Let’s take a
quick look at the Senate polling averages, before I make my final
Senate predictions.
Polling
Averages
I created my
own polling
averages for the Senate Races in Kansas and Nebraska.
There have
been many polls of the Kansas
Senate Race, which has attracted considerable national attention.
I created
two Election Day polling averages for the Kansas Senate Race.
The first
average includes all polls conducted in the past two months.
Democrat Adam
Hamilton leads the two-month polling average by 2.5%.
You can click the images in this article to view larger versions of them.
The second
average includes all polls conducted in the past month.
Democrat Adam
Hamilton leads the one-month polling average by 3.5%.
I created a polling average for the Nebraska Senate Race.
The average
includes all polls conducted in the past two months.
Republican
Pete Ricketts leads the Nebraska Senate polling average by 0.8%.
Here are the
polling averages for almost all of the competitive Senate Races.
Other than the polling averages mentioned above, all of
these polling averages were calculated by Real Clear Politics.
Predictions
Here are my
final Senate Race predictions.
Here is a map
showing my final ratings for each competitive Senate Race.
In each race,
I have predicted the winning party.
I have also
predicted the percent margin of victory in each election, rounded to
the nearest percent.
D+0 means that
I predict the Democrat will win, but that the margin, rounded to the
nearest percent, will be 0.
I predict
Democrats will hold 53 seats in the US Senate, after the election.
My predicted
winners are the same as they were for my predictions
in August, except for Kansas.
I previously
predicted Roger Marshall (R) would win, now I predict Adam Hamilton
(D) will win, even though I believe Hamilton will win by the
narrowest of margins.
But it’s
still possible for Republicans to retain control of the Senate.
If Republicans
win all four races I consider to be Tilt Democratic, Republicans
would hold 51 seats, and Democrats would hold 49 seats, after the
election.
In the House,
I predict Democrats will win 235 seats.
That’s the
same number of seats they won during Trump’s first
midterm, in 2018.
If you have appreciated my election coverage this year, you can support my work on
Patreon.
Amy Cawvey (R) is running
against Jennifer Lloyd (D) for the Kansas School Board in District 1.
The Kansas Department of
Education created a map
showing the 10 current members of the Kansas School Board, along with
the borders of their districts.
District 1 is located in
northeast Kansas, and includes Riley County.
You can click on the images in this article to view larger versions of them.
The Kansas School Board
helps
determine education policy for the state’s K-12 schools.
Jennifer Lloyd is a
librarian
at Jefferson West School District in Meriden, Kansas.
Meriden is a small town
located in Jefferson County.
Before becoming a
librarian, Lloyd taught special education and fifth grade.
Amy Cawvey previously
served
on the Lansing School Board in Lansing, Kansas.
Lansing is located in
Leavenworth County.
Cawvey is the Kansas chair
of the National School Boards Coalition.
Bad Policies
Amy Cawvey is a
conservative Republican who supports bad policies.
On her campaign
website, Cawvey says she wants to “Remove SEL from state
standards.”
SEL stands for "Social
and Emotional Learning", which sure sounds like a good thing to
me.
Cawvey says she wants to
“Remove DEI from curriculum and professional development.”
DEI stands for “Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion.”
Everyone should be familiar
with the problems caused by conservative opposition to, and obsession
with, DEI.
Critical
Race Theory
On her campaign website,
Amy Cawvey links to news articles that quote her positions on
education policy.
I am going to quote her
comments, as reported by The Sentinel, a conservative news
organization that covers state and local government in Kansas.
Cawvey told The
Sentinel that Critical Race Theory is being taught in public
schools.
She said that even though
it doesn’t appear as a class or curriculum, “it is sometimes
embedded in just about any subject matter, depending on the teacher,
and if the desire is there to do so.”
Cawvey discussed a social
justice club that took place during school hours, which she said was
taught by a teacher, and with materials, paid for by the district.
Books discussed in the club
included books by Ibram Kendi and “This Book is Anti-Racist,”
which Cawvey described as “pure CRT”.
Cawvey said she brought the
book to the attention of the Lansing School Board, prior to her
election to the board.
