Republicans have passed measures in the state Senate to tighten election laws, and to weaken school vaccination requirements. However, they did not receive the two-thirds vote required to override any potential vetoes by the Democratic Governor. Laura Kelly. The Senate also rejected a Kansas Constitution amendment that would have limited future tax increases.
Trump’s victory over many conservatives, as well as abortion opponents, has seen his supporters take control of the Kansas GOP. Anti-vaccine activists, conspiracy promoters, and other anti-vaccine advocates have also gained influence. However, conservatives still need the support of more centrist establishment Republicans to succeed Kelly as governor. This is evident from their struggles in the Legislature.
Bob Beatty, a political scientist at Washburn University of Topeka, said that “The greatest question in American politics right currently is, where are all the fault lines in terms of Trump Republicans or Republicans?”
The 2020 elections shifted the Legislature to the right, especially in the Senate where there are only a few GOP moderates.
Kelly was unable to expand Medicaid for Kansas’ poor and disabled residents. Republican leaders passed tax cuts in response to Kelly’s veto of 2021. Her tax cuts for this year are failing. To reverse a decision by the state Supreme Court protecting abortion rights, and to make it easier to change state agency regulations, GOP lawmakers have placed constitutional amendments on this year’s ballot.
Kansas conservatives hoped for more, however, after COVID-19 restrictions energized right and Republican Glenn Youngkin won last year’s governor’s race in blue-leaning Virginia. Instead, “legacy Republicans”, as Senate President Ty Masterson calls them, have been key Statehouse players.
Masterson, a conservative Wichita Republican, stated that “there’s always going be a few in the Republican Caucus who are more aligned than the Democrats on a couple of issues.”
John Doll from southwestern Kansas has been both a Democratic candidate for Congress and an independent candidate to be lieutenant governor. He considers himself to be a disciple of two Republicans, Kansas icons the late U.S. Senate Majority leader Bob Dole, and President Dwight Eisenhower. He asked this week if Eisenhower, Dole or President Ronald Reagan could win a GOP primaries today.
He said, “You know that song I Drink Alone’?” “Fiscally I think I am conservative, but I believe you need great roads, great schools, and that kind of thing.”
Doll voted for Republican Senators. Brenda Dietrich of Topeka and Jeff Longbine from eastern Kansas voted with Republican senators to block a Kansas Constitution amendment that would have required a two-thirds majority to pass any future tax increases. They also voted against removing long-standing requirements that parents immunize their children against measles, polio and chickenpox in order to allow them to enroll in day care or school.
Longbine stated that, despite “an ideology shift” among Republicans he still sees anti-vaccine advocates as a vocal minority.
He said, “I don’t believe that most Kansans think that it’s OK not to vaccinate children for polio, mumps and the measles.”
Dietrich disapproves of far-right doubts regarding Kansas’ 2020 elections. Longbine and her cited practical reasons for voting with Doll against the legislation. This would likely discourage many counties using ballot drop boxes in their elections. Each one would need to be staffed if the county doesn’t have enough employees or money.
“Does this make sense?” What is the problem that we are trying to solve? “Is there a problem?” Dietrich asked. “I think that’s what guides a lot our decision-making.”
Dietrich, however, said that the proposal to make it easier to change state agency regulations was logical. She said that when constituents complain about problems with agencies she would respond by saying, “almost always if you can trace it back, it is a rule or regulation.” Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture groups also support the measure.
Patrick Miller, a University of Kansas political scientist, said that the Senate’s least conservative trio is not necessarily the most conservative. However, he said that they still vote with conservatives often. He also suggested that it could be possible that some conservative demands for measures amount to election-year political theatre.
He asked, “Do they really believe they can get this passed? Or were they just trying show they were supporting that conservative agenda?”
And while Kansas elects Democratic governors often, the GOP has been the dominant political party in Kansas throughout its history. For 96 years, both chambers have been controlled by Republicans.
“A lot people identify themselves as Republican because it’s Republican state. You’re always going have five to six that are probably Democrats and three to four that are actually Libertarians.” Tim Shallenburger, former Kansas GOP chairman, treasurer, and Kansas House speaker, said.
