Awesome Steve Rose Article

Kansas Eyes are Upon Us

Steve Rose, Publisher
srose@sunpublications.com

We’ve never seen anything quite like this. And even if you are ho-hum about local politics, you should be riveted over the next several months.

That’s when Johnson County voters will be knee-deep into one of the most intense local primary and general elections in recent memory. In fact, the stakes are so high, the entire political world of Kansas will be watching, because as we go, probably so goes the state Senate.

And as the state Senate goes, so go issues like funding for higher education, embryonic stem cell research, and, well, whether the upper chamber stays moderate or turns to the far right.

Never mind for now the state representative races, which we shall get to in another column. Never mind the sheriff’s race. Never mind all the other races, for now.

What jumps out are the state Senate contests. Three seats are wide open and one is a tough face-off against a state senator who was appointed, not elected.

With former State Sen. Nick Jordan giving up his northwest Johnson County seat to run for U.S. Congress, there are two competing candidates who could not be more different. Republican Sue Gamble, who has been a mainstay moderate on the state board of education, is seeking the vacated Senate seat against Republican Mary Pilcher Cook, who served two terms as a state representative and was one of the leading conservative voices from this county. What Gamble stands for, Pilcher is against. What Pilcher stands for, Gamble is against. It will be a clear choice, indeed. And both candidates are certain to run aggressive campaigns.

Meanwhile, another state senator has decided to leave her post. Barbara Allen, who has represented the mid-part of the county, is retiring and leaves behind what once was a “safe” seat for Republican moderates, going back to former State Sen. Dick Bond. This race has the entire focus of Kansas. Former State Rep. Ben Hodge, a 28-year-old far-right candidate who also serves as a trustee on the Johnson County Community College board, has entered this race and is facing off against 62-year-old Tim Owens, who has been a state representative and an Overland Park city councilman. Again, the contrast could not be starker. Hodge is the epitome of the far-right agenda, and a loose cannon at that. Owens is a low-key, dyed-in-the-wool moderate. Hodge will devote all his youthful energies to win. Owens, who says he is a young 62, says he also will work hard. But moderates are very concerned. Make no mistake. There is no more important race than this one, no matter which side you are on.

State Sen. Dennis Wilson, who represents mostly south Overland Park, is also retiring. Jumping into the fray is physician and State Rep. Jeff Colyer. This has been a safe seat for conservatives and is likely to stay that way. But for moderates it makes the other state Senate races even more significant.

The other wild-card race takes place in November, when State Sen. Julia Lynn, who was appointed by precinct Republicans to replace Kay O’Connor, who retired mid-term, is in for the fight of her life against Democrat Ron Wimmer. Wimmer, who has been an icon in Olathe, was Olathe superintendent of schools. He is out to take the seat away from conservative Lynn in a district that includes mostly Olathe and surrounding areas. This November race will be one of the most hotly contested, expensive races in local political history.

So, here is the bottom line. With the exception of State Sen. David Wysong’s seat, which is in the northeast part of the county and is a safe seat for moderates, all other state Senate seats are up for grabs and could turn the tide in the way Johnson County is represented and the way the entire Kansas state Senate majority is comprised.

Don’t say you weren’t put on alert.