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Up To Date

Prairie Roots' plan to make the Kansas legislature progressive by 2026

By Steve Kraske,
Zach Wilson
Published June 2, 2022 at 2:22 PM CDT
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Celia Llopis-Jepsen
/
Kansas News Service
Getting nonvoters involved in the political process is at the core of the strategy being used by Prairie Roots.

The new progressive grassroots organization found inspiration in the model used in Georgia to win congressional seats.

A new grassroots political organization in Kansas, Prairie Roots, has taken on the goal of flipping the Kansas legislature to progressives by 2026.

The plan, modeled after strategies used by the Stacey Abrams-led organization Fair Fight Action in Georgia, is to get non-voters with progressive values to the polls through "deep canvassing."

Executive director Peyton Browning joined Up To Date to explain the strategy and to discuss why she believes Kansas is poised for this political shift.

Tags
Up To Date PodcastKansas Democratssocial progresspoliticsElections
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Steve Kraske
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
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Zach Wilson
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
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