Latest news with #LauraKelly
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Second Johnson County lawmaker enters Democratic primary for Kansas governor
A second Johnson County Democratic lawmaker has taken the plunge and announced a bid to become the next governor of Kansas. State Sen. Ethan Corson of Fairway joined Overland Park Sen. Cindy Holscher in the primary field, launching his campaign in an official statement Tuesday. 'I'm a lifelong Kansan, a dad with young kids, and a proud product of our public schools,' said Corson, 43. 'I'm running for governor to create opportunity for the next generation of Kansans, so they can build a life here.' In short, he said, that means making sure Kansas has both the best schools in America and the most affordable housing options. In a separate news release Tuesday morning, Lt. Gov. David Toland — long rumored to harbor gubernatorial aspirations — announced that he would not seek the job, choosing instead to focus on economic development work in his other role as commerce secretary. Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who can't run again due to term limits, appeared to throw her weight behind Corson's candidacy in a post to X that stopped just short of an explicit endorsement. 'When I think about the type of leader Kansas will need to keep us on the path to prosperity — it's someone laser focused on the issues Kansans really care about,' Kelly said. 'Someone who understands how to bring people together to get good things done for Kansas. That's exactly who Ethan Corson is.' Holscher also welcomed him to the race. 'The more the merrier! Kansans deserve to hear from all the candidates,' Holscher said in a campaign statement. 'I'm confident that voters will learn I'm the best choice in this race, because I've proven I know how to fight, win, and move Kansas forward.' Besides Corson and Holscher, the only other Democrat who has filed to run is Marty Tuley, a Lawrence personal fitness trainer. Deep Johnson County field With Corson's entrance into the race, half of the 12 candidates vying to succeed Kelly live in Johnson County. On the Republican side, former Gov. Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, former County Commissioner Charlotte O'Hara and conservative podcaster Doug Billings all hail from the state's wealthiest and most populous county. Excluding Colyer, who became governor in 2018 after Sam Brownback's resignation, Kansas last elected a Johnson County governor in 1975. A Johnson County Democrat hasn't served as chief executive in over a century. The county has long fought to shake the reputation that its candidates are out of touch with rural Kansas voters. Officials with both parties and some independent commentators say the paradigms that have held Johnson County candidates back in the past may be shifting. Who is Ethan Corson? Corson was first elected to the Senate in 2020, cruising to re-election by nearly 30 percentage points last November. He's pitching himself to voters as a bipartisan problem solver. Corson, who serves as a ranking member on the Senate's tax, transportation and judiciary committees, said he's always been focused 'on the kitchen table issues that matter to Kansans: strong public schools and lower taxes for working and middle-class families.' Among his legislative achievements, Corson cites his votes to help eliminate the state tax on groceries, remove taxes on Social Security and deliver targeted tax relief for seniors, veterans and middle-class Kansans. In impassioned speeches on the Senate floor this spring, Corson squared off against Republican lawmakers over their decision to create an automatic mechanism for lowering state income tax rates without first passing the property tax reform they promised to combat soaring valuations. Corson has also been an outspoken opponent of the Republican-backed constitutional amendment proposal aiming to reshape the Kansas Supreme Court by switching to direct election of justices. Corson attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and journalism before returning for a law degree. After graduating, Corson worked as an attorney in Washington D.C., going on to serve as a senior advisor to Obama-era Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and as chief of staff at the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration. According to his release, in that role, Corson helped manage a team of over 2,200 employees across 75 countries — 'experiences that gave Ethan a perspective on how to recruit businesses to Kansas and how to help Kansans, especially our farmers, ship their products around the world.' Corson returned to Kansas in 2019 to serve a stint as executive director of the state Democratic Party. 'But for Ethan, it all comes back to public education,' the release says. 'It's the education Ethan received in the Shawnee Mission School District — and the teachers and coaches who touched his life — that made his path possible.' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kansas Sen. Ethan Corson joins Democratic primary for Kansas governor