“With our newly elected
conservative majority board, those books and the club are no longer
at Lansing,” she said.
I believe public schools
should be willing to have difficult discussions about race.
There has been considerable
racism in America’s past, and in America’s present. I believe
students should learn about that important topic.
Obviously, those
conversations should be conducted carefully and thoughtfully.
I don’t like
conservatives who brag about banning books, with ideas they don’t
like, from schools.
Obviously, it depends on
the book, but I believe anti-racist books should be available to
public school students.
I believe these topics and
books should be fair game for a voluntary club at a public school.
Outing
Transgender Children to their Parents
In another interview with
The
Sentinel, Amy Cawvey discussed a “Parents Bill of Rights”,
which she wrote, that was passed by the Lansing School Board.
The policy says parents
have, “the right to expect teachers and administrators will not
withhold, either inadvertently or purposely, important information
related to a child, including, but not limited to, information
related to health, well-being, and education.”
Cawvey believes teachers
should inform parents if their child uses a different pronoun or
name.
Doing so would violate the
privacy of transgender children.
“We have had issues
locally and statewide, as you know, with gender issues with teachers
and staff potentially, either willingly or inadvertently, keeping
things like a preferred pronoun, or a student change in their name,
from parents,” Cawvey said.
“When it came to our
attention that was being kept from parents, when they have the right…
to have that.”
Not all parents accept the
gender identities of their transgender children.
Children are in a much
better position to predict how their parents might react if their
parents learned their child is transgender, than teachers or school
administrators are.
Every LGBT person should
have the right to determine whether, when, and how to come out to
their parents.
The ability to make those
decisions themselves should not be taken away from them by teachers
or administrators.
If a parent has a strong
negative reaction to learning their child is transgender, the child
has to live with the consequences, not teachers or school staff.
If a transgender child does
not believe they will be accepted at home, they should have some part
of their life, where they can be themselves.
I realize that there are
many issues related to transgender people where trans rights
advocates are going to be on the losing side of public opinion for a
long time.
This is definitely one of
them.
But we really need to make
the case for the rights, privacy, and dignity of transgender people,
because if we don’t, we’ll never turn the tide of public opinion.
And it's important for people to understand that things for transgender
people in places like Kansas, Texas, and Florida, are a
lot worse than they are for transgender people in more accepting
parts of the country.
Conclusion
I strongly endorse Jennifer
Lloyd (D) for Kansas School Board in District 1.
You don’t want
conservative Republicans setting education policy.
Brenda Bandy and Stacy
Kohlmeier are reasonable candidates.
Their campaigns focus
primary on their goals, rather than on specific policies they support
to achieve those goals.
While these lofty
aspirations aren’t particularly specific, they illuminate the kind
of campaigns the candidates are running.
Brenda
Bandy wants to lower costs, support working Kansans, invest in
public education, and restore common sense at the Capitol, according
to her campaign website.
Stacy
Kohlmeier wants to support strong public schools, invest in our
local workforce, encourage economic growth, practice responsible
fiscal stewardship, and strengthen our communities, according to her
campaign website.
On her campaign
website, Brenda Bandy (D) says she opposes school vouchers and
tax breaks for parents who send their children to private schools.
Bandy also wants the Kansas
Legislature to fully fund special education.
In interviews with the
Manhattan
Mercury, both Brenda Bandy (D) and Stacy Kohlmeier (R) called
attention to the State Legislature's failure to fully fund Special
Education.
In September, Brenda Bandy
(D) discussed her Manhattan Roots at the Rally for Democracy.
The
Republican Supermajority
Because Brenda Bandy (D)
and Stacy Kohlmeier (R) are very similar candidates, voters should
consider how each candidate would affect the balance of power in the
Kansas Legislature.
As far as I can tell, Stacy
Kohlmeier is a reasonable candidate.
But the Republican
Supermajority in the Kansas Legislature has been a disaster for the
state.
Since 2011, Republicans
have held two-thirds supermajorities in both chambers of the Kansas
Legislature.
The Republican
supermajority
allows Republican legislators to override a governor’s veto with
only Republican votes.
