By Lucky Kidd
The makeup of the Kansas House of Representatives for the next two years, and the Kansas Senate for the next four, will be decided at Tuesday’s general election.
Statewide the major topic of interest is whether Republicans can keep their super-majorities in the Legislature. Democrats need to flip a net of three seats in the House and two in the senate to drop Republicans below the 2/3rd majority they presently have in both houses and in theory block their ability to override vetoes of Governor Laura Kelly.
In Central Kansas three Senate seats on the ballot are open seats after Senators Mark Steffen (R-Hutchinson), Carolyn McGinn (R-Sedgwick) and Alicia Straub (R-Ellinwood) declined to seek re-election. In Steffen’s 34th district which now includes Reno, Kingman and Barber counties, Republican Michael Murphy of Sylvia, who won the GOP primary with Steffen’s endorsement, will face Democrat Shanna Henry of rural Cheney, who has run for this seat in the past.
Seeking to succeed McGinn in District 31, which includes Harvey County and the north central portion of Sedgwick County including part of northwest Wichita, State Representative Stephen Owens (R-Hesston) is facing Jason Miller (D-Newton).
In Straub’s 33rd District, an 11 county district which locally includes Barton, Ellsworth, Rice, Stafford and Pratt counties, State Representative Tory Marie Blew of Great Bend, who won a contested Republican primary, will face Democrat Matthew Westenfeld of Lyons who has done little in the way of campaigning.
In the 24th District which includes Saline and Dickinson counties, Republican incumbent JR Claeys is facing Democrat John Baker, both from Salina.
One area senator is unopposed in Tuesday’s election. That is Senator Mike Fagg (R-El Dorado), whose 14th district now includes McPherson and Marion counties following redistricting after the 2020 Census.
Two of the four Kansas House districts that include Reno County are contested Tuesday. The most hotly contested of the two is the 102nd district which generally includes the southern part of Hutchinson plus the area bounded by 4th Avenue, Obee Road and US 50 outside the city limits. Democratic incumbent Jason Probst, the westernmost Democrat in the Legislature, is facing a challenge from Republican Kyler Sweely, who moved into the district shortly before the filing deadline.
Sweely had to survive an unsuccessful challenge to his candidacy filed by two members of the Reno County Republican Committee before defeating Tyson Thrall in the August primary.
In the 104th District which includes most of north Hutchinson, Buhler, Medora and the southwest part of McPherson County including Inman, Republican incumbent Paul Waggoner of Hutchinson is facing Lynette Krieger-Zook of Buhler.
The other two House members from Reno County are unopposed Tuesday, Those are Rep. Joe Seiwert (R-Pretty Prairie) in the 101st district that includes the southeast part of Reno County and part of West Sedgwick County, and Steve Schweizer who won the Republican primary in the 114th District to succeed Michael Murphy who is running for State Senate. The 114th includes much of rural Reno county and includes South Hutchinson and a small part of Northwest Hutchinson along with Kingman County and most of eastern Pratt County including a portion of the city of Pratt.
In the 74th House District which takes in much of western and northern Harvey County the southeast part of McPherson County including Canton and Moundridge, and southwest Harvey County including Goessel, Hillsboro and Peabody Republican Mike King of Hesston and Democrat Jenna Ratzlaff of North Newton are seeking to succeed Representative Stephen Owens who is running for Senate.
In the 113th District which includes all of Rice, Stafford and Rush Counties and parts of Barton and Pawnee counties, Republican incumbent Brett Fairchild of St. John is seeking another term in Topeka, opposed by Democrat Jo Ann Roth of Ellinwood.
Seeking the 112th House District where incumbent Tory Marie Blew is running for Senate, is Republican Sherri Brantley and Democrat Mark Rondeau. That district takes in most of Barton County excluding the Ellinwood and Pawnee Rock areas in the 113rd district.
Ellsworth County voters in the 109th District have a three-sided race, with Republican incumbent Troy Waymaster of Bunker Hill facing Democrat Ellace Henderson of Phillipsburg and Libertarian Peter Solie of Lorraine.
In the 69th House District which includes south Salina and southern Saline County, Republican incumbent Clarke Sanders of Salina is being opposed by Lori Blake of Assaria.
In the 72nd district which includes southeast Harvey County including Newton and Sedgwick along with Whitewater in Butler County, Republican incumbent Avery Anderson is facing Democrat Heidi Hoskinson, both of Newton.
Three other House candidates, all Republicans, in the area are unopposed Tuesday. Those include Richard Wilborn of McPherson in the 73rd District which includes McPherson County excluding the eastern and southern tiers of townships. Wilborn, who represented the 35th Senate district that was as it existed was done away with due to redistricting, filed at the last minute to ensure a candidate after incumbent Les Mason of McPherson suffered a fatal stroke days before the filing deadline.
Also unopposed are Representative Scott Hill (R-Abilene) in the 70th district that includes Dickinson County, eastern and northern Marion County including Marion, and two townships in McPherson County including the Roxbury area; and Representative Kyle Hoffman of Coldwater whose 116th district includes part of Pratt County including most of Pratt.