The three Republican candidates running for Congress from the Kansas 3rd District all agree that the Democratic incumbent, Sharice Davids, has to be defeated. Each candidate attempted to convince the Republican faithful attending the state party’s convention in Olathe Friday, Jan. 31, of their abilities.
Pete Mundo, a conservative talk show host, moderated the debate. For the most part, the debate was civil with very few personal cheap shots.
The candidates are Amanda Adkins, Adrienne Vallejo Foster and Sara Hart Weir. All live in Johnson County and are trying to attract the middle-class “soccer mom” voters.
Adkins, of Overland Park, is on leave as an executive from the Cerner Corp. She served as chairwoman of the Kansas Republican Party in 2010 when the Republicans won all of the federal and statewide races in Kansas. She was chairwoman of the state of Kansas Children’s Cabinet. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas at Lawrence. She and her husband Jason are the parents of a daughter and son.
Foster grew up in Kansas City, Kansas — one of several children. She said her family members, who are Democrats, are encouraging other Democrats to cross party lines to vote for her. She is quick to point out that she is the only candidate who has held public office. She was mayor of Roeland Park. She was a member of former Sam Brownback’s administration in charge of Hispanic affairs. Foster said her campaign is based on “family, faith and freedom.”
Weir, of Mission, served as chief executive officer of the National Down Syndrome Society. Here she worked to pass the bipartisan Achieving a Better Life Experience (A.B.L.E.) Act; this federal law allows tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities. Weir grew up in Olathe where she attended public schools. She received an undergraduate degree in psychology and political leadership from Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, and a Master of Science degree in public policy and management from Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
The Democrats have taken notice of these Republican candidates. Brooke Goren, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party, reminds voters that Hillary Clinton, a Democrat running for president, won the district by nearly ten points in 2016.
Goren said Adkins was a longtime adviser to former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback who cut millions of dollars from public education. Foster was criticized for cutting city services in Roeland Park. Weir was criticized for working as a lobbyist for pharmaceutical companies.
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is executive director of Business West.
Kristiane Bryant, a former assistant district attorney, has announced her candidacy for Wyandotte County District Attorney.
Bryant, a Kansas City, Kansas, resident, filed Nov. 26.
In her announcement, Bryant said, “I am running for Wyandotte County District Attorney because the safety of our community is my highest priority. The prosecution of criminal cases is an incredibly important and complex piece of the justice system which requires experience and competence to ensure that the rights of Wyandotte County citizens are not compromised by the way cases are handled.”
Bryant has been a prosecuting attorney for 14 years, with more than seven years in the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office. She currently is the trial team leader of the violent crimes unit in the Jackson County prosecutor’s office, where she manages attorneys and staff and prosecutes homicide, robbery and assault cases.
She left her position as assistant district attorney in the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office in 2016. As deputy district attorney, she specialized in homicide cases. She prosecuted sexual assault, child abuse, robbery, battery and other felony cases as well as child in need of care and truancy cases.
Bryant also served more than three years with the criminal litigation unit of the office of the Kansas attorney general, where she handled homicide, child sexual abuse and public corruption cases throughout Kansas. She also served there as section leader of the sexually violent predator prosecution unit, where she coordinated a team of prosecutors from various jurisdictions across the state.
Bryant and her husband John Bryant, of the Bryant Law Office, are raising their three daughters in Kansas City, Kansas.
She attended the University of Kansas, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Juris Doctor degree in law. A native of Canada, she moved to Kansas in 1991 and attended Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, then went to KU. She moved to Wyandotte County after completing law school.
Bryant is active in the Kiwanis KCK-West, where she is a board member; and also in the Lancaster-Melton Peacekeepers Civitan Club, the KCK Women’s Chamber of Commerce, the Wyandotte County Bar Association and Leadership 2000.
Bryant filed as a Democrat, and her campaign treasurer is Martin Cervantes Sr.
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts is not looking for another term in Washington. Plenty of people are lining up in hopes they’ll take over. (Photo by Nomin Ujiyedin, Kansas News Service)
by Stephen Koranda, Kansas News Service
Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts says he will not run for re-election in 2020, opening the door to a parade of candidates announcing a run or considering jumping into the race to replace him. Multiple Republicans are eyeing the seat, and it could be the first time Democrats have a competitive U.S. Senate primary since the 1990s.
