The Kansas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in the state of Kansas and one of two major parties in the state, alongside the

Republicans 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 ...

. The chair of the party is Vicki Hiatt. The party currently controls the state's governorship, lieutenant governorship and Treasurer office, as well as one seat in the state's U.S. House delegation. It is currently in the minority in both houses of the

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Overview

Since its founding as a territory, Kansas politics have been largely dominated by the

Kansas Republican Party The Kansas Republican Party is the state affiliate political party in Kansas of the United States Republican Party. The Kansas Republican Party was organized in May 1859. At the state level, the party is largely split between its moderate and con ...

and in 1857, the Kansas Democratic Party was formed in an attempt to curb this trend by writing a constitution which would make Kansas a pro-slavery state. This constitution, which was written in Lecompton, Kansas, was boycotted by many of the free-staters and seen as illegitimate. Eventually a free-state constitution was drafted in Topeka and was adopted. The Kansas Democratic Party has not been able to send a U.S. Senator to Washington since 1939, a record currently unmatched by any state party in America, Republican or Democratic. Kansas Democrats have only controlled the Kansas Senate for 4 years (1913-1916) since statehood, and have only controlled the Kansas House of Representatives for six years since statehood (1913-1914, 1977-1978, and 1990-1991). Since the state’s founding, there have been 12 Democratic governor of Kansas, six of whom were elected after 1961. The aftermath of the “Summer of Mercy,” a series of anti-abortion protests in Wichita which split Kansas Republicans into moderate and conservative factions, established the modern “three-party politics” at the state level. Kansas Democrats often capitalize on that split, forming coalitions with moderate Republicans and independents to achieve near and complete electoral and legislative success, most notably in the

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

gubernatorial elections. The party suffered major defeats in the

2010 Kansas elections 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, losing every statewide race and 16 seats in the Kansas House. Before then, the Democrats had joined with a coalition of moderate Republicans to effectively control the state senate. However, the ousters of several moderate Republicans in the 2010 primaries left the lower chamber in the hands of conservative Republicans. The Kansas Democratic Party helped elect 14 new Democrats to the Kansas Legislatur
in the 2016 elections
and, along with substantial primary victories among moderate Republicans, often achieved bipartisan, moderate majorities in the Kansas House on issues such as Medicaid expansion and taxes.

Democrat

Laura Kelly Laura Jeanne Kelly (born January 24, 1950)"Laura Kelly,"
''Kansapedia,''

was elected governor and

Sharice Davids Sharice Lynnette Davids (; born May 22, 1980) is an American attorney, former mixed martial artist, and politician serving as the U.S. representative from since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents a district that includes mos ...

was elected to represent

3rd congressional district Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * High ...

, with the party making sizable gains in suburbs and major cities around the state while keeping losses to a minimum in the rural, more conservative parts of Kansas.

Washington Days

Since 1895, the Kansas Democratic Party has hosted the annual Washington Days convention. Consisting of one weekend of caucus meetings, dinners, and receptions, the event ends with an address from a keynote speaker. It is traditionally held in the capital city of Topeka. The keynote speech has historically been a proving ground for future Democratic candidates for President of the United States, including William Jennings Bryan, Ted Kennedy,

Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination until he dropped out amid revelations of extramarital affairs. ...

, John Edwards, Martin O’Malley,

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

, and

Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; ; Sometimes pronounced or , but not by Buttigieg himself. born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former military officer who is currently serving as the United States secretary of transp ...

. Keynote speakers who would go on to become president include Woodrow Wilson,

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. Alben Barkley,

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

, and Joe Biden also gave keynote speeches at Washington Days before each became vice president.

Current elected officials

Members of U.S. Senate

* None

George McGill George S. McGill (February 12, 1879May 14, 1963) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Kansas from 1930 to 1939. He was a member of the Democratic Party. , McGill was the most recent Democrat to represent Kansas ...

, who served from 1930 until 1939, was the last Democrat to serve as a United States Senator from Kansas; the state has since exclusively been represented by Republicans in that body, representing the longest losing streak by either party in any of the fifty states.

Members of U.S. Congress

Statewide offices

File:Laura Kelly official photo (cropped).jpg, Governor File:David Toland official photo (cropped).jpg,

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Legislative Leadership

* Senate Minority Leader:

Anthony Hensley Anthony Hensley (born September 2, 1953) is a former Democratic member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 19th district since 1992. He was the Minority Leader from 1996 through 2021 and has also been a committeeman of the Democratic Preci ...

* House Minority Leader: Tom Sawyer *Assistant House Minority Leader:

Valdenia Winn Valdenia Camille "Val" Winn (born December 7, 1950) is an American Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 34th district. She has served since 2001. Since 1972, Winn has worked as a professor at Kansas City K ...

*House Minority Whip:

Stephanie Clayton Stephanie Clayton (July 9, 1977) is a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives representing the 19th district (Overland Park in Johnson County). She has served since 2013. She was elected as a Republican, but after winning reelec ...

*House Minority Caucus Chair: Barbara Ballard *House Minority Agenda Chair:

Brandon Woodard Brandon Woodard is an American politician currently serving in the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 30th House District as a member of the Democratic Party. Openly gay, he was elected alongside Susan Ruiz as one of the state's ...

*House Minority Policy Chair:

Rui Xu Rui Xu (born 1989 in Switzerland) is a state representative in the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 25th district. He is the first Chinese-American person to ever serve in the Kansas Legislature and the only naturalized citizen an ...

