Anthony Hensley (born September 2, 1953) is a former Democratic member of the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members ...

, representing the 19th district since 1992. He was the Minority Leader from 1996 through 2021 and has also been a committeeman of the Democratic Precinct since 1976. In 1992, he was the Majority Whip. From 1977 to 1992, he was a

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

. In 1991 and 1992, he was the chairman of the 2nd District Democratic Committee and from 1981 to 1986, he was the chairman of the Shawnee County Democratic Central Committee. On November 3, 2020, he was defeated in his re-election campaign by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Rick Kloos.

2020 Kansas 19th Senate district campaign

Hensley's opponent Kloos ran unchallenged in the GOP primary where he received 6,758 votes in the primary, while Hensley had 5,269, who also ran unopposed.Feuerborn, Mark
Topeka thrift store founder ends state Democrat leader Hensley’s 27-year tenure
'' KSNT-TV Channel 27'',

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

, November 4, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2021. Kloos beat Hensley 16,141 votes to 15,383 votes, 51% to 49%, on the November 3, 2020 general election—in what Titus Wu of the ''

Topeka Capitol-Journal ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett. History The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jou ...

'' called "a huge upset victory".Election Results
'' KSNT-TV Channel 27'',

, November 6, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2021. Kloos is pro-life and was endorsed by Kansans for Life. Hensley had represented the area for 44 years as either the state representative or state senator.Rick Kloos
''

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

''. Retrieved June 14, 2021. The Kloos campaign outspent Hensley $37,433 to $1,286.Wu, Titu
Rick Kloos pulls upset win over Anthony Hensley; GOP sweeps Topeka’s Kansas Senate races
''

'', November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.

Personal life

Hensley graduated from

Washburn University Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 ...

in 1975 and later received his master's degree in special education from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

. He then taught special education at Topeka's Capital City School until 2011. Hensley teaches government and political affairs to high school students within the Topeka area.

Committee assignments

Hensley served on the following legislative committees: * 2015 Special Committee on K-12 Student Success * Assessment and Taxation * Confirmation Oversight (Vice-chair) * Education (Ranking minority member) * Interstate Cooperation (Ranking minority member) * Joint Committee on Pensions, Investments, and Benefits * Legislative Coordinating Council * Legislative Post Audit Committee * Senate Select Committee on KPERS (Ranking minority member) * Transportation

Major donors

Some of the top contributors to Hensley's 2008 campaign, according to

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

:Anthony Hensley 2008 campaign contributions
/ref> : Kansas Democratic Party, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Association of Realtors, Kansas Credit Union Association, Kansas Dental Association Political parties were his largest donor group.

References

External links

Kansas SenateProject Vote Smart profile
* Follow the Money campaign contributions *
1996199820002002200420062008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hensley, Anthony 1953 births 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party Kansas state senators Kansas State University alumni Living people Democratic Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives Politicians from Topeka, Kansas Washburn University alumni