• The political current in Topeka appears to be changing as moderate Republicans step up.
The results of the Aug. 2 primary election did more than send a message to our state legislature. It signaled a sea change in the political current of the past six years. At least a half dozen state senators and seven state representatives critical of public education, and backers of the governor’s failed economic policies, were defeated by moderate challengers; on the flip side, not a single moderate incumbent lost to a Brownback conservative.
That’s encouraging news. Over the past six years, the current crop of Kansas conservatives has failed at perhaps the state’s most important governmental obligation: to adequately and fairly fund a public education system for all of its children.
This sea change is not over. Several conservative incumbents, including two who represent Marion County, one in the House and one in the Senate, will face pro-schools Democratic opponents in the general election. We certainly wouldn’t expect Republicans to change party affiliation, but might we consider one “exceptional” vote this November to strengthen the message that better days are ahead for Kansas kids? —DR