Kansas Democratic Party chairs

* (1855) Gen. James H. Lane * (1866) W.P. Gambell * (1872 – 1874) Thomas P. Fenlon * (1874 – 1883) Col. John Elmore Martin * (1883 – 1886) Hon. Wm. C. Perry * (1886 – 1888) Ed Carroll * (1888 – 1892) John M. Galloway * (1892 – 1894) W.C. Jones * (1896 – 1902) John S. Richardson * (1902 – 1904) Hugh P. Farrelly * (1904 – 1906) Col. William F. Sapp * (1906 – 1908) Col. W.H. “Bill” Ryan * (1908 – 1914) Henderson S. Martin * (1914 – 1916) E.E. Murphy * (1920 – 1922) Forrest Luther * (1922 – 1924) Carl John Peterson * (1924 – 1928) Fred B. Robertson * (1928 – 1930) John Wells * (1930) Ruth B. Rice * (1930 – 1933) Guy T. Helvering * (1934 – 1936) Clyde E. Short * (1936 – 1940) C.M. Fitzwilliams * (1940 – 1940) Charles E. Young * (1944 – 1946) Harry Castor * (1946 – 1948) Delmas C. “Buzz” Hill * (1948 – 1950) Leigh Warner * (1950 – 1954) John I. Young * (1954 – 1955) Marvin A. “Mike” Harder * (1955 – 1969) Frank Theis * (1960 – 1962) John D. Montgomery * (1962 – 1964) Jack Glaves * (1964 – 1965) Maurice Martin * (1965 – 1966) Thomas J. Corcoran * (1966 – 1974) Norbert Dreiling * (1974 – 1975) Robert L. Brock * (1975 – 1976) Henry “Hank” Lueck * (1976 – 1977) Jan Myers * (1977 – 1979) Terry Scanlon * (1979 – 1981) Larry Bengston * (1981 – 1983) Robert E. Tilton * (1983 – 1985) Pat Lehman * (1985 – 1991) James W. Parrish * (1991 – 1993) John T. Bird * (1993 – 1999) Dennis M. Langley * (1999 – 2003) Tom Sawyer * (2003 – 2011)

Larry Gates Lawrence Wheaton Gates (September 24, 1915December 12, 1996) was an American actor. His notable roles include H.B. Lewis on daytime's ''Guiding Light'' and Doc Baugh in the film version of ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1958). He played the role o ...

* (2011 – 2015) Joan Wagnon * (2015 – 2015) Larry Meeker * (2015 – 2017) Lee Kinch * (2017 – 2019) John Gibson * (2019 – Present) Vicki Hiatt

Prominent past party officials

* William Augustus Ayres (Congressman 1915–21, 1923–34) * Nancy Boyda (Congresswoman 2007–09) *

James Floyd Breeding James Floyd Breeding (September 28, 1901 – October 17, 1977) was a U.S. Representative from Kansas. Early life Born near Robinson, Kansas, Breeding was educated in grade schools, Moonlight, Kansas, and Berryton High School in Shawnee Count ...

(Congressman 1957–63) *

John W. Carlin John William Carlin (born August 3, 1940) is an American educator and politician who served as the 40th governor of Kansas from 1979 to 1987, and the archivist of the United States from May 30, 1995, to February 15, 2005. He teaches at Kansas ...

(Governor 1979–87) * Georgia Neese Clark ( Treasurer of the United States 1949–53) * George Docking (Governor 1957–61) *

Robert Docking Robert Blackwell Docking (October 9, 1925October 8, 1983) was an American politician who served as the 38th governor of Kansas from 1967 until 1975. Early life Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Docking attended public school in Lawrence, K ...

(Governor 1967–75) *

Joan Finney Joan Marie Finney (née McInroy; February 12, 1925 – July 28, 2001) was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995. Prior to her tenure as governor, Finney served four terms as the Kansas state treasurer ...

(Governor 1991–95) * Dan Glickman (Congressman 1977–95,

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organi ...

1995–2001) *

Guy T. Helvering Guy Tresillian Helvering (January 10, 1878 – July 4, 1946) was a United States representative from Kansas, Commissioner of Internal Revenue and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. Educa ...

(Congressman 1913–19, Commissioner of Internal Revenue 1933–43) * John Mills Houston (Congressman 1933–43, National Labor Relations Board Member 1943–53) * Martha Elizabeth Keys (Congresswoman 1975–78) *

Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy Kathryn Ellen O'Loughlin (April 24, 1894 – January 16, 1952) was a U.S. Representative from Kansas. After her election, she was married to Daniel M. McCarthy, who served in the Kansas State Senate, and thereupon served under the name of Kath ...

(first Congresswoman from Kansas, 1933-1935) *

(U.S. Senator 1931–39) * Dennis Moore (Congressman 1999–2011) * Mark Parkinson (Governor 2009–11) *

William R. Roy William Robert Roy (February 23, 1926 – May 26, 2014), also known as Bill Roy, was a United States representative from Kansas, a physician, and a columnist for ''The Topeka Capital-Journal''. He was the Democratic nominee for U.S Senator of K ...

(Congressman 1971–75) * Kathleen Sebelius (Governor 2003–09, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services 2009–14) * Clyde Short (Kansas Democratic Party Chairman 1934-36) *

Jouett Shouse Jouett Shouse (December 10, 1879 – June 2, 1968) was an American lawyer, newspaper publisher, and leading Democratic politician. A conservative, he was best known for opposing the New Deal in the 1930s. Born in Midway, Kentucky, his family m ...

(Congressman 1915–19) *

Jim Slattery James Charles Slattery (born August 4, 1948) is an American politician. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 representing Kansas's 2nd congressional district as a Democrat, was the Democratic nominee for governor in ...

(Congressman 1983–95)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Democratic Party (United States) by state

1857 establishments in Kansas Territory