The Republican Party has historically dominated Kansas politics, currently controlling 72.5% and 68% supermajorities in the state Senate and House, respectively.
The party continues to have a lock on rural areas. But the state’s urban landscape is becoming more competitive, with Johnson County increasingly seen as a political toss-up.
“Johnson County, Kansas, is critically important to the Republican Party in every election cycle, but never more important than it is in 2024,” says Kansas Republican Party Chair Mike Brown.
Johnson County’s state Senate representation is nearly split, with the GOP controlling five seats and the Democrats controlling four. (District 35 is without an incumbent.) On the House side, the Democrats hold an advantage of 16 seats to 11.
“Johnson County as a whole has gone from solid red … to purple,” says Michael Smith, a professor of political science at Emporia State University. “And now Johnson County really has a blue lane.”
Smith believes Democrats “have a beachhead in Johnson County.” He thinks they may be able to expand it by focusing on issues like abortion and protecting funding for public schools.
“I suspect that some of the issues that propel Johnson County to be more blue are still very pertinent to many of the voters there,” Smith says.
For the GOP, it’s the border and taxes
Brown notes that the issue of greatest concern to Kansas Republicans is border security, an issue that he says is tightly bound up with a handful of others.
“The number one issue in Johnson County and across the state of Kansas is the exact same issue … We want our border closed,” Brown says.
Brown says the border issue “goes to illegal immigration, which goes directly to public safety.”
Johnson County Republican Party Chair Maria Holiday also lists the border as a constituent concern, but she draws a line from it to homelessness in the area. She also connects homelessness to the economy.
“I find homelessness growing in Johnson County is a result of the economic climate that we’re in right now,” she says. “I do think it’s growing. I think the open border is a contributor to that growing problem.”
“People are blowing up my phone about the homeless shelter,” Holiday adds.
She is concerned about the Johnson County’s board of commissioners recent approval of a $10.5 million renovation of a hotel for use as a homeless shelter at 95th Street and Interstate 35. "So where are these people coming from?” Holiday asks.
“As a practicing Catholic, I firmly believe in helping people and in providing for the homeless. But I also think that … government almost always does a much worse job at providing for people than private entities do.”
Holiday also noted that taxes are on the minds of Johnson County Republicans, placing taxes over the border as the issue of greatest concern in her mind.
Pointing at the Johnson County commissioners, she says “they are pushing forth a budget right now that exceeds revenue neutral once again… They know how much it takes to operate, but they’re going to take some more.”
Democrats focus on education, reproductive rights
According to Johnson County Democratic Party Chair Deann Mitchell, “people move to Johnson County for the public schools. So, we have to make sure our public schools are funded, and that includes special education, which most people don’t understand is inclusive of honors programs.”
As with Brown, Mitchell also sees Johnson County as vital to a party’s success in 2024.
“The road to breaking the supermajority runs through Johnson County,” she says, adding that she’s optimistic that the Democrats can expand their “Democratic majority in the elected officials in Johnson County.”
Beyond Kansas House and Senate races, Mitchell and the Democrats are also focused on races for the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners, sheriff, district attorney and the Kansas State Board of Education.
Mitchell also reports that prospective Johnson County voters are focused on women’s reproductive rights.
“The voters in Kansas, not just women, but the voters in Kansas made a clear message two years ago that we believe women should have rights to our own body autonomy.”
But, she says, the issue is “still on the ballot. That was not finalized two years ago.”
After women’s rights, Michell raises “gun rights or some type of gun reform… People want to feel safe. They want to feel safe in their homes, when they’re shopping, in their churches … and they want their kids to be safe at school.”
Candidates weigh in
Adam Thomas, Republican representative for Kansas House District 26 who is running for Senate District 23, raises education as a priority. But he puts it behind taxes, general economic outlook and negative political rhetoric.
“The three things I’m hearing from literally every person I talk to, Republican, Democrat, independent, Libertarian, doesn’t matter: They’re upset about how much they’re paying for property taxes and just taxes in general,” he says.
“Second biggest thing is just that everyday cost of living. I talk to seniors on a fixed income, and they’re concerned about everything’s gone up in price… And then the other big thing that people are talking about is just the overall tone and the overall language of everything they’re hearing nationally.”
Thomas chairs the House Education Committee and noted that the state government this year did fund schools to the required amount while also investing additional funds in special education. His focus going forward is on finding a better alignment between Kansas high school graduates’ skills and the needs of the business community and teacher salaries.
Thomas’ opponent Stacey Knoell hears different concerns when she knocks on Senate District 23 doors.
“People are most concerned about keeping schools strong,” she says. “I think a lot of people move to Olathe because of the schools.
“The schools are asked to do so much. One, yes, educating children. But schools provide meals. Schools provide emotional support. Schools provide recreation, sports and all the things that schools are asked to provide, and with oversight and with the mandate that they also have to take everyone and educate everyone.”
Knoell follows education with women’s reproductive rights.
“This district voted overwhelmingly — Johnson County voted overwhelmingly, in fact, Kansas voted overwhelmingly — to protect women’s reproductive rights and to have that not be played out in the legislature.”
Knoell sees the reproductive rights issue as a slippery slope, focusing “on the wording that was actually in the constitutional amendment, talking about personal integrity and bodily autonomy.
“If women don’t have those two things, what does that mean?” she asks. “Does that mean that I have to have my husband sign off to go to the dentist? Even more so than making this an abortion question, who gets to decide what happens to a woman’s body?”
Knoell also says some voters reported concerns about safety and crime, and yet she says these same voters reported feeling safe in their homes and neighborhoods. She expressed the same concerns and feelings.
“They feel safe, but they worry about their safety,” Knoell says. “I mean, because obviously there’s reasons to be afraid. We see it in the media constantly. I feel safe, but I’m worried about my safety. What happens if I call 911 to help me and they wind up shooting me?”
Money and volunteers
The deadline for Kansas political parties to file their financial statements was July 29. As of that date, the Johnson County Republican Party Central Committee reported contributions of $119,142.06, with $29,286.94 cash on hand after expenses. The Johnson County Democratic Central Committee reported $211,748.84 contributed and $165,500.40 cash on hand after expenses.
In terms of volunteers, neither party would share exact numbers, but both claim a significant increase in headcount.
Brown says statewide the total number of volunteers for the Republican cause is approaching 1,000, and Holiday says her Johnson County Republican party office is now able to stay open five days a week, up from two. She adds that the office is also host in the evenings to “a variety of Republican organizations.”
Additionally, the Johnson County Republican Party’s Elephant Club — a monthly luncheon affair for paying donors — has doubled its rolls to 92 paid memberships.
On the Democratic side, Mitchell says volunteer numbers have “increased with each cycle,” and the party has “nearly 300 canvassing teams knocking on doors.”
Adding to that, Mitchell credits the excitement generated by the Democratic Party’s recent switch from President Joe Biden to Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate for an additional 100 individuals contacting her office in the last week to volunteer.
This story was originally published by Flatland, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.
