simmons, a Topeka Democrat who was the spokeswoman for House Democrats, won 85% of the vote in Miller’s House district.
Brooklynne Mosley, a Lawrence Democrat and Air Force veteran, won 67% of the vote in a three-way race for a House seat.
In the House, 33 Republicans and 19 Democrats will be unopposed in November. In the Senate, six Republicans and three Democrats will run unopposed in November.