TOPEKA — The pattern that Kansas voters have followed in choosing their governor over the past half-century is that the state has consistently alternated between choosing Republicans and Democrats while rewarding candidates with electoral experience. I meant it.
With one notable exception, the eight people elected governor over the past 50 years, starting with Republican Robert Bennett in 1975 and ending with Democrat Laura Kelly in 2022, have been centrists open to bipartisanship. It will be classified. Although they exhibited different leadership styles, this group, other than Republican Sam Brownback, was comprised of policy-minded chief executives who sought to distance themselves from the interests of culture warriors.
To some extent, Kansas voters followed the advice of Republican Gov. Robert Docking, a conservative Democrat who served in office from 1967 to 1975.
“Docking coined the phrase that Kansas government should be ‘austere but adequate,'” said Michael Smith, a professor at Emporia State University. “We would argue that it really has shaped Kansas government for generations. And of course there’s the Brownback era, where there was a lot of change.”
Smith edited and wrote Reform and Reaction: The Arc of Kansas Politics in collaboration with Wichita State University professor emeritus Ed Frenchier. The idea for the book was conceived and launched by Burdett Loomis, a professor at the University of Kansas who passed away in 2021. Other authors include former Kansan residents Chapman Rackaway of Radford University and Patrick Miller of Kent State University.
Together they tell the nuanced story of Kansas politics through the administrations of Bennett, John Carlin, Mike Hayden, Joan Finney, Bill Graves, Kathleen Sebelius, Mark Parkinson, Brownback, Jeff Collier, and Kelly. I drew it. The book chronicles the governors’ agendas and policies, the deep divisions within the Republican Party, the continued numerical disadvantage of the Democratic Party, Brownback’s experiment in deep-red state politics, and the fallout of all that drama. .
On the Kansas Reflector podcast, Smith and Frenchier discussed an era marked by state government’s dedication to modernizing outdated institutions, its transition to an era of policy activism, and political fallout.
“About 20 years of institutional reform, followed by about 20 years of activity in public policy,” Frenchier said. “Then we’ll see the reaction.”
In terms of institutional changes, the reapportionment of seats in the Kansas Legislature eliminated the system in which each county was guaranteed a representative in the House of Representatives. Since the 1970s, Congressional districts have been drawn based on population. This has brought many new talents to Congress who are rethinking national policy on economic development, school finance, and transportation infrastructure.
“These were people who took public policy development very seriously and were willing to put their careers on the line and be the first to climb the mountain and tackle difficult problems,” Frenche said.
Mr. Hayden, a Republican governor from 1987 to 1991, and Mr. Carlin, a two-term Democratic governor from 1979 to 1987, focused on fundamental issues that were not particularly ideological. Both men were from western Kansas, served as Speakers of the Kansas House of Representatives, and were passionate about supporting the agricultural economy.
Mr. Finney, a Democrat who served as state treasurer for 16 years, was elected governor in 1990, defeating Mr. Hayden. She was the first woman in the United States to defeat an incumbent governor, and a rare victory over a pro-life Democratic governor. Mr. Finney did not seek a second term, and Kansas went to Mr. Graves, a Republican who was secretary of state.
Graves dealt with divisions within the Republican Party between conservatives and moderates, but succeeded in cutting taxes and boosting spending on K-12 schools. Republican infighting gave Democrats leverage to influence the bill.
“He was elected in ’94, and it was an interesting time because Graves was very moderate. He was pro-choice,” Smith said. “So even though we have very moderate leadership with a Republican governor, we still have a conservative revolt.”
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback attends a National Governors Association conference at the White House State Dining Room in Washington, D.C., February 27, 2012. Brownback’s new book on Kansas politics over the past 50 years I identify him as an outlier among governors because he was more ideologically driven than other governors. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Mr. Graves served two terms and handed over the governor’s mansion to Mr. Sebelius, a Democrat and former congressman and state insurance commissioner. Sebelius’ progressive instincts served as a backstop against conservative policies coming out of Congress. She resigned in 2009 to work as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama.
Sebelius’ lieutenant governor, Mark Parkinson, switched from being a Republican to a Democrat, but declined to seek a full term. Mr. Parkinson was accused of ceding his seat to Mr. Brownback, a senator who lost support in the 2008 presidential race but won the 2010 gubernatorial race with little difficulty. His election advanced ideologically conservative policies, particularly opposition to abortion. It led to the promotion of a dangerous plan to eliminate state income taxes.
“I don’t think Sam knew much about state government or state politics,” Frenchier said. “He was secretary of agriculture, a congressman, a senator, but that’s not a good background to learn about the intricacies of state government: infrastructure, roads, schools.”
In 2012 and 2013, Republican-led legislatures passed and Brownback signed bills that eroded the state’s tax base and failed to deliver promised job growth. State revenue shortfalls led to higher sales taxes and reduced funding for highways and education. In 2017, a bipartisan majority in Congress repealed the Brownback tax program.
“Brownback’s popularity was on the toilet, so moderate Republicans and Democrats came forward and a coalition was put together,” Frenchier said.
Brownback resigned as governor in 2018 to serve as the U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom under President Donald Trump. Mr. Brownback handed the keys to Mr. Collier, who has served in the House and Senate.
Collier lost the Republican gubernatorial primary to Secretary of State Kris Kobach by a few hundred votes. In November 2018, Kobach lost to Kelly, a Democratic state senator from Topeka. Kelly won reelection in 2022 over Republican Derek Schmidt, who served three terms as attorney general.
“I think Kerry is a throwback to the moderate tradition,” Smith said. “It is well known that she has the strong support of former Governor Sebelius, and I believe he was instrumental in encouraging Mr. Kelly to run.”
Frenche said the arc of Kansas politics suggests an era of reform in state government may be on the horizon.
“It will be based on what people have discovered before,” he said. “Take public policy seriously and form a bipartisan coalition. Let’s see if that’s really the case.”
