Topeka ? A state senator who once said women’s voting was a sign that American society didn’t value families enough now wants to be Kansas’ top elections official.

Kay O’Connor announced today that she is seeking the Republican nomination for secretary of state next year. O’Connor, 63, from Olathe, has served in the Legislature since 1993 and is a member of the Senate committee that considers election issues.

Considered among the Legislature’s most conservative members, she has long been an advocate of sending state tax dollars to parents and allowing them to send their children to whatever schools they choose, public or private.

In 2001, she received national attention for her remarks about the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, which gave women the right to vote. She said the amendment was a sign that men weren’t taking care of women well enough.

Today, she dismissed the resulting controversy over her remarks – which led to an unsuccessful drive to recall her as a state senator – as “silliness.” She said she doesn’t think Kansas voters will allow it to become a significant issue.

“I am who I am. You don’t have to agree with everything I say,” O’Connor said. “I think men should take better care of their women, but I think women should be more willing to accept masculine care.”

O’Connor is the first person to publicly announce as a candidate for secretary of state. Incumbent Ron Thornburgh is considering a run for the GOP nomination for governor and hasn’t announced his plans.

In 2001, O’Connor decried a society that she said tears families apart, saying: “I think the 19th Amendment, while it’s not an evil in and of itself, is a symptom of something I don’t approve of.”

She added: “The 19th Amendment is around because men weren’t doing their jobs, and I think that’s sad. I believe the man should be the head of the family. The woman should be the heart of the family.”

Today, she stood by those statements.

“I don’t deny saying that, and I will stick to my guns,” she said. “I am not bashful about taking an unpopular position. I can take the heat.”