Democrat Dena Sattler is running to represent parts of Lawrence, southwestern Douglas County and three other counties included in Senate District 3.
Incumbent Republican Rick Kloos did not respond to this questionnaire. We emailed questionnaires to candidates on Oct. 8, gave them until 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 to respond and sent multiple reminder emails.
Sattler shared her views on reproductive care, school funding, gun safety and more.
We did not give candidates a word count limit but advised them to keep answers concise.
Will this race be on my ballot? Check which legislative districts you’re in at myvoteinfo.voteks.org.
Early voting began Wednesday, Oct. 16. Voters can request a ballot to vote early by mail through Tuesday, Oct. 29 at KSVotes.org. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Find out more at lawrencekstimes.com/election2024.
Jump to a topic:
• Meet the candidate
• Experience and qualifications
• Top 3 issues
• Legalizing cannabis
• Expanding Medicaid
• Public funds to private schools
• Local control
• Abortion regulations
• LGBTQ+ rights and transgender kids
• Top concerns heard from voters
• Question for opponent
• Free space
• Just for fun
This district
District 3 is pictured in orange in this map.
Kansas Senate District 3 includes Osage and parts of Douglas, Franklin and Shawnee counties.
In Douglas County, it includes parts of Clinton, Kanwaka, Marion, Wakarusa and Willow Springs townships, plus parts of Lawrence west of Kasold Drive and south of Kansas Highway 10. Its boundaries extend as far east as East 1800 Road between North 900 and North 1400 roads.
It spans south and west into other counties and includes Wellsville, Ottawa, Pomona, parts of Topeka and more.
See a map of the full district at this link.
Meet the candidate
Dena Sattler
Age: 61
Running as: Democrat
Hometown, and time in Douglas County (or in your current town, for candidates who reside outside of Douglas County)?
I was born and raised in Burlington, Iowa, and have lived in Topeka for 6 years, and in Kansas for 27 years.
Where you currently reside: I live in Topeka.
Day job: Freelance writer/consultant for the Kansas Press Association and other organizations
How voters can reach you: 785-409-1225; sattlerforkansas@gmail.com
Website; social media links: sattlerforkansas.com; @DenaSat38 on Twitter; Dena Sattler for Kansas Senate on Facebook
About you and your positions
A * indicates an answer was required to submit this questionnaire.
Q: What specific experience and qualifications do you possess that make you the best candidate for the seat you’re seeking?*
I’ve devoted my career to community and public service, and my run for the Kansas Senate is the next opportunity for me to serve the people of my community, region, and state. My work as a career journalist and longtime newspaper publisher in Kansas; as a public servant on the senior staffs of Governor Laura Kelly and Lieutenant Governor Toland; and my time in the U.S. Army all have given me a unique skill set and perspective that will be beneficial in the Kansas Senate.
When elected, I will be the first woman with military service to serve in the Kansas Senate.
I’ve also served on numerous nonprofit boards that have helped me better understand the issues Kansans face, and ways to improve and strengthen our families and communities.
I’m prepared to pursue commonsense policies that make our communities even better places for Kansans to live, work and enjoy an excellent quality of life. I will listen to the people I serve and always advocate for truth and transparency in the Kansas Senate.
Q: Please list the top three issues motivating you to run for this office. What concrete ideas do you have to make a difference on each issue if you are elected? Please be as specific as possible.*
Women’s reproductive rights: Kansans were loud and clear two years ago in rejecting Republicans’ attack on women’s reproductive rights. Yet Republicans in the Legislature — my opponent included — won’t give up. They are relentless in trying to control women, to include in the last session overriding vetoes of three bills designed to pressure and intimidate patients and providers alike. These legislators who ignore the will of the people are determined to make women — your daughters, your granddaughters — second-class citizens. They want to control and make decisions for them. Republicans say they are the party of small government, yet they’re meddling in our bedrooms, our bathrooms and our doctor’s office visits. They’re truly the party of overreach.They need to understand “no means no.” I respect the will of the people in our state and will fight for our freedom.
Supporting public education: We must protect our neighborhood schools from efforts to divert our taxpayer dollars from public schools to private schools without accountability. Vouchers will undermine educational opportunities for disabled and special education students, and result in segregation of our schools. It’s also worth noting that on Governor Kelly’s watch, schools have been fully funded for six straight years. I will work every day to support and defend our teachers and public schools from extreme-right forces determined to undermine their efforts.
