Kansas Democratic Party

{{Infobox political party

| name = Kansas Democratic Party

| logo = 180px

| colorcode = {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}

| headquarters = Topeka, KS

| chairwoman = Jeanna Repass

| leader2_title = Governor

| leader2_name = Laura Kelly

| leader3_title = Lieutenant Governor

| leader3_name = David Toland

| leader4_title = Senate Leader

| leader4_name = Dinah Sykes

| leader5_title = House Leader

| leader5_name = Brandon Woodard

| membership_year = 2021

| membership = {{decrease}}508,808{{Cite web |last=Winger |first=Richard |title=March 2021 Ballot Access News Print Edition |url=http://ballot-access.org/2021/03/28/march-2021-ballot-access-news-print-edition/ |access-date=April 1, 2021 |website=Ballot Access News|date=28 March 2021 }}

| seats1_title = U.S. Senate Seats

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|0|2|hex={{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}}}

| seats2_title = U.S. House Seats

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|1|4|hex={{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}}}

| seats3_title = Statewide Executive Offices

| seats3 = {{Composition bar|2|6|hex={{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}}}

| seats4_title = State Senate

| seats4 = {{Composition bar|11|40|hex={{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}}}

| seats5_title = State House

| seats5 = {{Composition bar|40|125|hex={{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}}}

| foundation = July 27, 1855

| ideology = Modern liberalism

| national = Democratic Party

| colors = Blue

| website = {{URL|http://www.kansasdems.org}}

| country = Kansas

| symbol = 100px

}}

The Kansas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Kansas and one of two major parties in the state, alongside the Republicans. The chair of the party is Jeanna Repass.

The party currently controls the state's governorship and lieutenant governorship, 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.

Overview

Since its founding as a territory, Kansas politics have been largely dominated by the Kansas Republican Party 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.Stampp, Kenneth M. "America in 1857: A Nation on the Brink". Oxford University Press, 1990. pp. 150–154

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 governors of Kansas, six of whom were elected after 1961.Office of Secretary of State.[http://www.kssos.org/forms/communication/history.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225080949/http://kssos.org/forms/communication/history.pdf|date=2011-12-25}} "Kansas History", August 1, 2011.

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”{{Cite news|url=https://www.kansas.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article125045544.html|title=Three-party politics returning to Topeka|work=kansas|access-date=2018-11-24|language=en}} at the state level.{{Cite news|url=http://www.kcur.org/post/my-fellow-kansans-summer-mercy|title=My Fellow Kansans: The Summer Of Mercy|last=McLean|first=Jim|access-date=2018-11-24|language=en}} 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, 2006, 2014, and 2018 gubernatorial elections.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/18/AR2006101801679.html|title="Moderates in Kansas Decide They're Not in GOP Anymore," Washington Post|last=Slevin|first=Peter|date=2006-10-19|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2007-03-10|format=English}}{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/wickham/2006-06-05-kansas-politics_x.htm|title="Kansas Political Shifts Sign Of Things To Come?," USA Today|last=Wickham|first=DeWayne|date=2006-06-05|access-date=2007-03-10|format=English}}{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/05/sebelius/|title="Kansas Republicans Evolve – Into Democrats," Salon|format=English|access-date=2007-03-10}}

The party suffered major defeats in the 2010 Kansas elections, 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 Legislature in 2016, and, along with substantial primary victories among moderate Republicans,{{Cite news|url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/election/article93406217.html|title=Moderate Republicans cruise to victories in Kansas primaries|work=kansascity|access-date=2018-11-24|language=en}} often achieved bipartisan, moderate majorities in the Kansas House on issues such as Medicaid expansion{{Cite news|url=https://nyti.ms/2nClfIN|title=Kansas House Narrowly Upholds Governor's Veto of Medicaid Expansion|access-date=2018-11-24|language=en}} and taxes.{{Cite news|url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article154691724.html|title=Legislature overrides Brownback's veto of bill that rolls back his 2012 tax cuts|work=kansascity|access-date=2018-11-24|language=en}}

In 2018, Democrat Laura Kelly was elected governor and Sharice Davids was elected to represent 3rd congressional district, 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/us/laura-kelly-wins-kansas-governors-race.html|title=Laura Kelly, a Kansas Democrat, Tops Kobach in Governor's Race|work=The New York Times |date=7 November 2018 |access-date=2018-11-24|language=en |last1=Smith |first1=Mitch }}

The 2020 presidential election saw Joe Biden perform the best for any Democratic nominee in Kansas (winning 42% of the vote) since Michael Dukakis in 1988.{{Cite web |last=Joslyn |first=Mark |date=December 7, 2023 |title=Kansas is a Republican state, but there's political space in the middle of the road {{!}} Commentary |url=https://www.kansas.com/opinion/guest-commentary/article282745888.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231210223029/https://www.kansas.com/opinion/guest-commentary/article282745888.html |archive-date=December 10, 2023 |access-date=December 10, 2023 |website=The Wichita Eagle}}

Kelly was re-elected in 2022 and Davids was re-elected in 2020 and 2022, retaining their status (alongside Lieutenant Governor David Toland) as the only statewide and congressional office holders respectively.

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,{{Cite web|url=https://kansasdems.org/washingtondays/|title=Washington Days 2019|date=2018-11-24|website=Kansas Democratic Party|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124134815/https://kansasdems.org/washingtondays/|archive-date=2018-11-24}} including William Jennings Bryan, Ted Kennedy, Gary Hart, John Edwards, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg.

Keynote speakers who would go on to become president include Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. Alben Barkley, Al Gore, and Joe Biden also gave keynote speeches at Washington Days before each became vice president.

Current elected officials

=Members of [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]]=

None

George McGill, 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.