This grants Republicans the
ability to pass laws without support from any Democrats.
Kansas Republicans have
been focused on passing anti-trans laws.
It has been one of their
top priorities in recent years.
Earlier this year,
Republicans in the Kansas Legislature overrode a veto from Gov. Laura
Kelly (D), to pass a draconian anti-trans
bill into law.
All of the members of the
Kansas Legislature who voted to overturn
Kelly's veto were Republicans.
The law prevents
transgender people from obtaining identity documents that reflect
their gender identity, and makes it illegal for transgender people to
use certain restrooms and locker rooms in government buildings.
The Republican two-thirds
supermajority also allows Republicans to advance constitutional
amendments to a public vote, without the need to secure support from
any Democrats in the Legislature.
In Jan. 2021, both chambers
of the Kansas Legislature advanced a state constitutional amendment
that would give the Legislature the legal
authority to ban abortion.
All members of the
Legislature who voted for the proposed amendment were Republicans.
In Aug. 2022, Kansas voters
decisively rejected the proposed amendment by 18%.
Kansas Republicans remain
determined to eliminate abortion rights in the state, although their
efforts to overturn a State Supreme Court decision protecting
abortion rights have thusfar been unsuccessful.
Kansas Republicans have
also tried to cut taxes for the rich by replacing the state's
progressive income tax with a flat
income tax.
The Republican
Supermajority in the Kansas Legislature has been a disaster for the
state.
They pass draconian
anti-trans laws, try to take away abortion rights, and attempt to cut
taxes for the rich.
They do this while refusing
to adopt policies that would actually help the state, such as
Medicaid
Expansion.
Conclusion
Both Brenda Bandy (D) and
Stacy Kohlmeier (R) are fine candidates.
But Republican Leadership
in the Kansas Legislature has been absolutely horrible.
I endorse Brenda Bandy (D)
for State Representative in Dist. 67 for the Kansas House.
We only need to flip 5
seats to break the Republican Supermajority in the Kansas
Legislature.
Dist. 67 would be a great
place to start.
Sydney
Carlin
I don't plan to write a
separate article about the election for the Kansas House in Dist. 66,
located in the eastern part of Manhattan, Kansas.
I endorse Sydney Carlin for
State Representative in Dist. 66 for the Kansas House.
Sydney Carlin (D) spoke at the Rally for Democracy, where she discussed her time in
Kansas Politics.
Congressman Tracey Mann (R)
is running for reelection in the Kansas First Congressional District
against former federal employee Lauren Reinhold (D).
The Kansas First
Congressional District is gigantic.
It stretches from the
Colorado border to Lawrence, Kansas.
Attribution:
By Nebraskan
fellow - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=121276590
Tracey Mann is awful, and
he is guaranteed to win, because the Kansas First is such a deeply
Republican district.
The Republican candidate
has won the Kansas First by more than 35% in every election since
2004.
Earlier this year, I
discussed the competitiveness
of all 4 Kansas Congressional Districts.
Early
Political Career
In 2010, Tracey Mann (R)
called
for President Barack Obama to release documents to prove he is an
American citizen.
Mann’s support for the
racist birther conspiracy theory should have forever disqualified him
from public office.
But in the Kansas First
Congressional District, Republican extremism is a political asset,
not a liability.
Sam Brownback (R) resigned
as Kansas Governor in 2018 to become
the Ambassador for Religious Freedom under the First Trump
Administration.
Lieutenant Governor Jeff
Colyer became Governor, and Colyer appointed
Tracey Mann to be Lieutenant Governor.
Tracey Mann served as
Lieutenant Governor under Gov. Jeff Colyer in 2018.
The Biden
Years
Tracey Mann was first
elected to Congress in 2020.
In Congress, Tracey Mann
has voted the wrong way on almost every single vote.
Tracey Mann (R) supported
Trump’s effort to steal the 2020 Presidential election, and he
voted
against certifying the electoral college results from Arizona and
Pennsylvania.
Tracey Mann (R) voted
against impeaching Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6
insurrection.
