by Carolyn Matthews, Foulston Siefkin LLP
How many Democrats does it take to screw in a lightbulb in Kansas? That’s a trick question — there aren’t any Democrats in Kansas. Republican Sam Brownback was elected governor. Republicans also took the secretary of state, attorney general, and state treasurer positions from the Democratic incumbents.
Republican Jerry Moran took the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Brownback; the other Senate seat also is held by a Republican. The four U.S. House of Representatives seats went to Republicans (a loss of two seats for the Democrats). Following that theme, the Kansas Legislature remains strongly Republican.
Voters also approved two state constitution amendments allowing individuals to have guns for hunting and self-defense and preventing the legislature from denying persons with mental illness the right to vote.
There was one area where voters did not throw everyone out: They elected to retain the four Kansas Supreme Court judges up for retention, despite a campaign to remove those perceived to be “activist” judges.
Carolyn Matthews is an editor of Kansas Employment Law Letter and a partner with Foulston Siefkin LLP in the firm’s Wichita office. She can be reached at (316) 291-9546.