Here’s the rundown of who’s seeking the seat in Washington:
Republicans
Kris Kobach Residence: Near Lecompton, Kansas
Nationally, Kobach is known as a hardliner against illegal immigration. But in Kansas, he’s coming off a 2018 loss for the governor’s office. When he was secretary of state from 2011 to 2019, he pushed for strict voter registration changes, arguing they would help prevent voter fraud. Critics said the rules made it too difficult for eligible voters to register and the requirements were blocked by a federal court. Kobach is a long-time ally of President Donald Trump, and he says he’ll push Trump’s policies and fight what he calls the establishment in Washington. He’s currently working with a private organization attempting to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
Dave Lindstrom Residence: Overland Park, Kansas
Lindstrom is a former Kansas City Chief turned businessman who’s chairman of the board for the Kansas Turnpike Authority. After his NFL career, Lindstrom owned four Burger King restaurants in the Kansas City area and worked in real estate. Like other Republicans in the race, Lindstrom is voicing his support for Trump and says he’ll bring free-market ideas and a conservative perspective to the Senate.
Roger Marshall Residence: Great Bend, Kansas
Roger Marshall was reelected last year to represent Kansas 1st District in Congress, a seat he first won in 2016. In Congress, Marshall has been a reliable supporter of President Trump and his agenda. He worked as an obstetrician and gynecologist before joining Congress. Marshall says if elected he will continue to push for a border wall with Mexico and will confirm strict constitutionalists to the United States Supreme Court. He says what differentiates him from other conservatives in the race is a concern for the national debt, which he argues can be addressed by strengthening the economy, lowering health care costs and having fewer Americans on welfare.
Bryan Pruitt
Residence: Manhattan, Kansas
Pruitt is a Wichita native who worked as a conservative political commentator and political consultant based in Washington, D.C. He has now returned to Kansas for the campaign. If elected, he would be the first openly gay senator from Kansas. Pruitt agrees with other conservatives in the race on major issues, but says the party needs to talk differently about abortion and should nominate more diverse candidates.
Susan Wagle Residence: Wichita, Kansas
Wagle is the first woman to become president of the Kansas Senate (2013-current). A conservative who has been a vocal critic of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, Wagle and Kelly have clashed on issues like Medicaid expansion and tax policy. Wagle touts her years of work in support of abortion restrictions approved by Kansas lawmakers. She’ll continue serving as Senate president while campaigning for the U.S. Senate. Wagle is a cancer survivor, and counts health care issues among her top priorities, saying government health care isn’t the answer to challenges in the industry.
Filed paperwork to run: • Gabriel Mark Robles, from Topeka
Democrats
Barbara Bollier Residence: Mission Hills, Kansas
Bollier began her political career by winning a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives in 2010 as a moderate Republican. In 2016, Johnson County voters elected her to the Kansas Senate. In summer 2018, Senate Republican leaders removed her from her leadership position on the Senate health committee for endorsing Democrat Sharice Davids over 3rd District Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder. Months later, Bollier left the Republican Party. Bollier is an outspoken supporter of Medicaid expansion, and for three years was the main sponsor of legislation that would allow judges to temporarily take guns away from people determined to be risks to themselves or others, known as “red flag” laws.
Barry Grissom Residence: Leawood, Kansas
In 2010, President Barack Obama picked Grissom to serve as U.S. attorney for Kansas. Grissom highlights his experience, as well as prosecutions of people who plotted to bomb the Wichita airport and Fort Riley. As an attorney, Grissom says he has fought against racism and unfair wages. He’s also campaigned for loosening laws on marijuana, saying it’s not a good use of taxpayer resources.
Usha Reddi Residence: Manhattan, Kansas
Reddi serves on the Manhattan city council and was an elementary-school teacher before taking a leave to campaign for the Senate. Reddi says she’ll push for economic policies that benefit working Kansas families. She’s a sexual abuse survivor who went public with her account because she says she’s met many women with similar experiences. If elected, Reddi would be the first Hindu person to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Other Democrats who have filed paperwork to run: • Adam Smith, from Mission, Kansas • Robert Leon Tillman, from Wichita, Kansas
Editor’s note: This story will be updated as new people enter the race, as in the case of Democrat Barbara Bollier on Oct. 16, or drop out of the race. Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda or email skoranda (at) ku (dot) edu. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