He voted
against the American Rescue Plan, and against
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
He voted
against the Inflation Reduction Act, which allowed Medicare to
negotiate prices for some drugs, and authorized tax credits for
renewable energy.
I discussed the federal
legislation mentioned in this article in greater depth in an
article I wrote earlier this year.
Tracey Mann (R) voted
against the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have
protected abortion rights.
He voted
against the Right to Contraception Act, which would have
protected access to contraception.
He voted
against the Equality Act, which would have protected LGBT rights.
Tracey Mann (R) voted
against the Respect for Marriage Act.
The law was passed out of
concern that the US Supreme Court might overturn its decisions that
protect gay marriage.
The Respect for Marriage
Act required states to recognize same-sex marriages conducted in
other states, and required the federal government to recognize the
legitimacy of same-sex marriages conducted by states that allow them.
This shows that as late as
December 2022, Tracey Mann still opposed the right of same-sex
couples to marry.
Tracey Mann (R) voted
for a federal Transgender Sports Ban.
Tracey Mann (R) voted
for the Big Ugly Bill, which cut taxes for the rich, cut Medicaid
funding for the poor, and increased funding for ICE, the dangerous
federal law enforcement agency that attacks immigrants.
Here is just one of the
countless examples of ICE
brutality that have become commonplace in the United States under
the Second Trump Administration.
Instances of ICE brutality
are so
common that they have become like mass shootings, which also
barely register as news because they happen so often.
It’s hard to shock the
conscience, when common kinds of violence and cruelty
cease to be shocking.
Tracey Mann (R) voted
to cut funding for NPR and PBS.
Mann voted
against a War Powers resolution that attempted to end the War in
Iran.
Tracey Mann (R) voted
for a federal Trans Sports Ban, for a second time.
Mann voted
to ban Gender-Affirming Healthcare for Trans Youth.
Mann did
not sign the Epstein Discharge Petition, but he did vote
for
the Epstein Files Transparency Act, once it came forward for a vote.
Tracey Mann (R) voted the
correct way on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but he voted the
wrong way on the other 20 key House votes discussed in this article.
Lauren
Reinhold
Lauren Reinhold (D) served
in the Social Security Administration, where she witnessed firsthand
the chaos Trump unleashed, including through funding cuts initiated
by DOGE, an initiative led by Elon Musk.
Lauren Reinhold (D) opposes
cuts to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. She also opposes cuts to
USAID.
She supports rebuilding
rural healthcare.
She believes over-payed
CEOs, and their corporations, should pay higher taxes.
Reinhold supports
immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for immigrants
living in the US.
Earlier this year, I
discussed Lauren Reinhold in an article I wrote about the Democratic
Primary for the Kansas First Congressional District.
In September, Lauren Reinhold
(D) delivered a speech at the Rally for Democracy, in Manhattan,
Kansas.
Conclusion
Tracy Mann is awful, but so
are the political beliefs that predominate the Kansas First
Congressional District, so he will easily win reelection, as every
Republican who runs in this district will be able to do, for the rest
of forever.
Nevertheless, I strongly
and enthusiastically endorse Lauren Reinhold (D) for Congress in the
Kansas First Congressional District.
Tracey Mann deserves to be
voted out of office, and he should never be elected or appointed to
public office, ever again.
But as a Kansas Republican
Politician, he is guaranteed a long political career, where he will
continue to vote the wrong way in Congress on almost every issue.
VoteHub’s House model
predicts Tracey Mann (R) will win the US House race in the Kansas
First Congressional District by 26%.
Two politicians in
leadership positions in the Kansas Legislature are running against
against each other for Kansas Insurance Commissioner.
Republican Speaker of the
House Daniel Hawkins is running against Democratic Senate Minority
Leader Dinah Sykes.
The election is for an open
position, because incumbent Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt (R)
ran for governor this year, where she was among
the losing candidates in the Republican Primary.
The Insurance Commissioner
leads the Kansas Insurance Department, which regulates
insurance companies, educates consumers, and advocates for a
competitive insurance market.
On the
Issues
Both Daniel Hawkins (R) and
Dinah Sykes (D) are members of the Kansas Legislature, so we can
compare how they voted on key issues.