Affordable cost of living: I will join commonsense Kansas legislators who are committed to progress on affordable health care (especially Medicaid expansion that’s long overdue in Kansas), affordable housing and affordable childcare. We also need meaningful property tax relief. I will support efforts to restore funding to local governments by way of the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction Fund (LAVTRF) that was designed to give local governments an opportunity to determine property tax relief that best fits their communities. Unfortunately, in the last session extreme-right Republicans, my opponent included, voted to eliminate this program that could deliver significant property tax relief at the local level.
Q: Would you support legalizing cannabis in Kansas?*
Options given: Yes, for any use (medicinal, recreational, etc.); Yes, for medicinal use; No
Yes, for medicinal use
Q: Would you support expansion of Medicaid in Kansas?*
(Only yes/no options given)
Yes
Q: Would you support initiatives to spend more public money on private schools, such as through vouchers, charter schools, tax credits and so forth?*
(Only yes/no options given)
No
Q: Please elaborate on any of your answers to the yes/no questions above if you’d like to.
School vouchers: I strongly oppose the school voucher scheme that would shift our taxpayer dollars to private schools with no accountability. Extreme-right Republicans, my opponent included, are determined to pass school vouchers in the coming session. This scam would deliberately weaken our neighborhood schools by diverting our taxpayer dollars to private schools without the same accountability as our public schools. Vouchers also undermine educational opportunities for disabled and special education students, and result in segregation of our schools.
Instead of trying to wreck our neighborhood schools, legislators should focus on opportunities to strengthen early education; invest in career and technical programs at the middle and high school levels; and further strengthen partnerships between high schools and community colleges that prepare our young graduates for careers of the future right here in Kansas — which in turn will strengthen our communities. I am honored to be endorsed by passionate advocates for public education in our state: the Lawrence Education Association; Kansas National Education Association; American Federation of Teachers; Game On Kansas; and Governor Kelly’s Middle of the Road PAC.
Medicaid expansion: Medicaid expansion is long overdue in Kansas. There is no reason for Republicans to continue to block access to healthcare for some 152,000 Kansans, including 40,000 children. It’s immoral, and it’s irresponsible. We already have sent more than 7 billion of our own taxpayer dollars that could go to Medicaid expansion to other states, helping to pay for health care of residents in places like California and Illinois. That makes no sense.
Kansans in need of affordable healthcare are largely the working poor who struggle every day to make ends meet. While Republican legislators blocking Medicaid expansion enjoy generous healthcare benefits paid for by us, the taxpayers, they refuse to help those less fortunate.
We can be fiscally responsible and still care for our friends and neighbors. That’s the Kansas way.
Medical marijuana: Kansas must at least start with medical marijuana. Blocking it is just another attack on our freedom. Ailing Kansans should be free to work with their physicians on ways to ease their pain and alleviate other symptoms. Medical marijuana would help patients of all ages suffering from serious ailments such as epilepsy, seizures, cancer, Alzheimer’s and mental health challenges. This also includes many veterans who are suffering from PTSD and other medical problems. As someone who served, I take that personally, and will always fight to help veterans in their time of need.
We also need meaningful discussion on ending the state’s prohibition on recreational marijuana. Fort Hays State University’s annual public opinion survey showed 67.2 percent of Kansans support recreational sale of marijuana for people 21 and older. State lawmakers have an obligation to have open, public discussion and debate in the Kansas Statehouse on this issue, and how our state can establish the most responsible approach in legalization of recreational marijuana.
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Q: Please share your views on local control. Do you believe the Legislature should seek to enact state laws that affect municipalities’ ability to self-govern? If so, in what circumstances? If not, how will you stand up for local control?*
Context given to candidates: The Lawrence City Commission in 2022 stripped some protections of immigrants from local ordinances in response to changes in state laws.
The city in 2023 passed a safe haven ordinance to create additional protections for transgender people in response to anti-trans legislation (SB 180 in particular).
The city also approved a ban on single-use plastic bags, which legislators attempted to nullify with a new law that was vetoed this year.
The Kansas Legislature should always respect local control. I believe a strong partnership between state and local governments encourages the open discussion, collaboration and policymaking that best serve all Kansans. Elected representatives should always be mindful of the unique perspective and understanding local officials have in dealing with their own challenges and opportunities. Every community is different, and the state has an obligation to listen to, and work in concert with local officials, which means always respecting and deferring to local control when possible.