Kansas State Sen. Ethan Corson, D-Fairway, announced July 22 he's running for governor, becoming the third Democrat to seek the office. In a press release, Corson said his campaign will focus on "kitchen table issues" like decreasing taxes, recruiting new businesses to the state and improving public schools. 'I've always been laser-focused on the kitchen table issues that matter to Kansans: strong public schools and lower taxes for working and middle-class families,' Corson said. 'I'm not interested in the partisan battles you see on cable news — Kansans want leaders who work together — regardless of political party — to get things done. "That's exactly what I've done in the State Senate, and that's the kind of common-sense, bipartisan leadership I'll bring to the Governor's Office.' Corson won his Senate seat in 2020 and was reelected in 2024. He was the first Democrat to win the district. He is the Democrats' ranking minority member in the transportation, judiciary and assessment and taxation committees. In his announcement, his campaign highlighted bipartisan bills he worked on that eliminated the sales tax on groceries, cut property taxes and removed taxes on Social Security payments. Corson is a lawyer and previously worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce and was the chief of staff at the International Trade Administration. Kansas governor releases statement on Corson Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly posted on social media supporting Corson. The statement was short of a full endorsement but did call him "the type of leader Kansas will need to keep us on the path to prosperity." "When I think about the type of leader Kansas will need to keep us on the path to prosperity — it's someone laser focused on the issues Kansans really care about. Someone who understands how to bring people together to get good things done for Kansas. That's exactly who Ethan Corson is," Kelly posted on X. She went on to call him an advocate for attracting jobs to the state, funding public schools and affordable housing, child care and health care. "Ethan also played a critical role in axing the food sales tax and lowering property taxes. He'll be a very strong candidate," Kelly said. Kelly didn't make a similar statement about Kansas Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, who announced her campaign last month. More than 10 candidates are running for Kansas governor Corson faces Holscher and fitness trainer Marty Tuley in the August 2026 Democratic Primary. On the Republican ticket, at least eight candidates have announced campaigns, including Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas Democratic State Senator joins governor race
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
There Is Hope for Democrats. Look to Kansas.
David Leonhardt, an editorial director for Opinion, talks to the Opinion correspondent Michelle Cottle about her recent reporting trip to Kansas. Cottle argues that Democrats should look to moderate governors like Laura Kelly of Kansas for a playbook. Below is a transcript of an episode of 'The Opinions.' We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio app, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. The transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity. David Leonhardt: Democrats are spending a lot of time these days agonizing about what the future of their party should look like. Today we're going to talk about one potential answer. The party's current crop of governors: politicians who have a proven ability to win elections, including some really tough elections, and to govern as well. My colleague Michelle Cottle recently traveled to Kansas to talk with one of the country's most impressive governors. Laura Kelly is a moderate Democrat in her second term. Kansas is so Republican that it hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 1932. It's so Republican that there is a famous book, 'What's the Matter With Kansas?' lamenting the failure of Democrats there. Yet Governor Kelly is now in her second term. Michelle and I are going to talk about what lessons she offers for her party. Thanks for being here. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who's running for governor of Kansas in 2026? Meet the 11 candidates so far
Come January 2027, Kansas will have a new governor. Democrat Laura Kelly has already won the job twice, making her ineligible to run again. The primary election isn't until Aug. 4, 2026, but 11 candidates have filed to run so far — from ambitious statewide officeholders to prominent lawmakers, former officials and entrepreneurs. Kansas has for decades traded its top state office back and forth between Republican and Democratic governors without consecutively electing different candidates from the same party. That factor suggests Republicans will have an edge in 2026. But Democrats will aim to capitalize on downballot backlash against the second Trump administration in the midterm, seeking to tie the eventual GOP nominee to unpopular policies. First, though, candidates must survive the bruising primary process. Democratic candidates Cindy Holscher Holscher, an Overland Park state senator elected to the Legislature in 2017, became the first major