In 2021, Daniel Hawkins
voted
for a state constitutional amendment that would have given the
Kansas Legislature the legal authority to ban abortion.
Dinah Sykes voted
against the constitutional amendment.
Kansas voters rejected the
amendment by 18%.
I discussed the
anti-abortion
constitutional amendment on my blog.
In 2023, Daniel Hawkins (R)
voted
for a Transgender Sports Ban.
Dinah Sykes (D) voted
against the Transgender Sports Ban.
In 2024, Daniel Hawkins
voted
for a bill that would replace the progressive state income tax
with a flat income tax.
Doing so would have
primarily benefited the rich, and would have been a windfall for
Billionaire Charles Koch, the
wealthiest Kansas
resident, according
to an analysis
by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).
Daniel Hawkins (R) even had
the audacity
to lie that the bill was, “purposely designed to primarily help
those who are on the lower rungs of the economic ladder.”
One look at the graph above
shows that Hawkins was telling an outrageous lie.
This story proves Daniel
Hawkins (R) cares about helping the rich, not about helping you.
In the Senate, Dinah Sykes
(D) voted
against a different bill that would have replaced the progressive
state income tax with a flat tax, which also would have primarily
benefited
the rich.
I wrote an article about
the efforts by Kansas Republicans to enact a flat
state income tax.
Daniel Hawkins (R) voted
for a law that prevents transgender Kansans from obtaining
identity documents that reflect their gender identity, and makes it
illegal for them to use certain restrooms and locker rooms.
I discussed the draconian
anti-trans
law in an article I wrote for my blog, Meticulous Musings.
Daniel Hawkins supports
Trump’s immigration policies.
On his campaign
website, Hawkins says that he, “banned sanctuary cities in
Kansas, and put in place numerous provisions to help the Trump
administration push back on illegal immigration.”
Medicaid
Expansion
Kansas is one of only 10
states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act,
which is also known as Obamacare.
Here is a map showing which
states have and haven’t expanded Medicaid, which was created by
KFF,
a nonprofit that covers healthcare policy.
Expanding Medicaid would
greatly benefit the people of Kansas.
Republican politicians,
like Daniel Hawkins, are the reason why Kansas hasn’t expanded
Medicaid, despite public
support for the policy.
On his campaign
website, Hawkins lists among his accomplishments that, “for
over a decade, Dan has led the effort to prevent the expansion of
Obamacare in our state.”
Dinah Sykes (D) supports
expanding Medicaid in Kansas.
Kansas should have an
Insurance Commissioner who supports expanding Medicaid.
Conclusion
Kathleen Sebelius (D), who
served as Kansas Governor and Kansas Insurance Commissioner, has
endorsed
Dinah Sykes (D).
Former Kansas Insurance
Commissioner Sandy Praeger (R) has endorsed
Dinah Sykes (D) as well.
The choice is clear.
I strongly endorse Dinah
Sykes (D) for Kansas Insurance Commissioner.
Daniel Hawkins’s record
is terrible.
Let’s not reward him, by
electing him Insurance Commissioner.
Additional
Information
The Kansas
News Service wrote a guide for the Kansas Insurance Commissioner
Race.
Republicans generally win
Kansas Insurance Commissioner elections by wide margins.
The Republican candidate
has won each of the five most recent Kansas Insurance Commissioner
Races by more than 20%.
Earlier this year, I discussed the
competitiveness
of statewide elections in Kansas.
Ty Masterson (R) is running against Cindy Holscher (D) for Kansas Governor.
Ty Masterson is the State Senate President.
Cindy Holscher is a State
Senator.
The stakes of
the Kansas Governor Race are incredibly high, as the candidates have
strong differences of opinion on important issues facing the state.
Brownback
Tax Cuts
Under Gov. Sam
Brownback, Republicans approved large income tax cuts, which wreaked
havoc on the state budget.
Among other things, the tax
cuts meant the state had to subsequently cut funding for education
and infrastructure.
Brownback’s
tax policies failed
to boost the economy, as its supporters said it would.