Q: Kansas voters in August 2022 soundly rejected a constitutional amendment that would have opened the door to extreme restrictions on abortion. Still, the Legislature has passed or attempted to pass more laws regulating abortion. Please share your stance on what actions the Legislature should or should not take regarding abortion.*
Kansans were loud and clear in 2022 in rejecting Republicans’ attack on women’s reproductive care. Yet Republicans in the Legislature — my opponent included — didn’t listen. They are relentless in trying to control women, to include in the last session overriding vetoes of three bills designed to pressure and intimidate patients and providers alike. They are determined to make women — your daughters, your granddaughters — second-class citizens. They want to control them and make decisions for them. My opponent supported every single bill designed to control women’s healthcare before and after voters resoundingly rejected the constitutional amendment to ban abortions. Sadly, these extreme anti-choice Republicans now claim they respect that decision, when their voting record proves otherwise. I will acknowledge and respect the will of the people in our state, and fight for the freedom to make our own personal medical decisions.
Q: In recent years, the Legislature has increasingly passed or attempted to pass legislation that could have potential negative outcomes for LGBTQ+ people. Please explain your stance on the rights of LGBTQ+ people — particularly transgender kids — and what the Legislature’s role in their lives and health care should be.*
Extreme Republican legislators are misleading Kansans with dangerous, false information on transgender youth. Decisions about their care belongs with those patients, their families and their physicians — not politicians. It’s discrimination, plain and simple, when Republicans target transgender youth and LGBTQ+ people in our state.
Discrimination of any kind is not in line with our Kansas values. Far-right Republicans spend inordinate time on culture wars that are nothing more than fear mongering, and hurtful in many ways. These culture wars hurt people who are only trying to live their lives. They also embarrass our state by presenting Kansas as backward and uninviting. That’s no way to encourage positive economic growth in our communities and our state. These unwarranted attacks on LGBTQ+ Kansans make people feel unsafe in their own communities, which we cannot tolerate. I will fight for policies that protect freedoms for all, not just a select few as determined by a handful of extreme-right Republicans.
Optional questions
Q: What would you say is the top concern you’ve heard from voters as you’ve been campaigning, and what actions would you take to better that problem?
Kansans in every community I visit in Senate District 3 still are very upset about ongoing attempts to take away women’s reproductive rights. My opponent has voted for every single bill that would violate women’s freedom to access healthcare — and even laughed out loud (and on camera) when a related bill was introduced in the Statehouse. That’s not respect, it’s blatant disrespect for Kansas women and their families. I will work to block future attempts to control women and I will truly respect the will of the people in ensuring that women have safe access to the healthcare they need.
Q: Please share a question we didn’t ask that you’d like your fellow candidates to answer. How would you respond?
My opponent supports a flat tax that would literally be a return to the tax experiment under former Governor Sam Brownback that wrecked state finances and ruined the state’s credit ratings. Why does my opponent want to go back to the Brownback approach of massive tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy when we have already seen how that will not work in Kansas?
Kansas now is on sound fiscal ground, with money in the bank and good credit ratings, thanks to Governor Kelly’s pragmatic and fiscally responsible approach of sound investment in our schools, our roads, our law enforcement and other services Kansans want and need, which I will wholeheartedly support in the Kansas Senate.
Q: Free space: Please share anything you’d like voters to know about you and your stances that we haven’t asked here.
Gun safety is one of the most serious and pressing of all issues that receives little to no attention from the Republican supermajority, my opponent included. In the Senate, I will be a voice for safety-first gun ownership.
As someone who served in the military, I have a unique, firsthand experience and perspective. I had world-class weapons training in the Army. That included locking up our weapons for safe storage. I applaud programs like the one from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office that offers free gun safety locks to secure guns. But we don’t have nearly enough safety-first requirements in Kansas. We need more commonsense measures as supported by Moms Demand Action, from keeping guns unloaded and locked away, to stricter background checks and red flag policies. What we don’t need is more of the do-nothing approach from NRA-endorsed officeholders, my opponent included. I’m proud to be endorsed by Moms Demand Action, who know we have to address this very serious public safety issue. When elected, I will be a strong and uniquely qualified ally for efforts to keep Kansans safe at school, safe at work, and safe at home.
Just for fun
Candidates were not required to answer any of these questions, but we wanted to give our readers a chance to get to know them a little better and have some fun with this.
Favorite color? Blue
Zodiac sign? Scorpio
Do you have any pets, and/or what’s your favorite animal? We have a rescue dog, Ellie. She is an interesting mix of mostly German Spitz and Chihuahua (and numerous other breeds!) My favorite animal other than dogs is the hedgehog.
What’s a fun fact our readers may not know about you? (Have a hidden talent? Interesting hobby?) I’m a longtime collector of sports trading cards and memorabilia.
Favorite book, TV show and/or movie? When I have time to read books, I enjoy biographies of political, government and sports figures. My all-time favorite movie: “The Wizard of Oz,” of course!
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