We are many months away from the primary election in Kansas, but it appears it's going to be a wild one.
There is already one moderate Johnson County Republican who has filed to run against a conservative incumbent and a Democrat who has already announced her candidacy.
Rep. Barbara Bollier, a moderate from Mission Hills, says she expects almost every GOP lawmaker from Johnson County to face a primary, whether moderate or conservative. “It will be on both sides. So I fully expect an opponent against me and I would expect opponents against all of us," she says. "So I will be surprised for whoever doesn’t get that.”
Bollier appeared on KCUR's political podcast Statehouse Blend.
State Sen. Greg Smith from Overland Park already has a primary challenger. In fact, his opponent announced before the 2015 session was even over. Dinah Sykes from Lenexa, a first-time politician, said she was challenging Smith because of his hard right positions on taxes and guns.
Last week Cindy Holscher, a political novice from Overland Park, announced that she will challenge conservative Rep. Amanda Grosserode from Lenexa for her house seat. Holscher says she's chosen to run as a Democrat. "To me, it's not a party issue; it's about ensuring our kids have access to a sound education followed by a strong job market and fair tax system upon graduation," she said in an email.
Grosserode has been in the Legislature since 2010. She faced two primary opponents in 2014 but easily won renomination. She was re-elected with 54 percent of the vote.
"For moderate Republicans this is where the ballgame is for them," says University of Kansas political scientist Burdett Loomis. "Their best chance to work with moderate Democrats is to get conservatives out in the primary."
There's also an important moderate-versus-conservative primary shaping up in western Kansas. Incumbent state Sen. Larry Powell is being challenged by former Democrat John Doll.
"This is really the first time in four years to hold conservative senators accountable" says Loomis, referencing tax cuts that have led to poor revenue collection in the state.
"I think there's a very divided idea of what Republicanism is now in our state," says Bollier. "Is this current Republican regime policy working, or do we need to change? Go back to what would be termed more moderate style that prevailed over the past 30 years in the state."
Loomis says it might be telling if out-of-state money comes into Kansas to help fund moderate legislative campaigns.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Cindy Holscher as a Republican. She is running as a Democrat.
Sam Zeff covers education for KCUR 89.3. He's also co-host of KCUR's political podcast Statehouse Blend. You can follow him @samzeff