Inside the
Kansas Legislature, Ty Masterson supported
the Brownback Tax Cuts.
Within the
Kansas Legislature, Cindy Holscher helped
repeal the Brownback Tax Cuts.
Cutting
Taxes for the Rich
In 2024,
Republicans in the Kansas Legislature attempted to replace the
state’s progressive income tax rate with a flat income tax.
The flat income tax would
primarily benefit the rich, and would have been a windfall for
Charles Koch, the wealthiest Kansas resident, according
to an analysis
by the Institute on Taxation
and Economic Policy (ITEP).
Senate
President Ty Masterson even had the audacity
to lie that the law was, “geared toward helping retirees,
homeowners, and those living paycheck to paycheck.”
The Kansas
Senate subsequently voted on a different
flat income tax proposal, which would also primarily benefit the
rich.
Cindy Holscher (D) voted
against the flat income tax.
I wrote an article about
Republicans’ unsuccessful attempt to enact a flat
income tax in Kansas.
A Corrupt
Arrangement
Cindy Holscher has accused
Ty Masterson of having a “no show job.”
Last year,
Masterson received
$163,000 as the Director of GoCreate at Wichita State University.
GoCreate is a community
workshop funded by the Billionaire Koch Family.
The Kansas
City Star has reported on the controversy surrounding Masterson’s
role.
This summer,
Masterson said the flexible
nature of the job allows him to work “on site a couple days a
week.”
“Some weeks, I do two to
three (days of in-person work) and some weeks I won’t,” Masterson
said in an interview.
The Kansas
City Star cited an analysis from the Kansas Legislative Research
Department that said the GoCreate Director, like every other
employee, is paid from an operational budget that “includes funding
from the Koch Foundation and revenue generated by GoCreate streams,”
such as rentals and membership fees.
At most, it
appears Masterson’s role as GoCreate Director is a part-time
job.
$163,000 a year is a lot to make for a part-time job in
Kansas.
The Kansas
City Star reported Masterson received more than $1.1 million from
Wichita State University over the last decade, according to state
records.
It appears the
job is a way for the Koch Family to buy political influence with a
powerful Republican in a leadership position in Topeka.
Masterson’s support for a
flat
income tax, which would have saved Charles Koch $875,000 a year,
appears to show that Koch’s investment in Masterson’s side hustle
has been an effective way to buy influence in Kansas Government.
Clay Wirestone
at the Kansas
Reflector is among those upset by the apparent corruption of Ty
Masterson's side gig.
Medicaid
Expansion
Kansas is one
of only 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid under the
Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Here
is a map showing which states have and haven’t expanded Medicaid,
which was created by KFF,
a nonprofit that covers healthcare policy.
I
discussed the debate surrounding Medicaid
Expansion in Kansas, and previous attempts to expand the state’s
medicaid program, in an article I wrote in 2022.
The Manhattan
Mercury asked Ty Masterson, “As governor will you actively
champion Medicaid expansion? Why or why not?”
Masterson
replied, “Medicaid should serve the people it was designed for: the
elderly, the disabled and low-income mothers and children. Expansion
adds able-bodied adults without dependents while those Kansans sit on
waiting lists.”
Masterson
continued, “My priority is shortening those waiting lists. As
federal changes take effect, I will protect services for the most
vulnerable Kansans first, root out waste and errors, and make sure
federal decisions don’t shift new costs onto Kansas taxpayers.”
Let me
translate that into plain English: Ty Masterson opposes expanding
Medicaid in Kansas.
Masterson
supports tax cuts for the rich, and opposes expanding Medicaid, which
would help the poor.
That's exactly what you
would expect from a Kansas Republican politician.
Masterson’s
Priorities
In 2021, Ty
Masterson (R) voted
for a state constitutional amendment that would give the Kansas
Legislature the legal authority to ban abortion in the state.
Cindy Holscher (D) voted
against the anti-abortion amendment.
In August
2022, Kansas voters rejected
the proposed anti-abortion amendment by 18%.
On his
campaign website,
Ty Masterson (R) highlights an endorsement from Kansans for Life, an
organization that opposes Abortion Rights.
