by Mary Rupert
Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, today announced that Lynn Rogers of Wichita would be her running mate in the 2018 contest for governor.
Kelly, one of the Democratic frontrunners, made her announcement in a campaign tour through Kansas, including a stop at the Wyandot Center at 1301 N. 47th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The campaign tour started at Topeka High School.
Rogers is the former president of the Wichita Board of Education, is a state senator and is a businessman who has worked more than 30 years traveling Kansas to assist farmers and ranchers with financial planning and investments.
Rogers said today that Kelly would be the education governor that Kansas deserves.
Sen. Kelly today talked about her advocacy for education, mental health funding, and KanCare expansion, and a “mission to rebuild Kansas.”
Kelly said that all her life, she has worked to make a difference for children and teens. She went to work out of high school working with troubled kids, she said. She was in a military family who were attracted to Kansas by its great public education, she added.
But so much of what made Kansas great, including its schools and mental health services, came under attack in the past eight years under the Brownback and Colyer administration, Kelly said.
She said in the future she wanted to make sure all Kansas kids have the same opportunity to succeed. She added that Rogers, her running mate, also is committed to schools, adding he has been fighting for schools for decades. He also served in the Legislature, where he tried to reverse Brownback administration policy cuts, she said.
“He knows every Kansas child deserves a world-class education, no matter where they grew up,” Kelly said.
Kansans are committed to their schools, it is written into the state constitution, and Kansans believe there is a moral obligation to provide the best education for children, Rogers said.
When the state makes its investment in schools, it’s not just kids who benefit, he said, it’s the communities and the economy.
“Business leaders get it, they understand the quality of tomorrow’s work force depends on investing in our kids’ education today,” Rogers said.
“The most important thing the state government does is to adequately fund schools,” Rogers said at the announcement today. Other important issues include Medicare expansion and mental health funding, he added.
He said the KanCare program needs to be brought back under government authority.
“We need to take the profit motive out of our health care,” he said.
He said Kelly puts kids and families first, and is the only candidate in the trenches who was fighting the Brownback policies for the past eight years.
“Laura was there to sound the alarm and to demand accountability,” he said.
He also said that Kelly has the ability to bring people together, in a way no one else does.
Concerning her position on immigration policies, Kelly said she would use the governor’s office to put pressure on Congress to come up with immigration reform. She said wanted to get the message out that “Kansas is open to all.” Kansas will be an equal opportunity employer for women, minorities, LGBT, and all, she noted.
The primary election is Aug. 7, with the governor’s contest attracting several candidates.
State Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, D-36th Dist., who introduced Kelly in Kansas City, Kansas, said Kelly is committed to improving the life of children and teens in Kansas, as well as to improving the quality of life of Kansans. Recently, Kelly received the Distinguished Service to Kansas Children Award from the Kansas Children’s Service League, given to leaders who show courage in their efforts to help improve the lives of children.
Kelly helped secure funding that created early childhood development programs in Kansas, she said.
Kelly also has received the Friend of Education award from the Kansas National Education Association.
Sen. Pat Pettey, D-6th Dist., said someone is needed in the governor’s office who puts the needs of constituents first. She said Kelly had innovative ways of bringing people together.
The audience at today’s announcement in Kansas City, Kansas, also included State Rep. Pam Curtis, D-32nd Dist., and former state senator, Kelly Kultala. Also attending were State Rep. Nancy Lusk, D-Overland Park, and Rep. Jerry Stogsdill, D-Prairie Village.
Kelly has some significant endorsements, according to her campaign information, including former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, former Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Carol Marinovich, Kansas budget expert Duane Goossen, former Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, and former state Democratic Party chair Joan Wagnon.
For more information on the candidate’s positions on issues, visit www.laurakellyforkansas.com/.
