John M. Simpson (born July 30, 1934) is a former politician and attorney from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

of Kansas. He served as a

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 ...

in the

Kansas State 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 o ...

from 1972 to 1979, before switching parties and unsuccessfully running as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in the 1980 election for

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, challenging Republican incumbent Bob Dole.

Political career

Simpson, a resident of

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

, was initially appointed to the State Senate representing the 17th district in 1972, after a vacancy occurred following the death of the incumbent Ernest Strahan. In the November 1972 elections, he won election in his own right in the 24th district (after redistricting), and he served in the State Senate for the rest of the decade. In the

1980 United States Senate election in Kansas The 1980 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Dole was re-elected to his third term in office, after briefly campaigning for President earlier that year. He defeated Democr ...

, Simpson switched parties and ran as a Democrat against Bob Dole, announcing his campaign in the summer of 1979. He said that changed parties because he "felt the Democratic party offers the best solutions and best platforms for the problems this country faces", and denied changing parties in order to run for the Senate. Simpson narrowly won the Democratic Senate primary, taking only 36% of the vote, with 32% for the second-place finisher James Maher. He was beaten soundly in the general election, losing to Dole by a 64-36 margin.

References

Living people Republican Party Kansas state senators Kansas Republicans Kansas Democrats Politicians from Salina, Kansas 20th-century American politicians 1934 births {{Kansas-politician-stub