Democrat to launch a bid to succeed Kelly. Holscher bills herself as someone who's willing to stand up to what she called extremist Republicans while working to foster collaboration across the political spectrum. Marty Tuley Tuley, a Lawrence personal fitness trainer, is the only other Democrat to file for governor so far. According to his campaign website, Tuley's priorities include strengthening public education, legalizing marijuana and eliminating major incentives for out-of-state corporations. Republican candidates Scott Schwab Schwab, who lives in Overland Park, served a decade in the Legislature before being elected secretary of state in 2018. He won re-election in 2022 despite a fierce primary challenge fueled by his insistence that Kansas elections are free and fair. Schwab has criticized the Legislature for not enacting large-scale property tax reform. Jeff Colyer Colyer, an Overland Park surgeon, previously served as lieutenant governor and spent nearly a year as governor after Sam Brownback resigned the post in 2018. Colyer lost a razor-thin primary race to Kris Kobach that year and bowed out of the 2022 contest after sharing a cancer diagnosis. In 2024, he chaired Trump's campaign operation in Kansas. Vicki Schmidt Schmidt has twice been elected Kansas insurance commissioner, earning more votes than any other statewide candidate on both occasions. Under her leadership, the Insurance Department set a state record in 2023 by recovering $16 million for consumers. Schmidt was first elected to represent her Topeka district in the state Senate in 2005. Ty Masterson Masterson has served in the Legislature since 2009, taking over as president of the Kansas Senate in 2021. The Andover Republican has worked to undermine Gov. Kelly's policy priorities including Medicaid expansion, while weaponizing GOP supermajorities to enact anti-LGBTQ+ laws and tighten voting restrictions. Charlotte O'Hara O'Hara, who lives in Olathe, was ousted from her seat on the Johnson County Commission in 2024. She previously served one term in the Kansas House. O'Hara, who owns a casino chip manufacturing business, said her priorities include ending 'corporate welfare' tax incentives and overhauling public school curriculum. Joy Eakins Eakins, who owns a data analytics company, previously served one term on the Wichita school board. She has become a vocal critic of Kansas public education, advocating for a school voucher program. Eakins also promotes tax cuts and slashing regulations to encourage investment. Doug Billings Billings, an Olathe resident and conservative podcaster, was the first candidate to officially file to run for governor. He previously worked in human resources and says he wants to implement a state-level version of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, that could slash government spending. Stacy Rogers Rogers owns several businesses, including a cosmetics company, a children's clothing consignment chain and an event venue in Wichita, where she lives. Her campaign website mentions no specific policy priorities. Brandon Adams Adams, who lives in Auburn, has not yet created a campaign website. According to his LinkedIn page, Adams is a lieutenant with the Topeka Fire Department.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Red state Senate president joins field of Republicans hoping to wrest governorship from Democratic control
Kansas state Senate President Ty Masterson has joined the field of Republicans hoping to wrest the governorship from Democratic control. Masterson describes himself as "a results-oriented conservative laborer and businessman." While Kansas has gone red in every presidential election for more than 50 years, the state currently has a Democratic governor. Kansas Secretary Of State Launches 2026 Gop Gubernatorial Bid For Seat Held By 2-Term Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly has held the post since early 2019, but is not eligible to run again in 2026 because she's currently serving her second consecutive term. "No person may be elected to more than two successive terms as governor …" the state constitution stipulates. Read On The Fox News App Masterson's move to jump into the running adds another candidate to the Kansas GOP gubernatorial field that also includes former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, and others. Advocates Celebrate Override Of Dem Governor's 'Misguided' Veto Of Protecting Kids From Gender Transitions Colyer, a former Kansas lieutenant governor, ascended to the governorship in 2018 because then-Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, departed the role to serve as U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom. While serving in the governorship in 2018, Colyer ran for governor, but was just barely edged out in the GOP primary by then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who went on to lose the general election later that year to Kelly. Hochul Fails To Crack 50% But Tops Potential Gop Challenges By Double Digits In Ny Governor Race: PollOriginal article source: Red state Senate president joins field of Republicans hoping to wrest governorship from Democratic control