Masterson also highlights
an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Currently,
Abortion Rights in Kansas are protected by a Kansas Supreme Court
decision.
If Masterson is elected
governor, he will make appointments to the Kansas Supreme Court to
fill vacancies that arise, from a shortlist
of three candidates chosen by the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating
Commission.
After 4 to 8 years as
governor, it’s possible Masterson might be able to appoint enough
justices to overturn the state-level equivalent of Roe v. Wade.
Last year,
Republicans in the Kansas Legislature voted to advance a proposed
constitutional amendment that would replace the current merit-based
process for selecting members of the Kansas Supreme Court, with
direct elections.
Masterson
supported
the proposed amendment, because he hoped that if it was approved, the
Kansas Supreme Court would stop requiring the Legislature to spend
more on K-12 education.
Masterson also hoped
electing state supreme court justices would lead to the overturning
of Abortion Rights in Kansas.
Ty Masterson
(R) voted
for the constitutional amendment to elect state supreme court
justices.
Cindy Holscher (D) voted
against the amendment.
I wrote an editorial opposing the proposed amendment earlier this year.
In August,
Kansas voters rejected
the proposed constitutional amendment by 23%.
In 2023, Ty
Masterson (R) voted
for a Transgender Sports Ban.
Cindy Holscher (D) voted
against the Transgender Sports Ban.
This year, the
Kansas Legislature approved
a law that prevents transgender people from obtaining identity
documents that reflect their gender identity, and makes it illegal
for them to use certain restrooms and locker rooms.
Gov. Laura Kelly (D) vetoed
the bill, but Republicans in the Legislature overrode Kelly’s veto,
passing the bill into law.
Ty Masterson
(R) voted
for the draconian anti-trans law.
Cindy Holscher (D) voted
against the anti-trans law.
NBC News
interviewed Kansas Transgender Men who protest the Bathroom Ban, by
following it.
Many people don’t like
when Trans Men, who look like Men, use a Women’s Restroom, as the
law requires.
NBC News identified Ty
Masterson (R) as the author of the Transgender Restroom Ban in
Kansas.
I discussed the provisions
of the anti-trans
law in an article I wrote earlier this year.
Kansas
Republicans have been single-mindedly focused in recent years on
passing anti-trans legislation into law.
To block future anti-trans
laws, Democrats need to win the Governor’s Race, and break the
Republican Supermajority in the Kansas Legislature.
If Republicans win the
Governor’s Race, only a simple majority would be needed to pass
anti-trans legislation through the Kansas Legislature, which
Republicans will easily be able to do.
Cindy
Holscher
Cindy Holscher
(D) is a great candidate, with a lot of good ideas.
Holscher wants to increase
the state minimum wage to $16 an hour, fully fund special education,
and provide free school lunches for all students.
She wants to legalize
marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes.
Holscher wants to eliminate
taxes on diapers and feminine hygiene products.
She also wants to create an
independent panel to oversee redistricting, and prohibit mid-decade
redistricting.
I wrote about
Cindy Holscher in an article I wrote about the Democratic
Primary for Kansas Governor.
In September,
Holscher gave a speech at the Rally for Democracy in Manhattan,
Kansas.
Conclusion
By and large,
Kansas voters pay exceedingly little attention to state politics.
They only pay attention to
state politics when things get really bad, as they did under the
Brownback Tax Cuts, or when the stakes are really high, such as when
Republicans try to amend the State Constitution to overturn abortion
rights.
Voters pay
virtually no attention to the state legislature, and almost certainly
wouldn’t be able to name the Republican Senate President or
Republican Speaker of the House.
Even I wouldn’t be able
to name them, off the top of my head, before researching this
article.
Both Ty
Masterson, who is running for Governor, and Daniel Hawkins, who is
running for Insurance Commissioner, have abysmal records in political
leadership in the Kansas Legislature.
But Kansas voters appear
likely to elevate both to statewide elected office.
I strongly and
enthusiastically endorse Cindy Holscher (D) for Kansas Governor.
Ty Masterson (R) has
already been a disaster for the state.
Don’t give him more
power, by electing him governor.
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