Democrats’ campaign to undercut two-thirds majorities more fantasy than reality
TOPEKA — Republican state Rep. Ken Rahjes’ appeal to voters in his rural northwest Kansas district made him the most popular legislative candidate on ballots.
Rahjes, elected to the Kansas House in 2014, prevailed in a reelection campaign against Democrat Ellace Henderson by pulling down 85% of the vote in Ellis, Graham, Norton, Phillips and Rooks counties. He didn’t do much political advertising or dedicate himself to door-to-door campaigning in the far-flung district, but has been a steady presence in communities of the deep blue district.
“Get up every day with a servant’s heart and a servant’s mind,” said Rahjes, who resides in Agra and chairs the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. “I make myself available to anybody who has a concern or a complaint.”
On the Democratic Party’s ledger, state Sen. Marci Francisco of Lawrence topped the charts with 78% of the vote in a contest against Lawrence Republican David Miller, who previously led the Kansas Republican Party and ran for governor in the 1990s.
In terms of standout performances Tuesday at the polls, Republicans won 42 of 54 races in which the winner received at least 63% of the vote. Another factor: 58 seats in the Legislature were decided in the August primary election. Of those, 37 were claimed by Republicans and 21 by Democrats.
The results contributed to retention in the House and Senate of GOP supermajorities of at least 27 in the Senate and 84 in the House.
Preliminary results from Election Day showed forces allied with Republican leaders in the Senate and House repelled a bid by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and her supporters to elect enough Democrats to break the GOP’s two-thirds advantage.
Senate Republicans could welcome a 31-9 majority when the 2025 Legislature convenes in January. Heading into the election, the Senate GOP’s edge was 29-11. In the House, the GOP majority could expand to 88-37. The current Republican-Democratic split in the House is 85-40.
County election officials continue to count provisional ballots and mail-in ballots postmarked by the day of the election. Secretary of State Scott Schwab also said he would initiate two vote audits because the gap between candidates was within the 1% margin.
The auditing included Senate District 5 with Republican Jeff Klemp leading by 57 votes against Democratic Sen. Jeff Pittman of Leavenworth. The second audit involved an Olathe contest in House District 49 with Democratic Rep. Nikki McDonald sitting on a 95-vote advantage over Republican Kurtis Ruf.
“These audits are just another step in showing how fair, free and secure Kansas’s elections are,” Schwab said.
‘Victory for democracy’
Kelly, who must deal with stronger Republican majorities in her final two years as governor, welcomed new members of the Legislature a day after the election. She affirmed her agenda would include securing better access to affordable health care, protecting reproductive freedom and moderating the cost of living.
“To the candidates who did not win their elections, I commend you for your efforts, hard work and dedication to Kansans,” she said. “You knocked on doors, had the hard conversations and inspired unprecedented turnout this election, which is a victory for democracy.”
In October, Kelly dropped television commercials into five Senate districts targeted by Democrats. She spoke in the ads about taxation, public education and abortion rights.
Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, responded by asserting Kelly told “outright lies” about GOP Sens. Mike Thompson and Kellie Warren, GOP Rep. Adam Thomas and GOP newcomer candidates T.J. Rose and Klemp.
“It is a sure sign of the Democrats’ desperation,” Masterson said. “It’s also quite sad and a stain on the governor’s office.”
The preliminary report of voting indicated Thompson, Warren, Thomas and Rose won their Senate campaigns. Klemp had the narrow lead over Pittman.
Democrat Andrew Mall, who was touted as a potential breakthrough candidate against Thompson in Johnson County, told supporters he would cherish the experience despite carring 48% of the vote against Thompson’s 52%.
“This campaign has shown me that politics can be about so much more than left versus right, liberal versus conservative, Democrat versus Republican,” Mall told supporters. “Politics can be a way to make meaningful change in your community, even if you don’t win. I hope you don’t become cynical or jaded by this loss.”
Party perspectives
Mike Brown, chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, said he had been confident the GOP’s get-out-the-vote effort and an avalanche of mailers in legislative races would shield the supermajorities.
“I gotta admit I haven’t really contemplated not having it,” he said. “Very important for the future of Kansas and to advance Republican ideals in the face of a Democrat governor.”
He said the supermajority was a key factor when considering overrides of Kelly vetoes, but also played a role in setting the policy agenda during legislative sessions.
Elizabeth Patton, state director of Americans for Prosperity-Kansas, echoed that sentiment and praised the 28 candidates endorsed by the organization who won seats in the Legislature. AFP said more than 200,000 Kansans were reached through mail, telephone and digital marketing as well as door knocking during the campaign. The organization pressed voters on the economy, taxation, government regulation and health care access.
“We know a lot of commonsense reforms can be accomplished next year,” she said.
Jeanna Repass, chairwoman of the Kansas Democratic Party, said demise of the Republican supermajority would have made bills passed by lawmakers more reflective of Kansans.
She said the state’s residents should be prepared for a GOP legislative work product that diminished the value of public education and rights of women.
“It will look like Groundhog Day,” Repass said. “Restrictive abortion amendments and bills that keep coming to the floor. Tax policies that want to take us back to a place where we bankrupted the state.”
Rep. Rui Xu, a Westwood Democrat who won reelection with 64% of the vote, attempted to put the election results in perspective.
“There’s no use sugarcoating it: President Donald Trump will lead America with a Republican-majority Senate, and the House remains too close to call,” he said. “Here in Kansas, we face an even deeper Republican supermajority in our state Legislature. Regardless of the reasons, we know the coming years will be challenging. They will try to enact policies outlined in Project 2025, and in Kansas, the Republican supermajority will be able to override most of the governor’s vetoes. While some may argue this is the mandate voters have chosen, I believe that Kansans and Americans deserve better.”
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
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Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
