Topeka ? A lot of pent-up political ambition will be seen this year.
Gov. Bill Graves is ending his final term, and three other statewide officeholders are seeking his job, moves that open up four of the five statewide elected offices in state government.
Atty. Gen. Carla Stovall and Treasurer Tim Shallenburger are vying for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. They are joined in the contest by Wichita Mayor Bob Knight.
Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, is believed to be the odds-on favorite to win her party’s nomination to run for governor.
The governor’s race also will open up the House speaker’s job. The current speaker, Kent Glasscock, R-Manhattan, is running as lieutenant governor with Stovall. On the other side of the Legislature, Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, has said he will consider running for governor but will not make an announcement until the end of the 2002 legislative session.
The party primaries will be Aug. 6, with the general election set for Nov. 5.
Burdett Loomis, a Kansas University political science professor, sized up the current gubernatorial field, saying, “If we discount for the moment Knight, you have three statewide officials, all of whom have much more experience in politics and more responsibility than Graves had when he came in.”
Shallenburger, former House speaker, is considered a conservative Republican, while Stovall is a pro-choice moderate Republican.
In other races, Sen. David Adkins, R-Leawood, and former state Rep. Phill Kline of Shawnee are seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general, the job being vacated by Stovall. Adkins is considered a moderate Republican, Kline a conservative.
Possible Democratic candidates for the job include Geary County Attorney Chris Biggs and Jackie Williams, former U.S. attorney for Kansas.
In the GOP primary for insurance commissioner, Sen. Sandy Praeger, R-Lawrence, is running against Bryan Riley, an insurance agent from Wichita, and possibly Walker Hendrix of Lawrence, who is chief of a small state agency that represents consumers in utility cases. No Democrats have been mentioned as possible candidates.
The deadline for filing to run statewide is June 10.
In the state treasurer’s race, two Topekans are seeking the Republican Party nomination Shawnee County Treasurer Rita Cline and Sen. Lynn Jenkins. On the Democratic side, a possible candidate is Carmen Alldritt, the Harper County treasurer.
Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, a Republican, is seeking his third term as the state’s chief election official. State Sen. David Haley, D-Kansas City, Kan., is considering running on the Democratic side.
Kansas’ four U.S. House members are running for re-election as is U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican. So far, no Democrat has stepped forward to oppose him.
All 125 seats in the state House will be decided as will five State Board of Education districts.
Aside from the political musical chairs, the election will be further clouded by new district maps for congressional, legislative and board of education districts.
The once-a-decade redistricting process is based on federal census numbers and the judicial requirement to make districts as close to the same in population as possible.