The election last night didn’t exactly go as planned. Extremist conservatives dealt some pretty deep blows in key Kansas races (recap below). And the outcomes seem to signal another four years of an ultra-conservative stronghold in the Kansas Legislature – not to mention another term of inept “leadership” in the White House. With a slurry of Koch-backed candidates and dark money pouring into the 2020 Kansas elections, it may seem like an uphill battle for November.
But as long as we keep fighting for every Kansan there’s still hope!
In 2021 we have the opportunity to finally expand Medicaid, defend women’s reproductive rights, legislate equality, and redistrict our state in a way that heals the damage caused by redlining and extreme conservative tactics.
The Mainstream Coalition is a statewide nonprofit advocacy organization founded more than 25 years ago to protect the separation of church and state in Kansas. Over the years we've grown our body of work in order to defend the dignity, rights, and freedom of every Kansan against partisan extremism. We believe the political process is critical in securing and defending those rights.
Our fight is far from over, but with your help we can build a stronger Kansas. Act today so we can celebrate our victories in November!
Thank you for your continued support of the Mainstream Coalition and our shared vision for a stronger Kansas. Please stay safe and remember to Do More Than Vote in 2020!
Recap of Select 2020 Primary Races
In Johnson County moderate Republican incumbents, and friends of Mainstream, Sen. John Skubal (SD 11) and Rep. Jan Kessinger (HD 20) were defeated by challengers Rep. Kellie Warren and Jane Dirks, respectively. And, in the SBOE District 2 race, David Krug lost by a narrow margin to Benjamin Hodge. In the November General we’ll see diametrically opposed candidates running for these seats: Warren (R) vs. Joy Koesten (D), Dirks (R) vs. Mari-Lynn Poskin (D), and Hodge (R) against Melanie Haas (D).
On the U.S. Senate front, Congressman Roger Marshall trumped Kris Kobach and nine other candidates with 46% of the vote. He advances to the General where he’ll be met by Democratic candidate and current State Sen. Barbara Bollier (SD 8). In Congressional District 3, we’ll see a battle between last night’s winner Amanda Adkins (R) and incumbent Congresswoman Sharice Davids (D).
But there were some bright spots. Of them, two Democratic primaries in which MainPAC endorsed candidates Christina Haswood (HD 10) in Douglas County and Lindsay Vaughn (HD 22) in Johnson, are headed to the November General where they are both running opposed. Haswood will take over from Rep. Eileen Horn (D), and Vaughn is the presumptive replacement for the seat of retired Rep. Nancy Lusk (D).
