Topeka ? State Sen. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, who had been contemplating a bid for governor, said Thursday he is running for secretary of state.

Steineger was at the Dole Institute of Politics during a forum organized by the Lawrence branch of the American Association of University Women.

He introduced himself to the crowd, saying that he was running for secretary of state. He praised Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, a Republican, who is not seeking re-election. Steineger said Thornburgh ran the office in a non-partisan way. “That’s my goal as well,” he said.

On the Republican side, former Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kris Kobach and J.R. Claeys are seeking the nomination. Democrat Chris Biggs, the state securities commissioner, has also been reported as a possible candidate.

3:37 p.m.

Gov. Mark Parkinson on Thursday stood by his tax increase proposal despite bi-partisan opposition to it.

Parkinson has proposed increasing the state sales tax by one cent for three years, and raising the cigarette tax 55 cents per pack.

Republicans leaders have been sharply critical of the plan, and Parkinson’s fellow Democrats have also backed away from it.

But Parkinson told the Lawrence Journal-World that his proposal wasn’t dead yet.

He acknowledged that currently there isn’t a majority in the House and Senate to support a tax increase, but added that there isn’t a majority to support cutting the budget by $400 million.

Kansas University Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and Gov. Mark Parkinson on Thursday march from Kansas Judicial Center to First Presbyterian Church as part of the governor's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. Parkinson spoke at the event, and Gray-Little delivered the keynote address. About 100 people attended. Parkinson said King was the greatest figure of the last century and Gray-Little said King wanted us to achieve our destiny and help others achieve theirs.

“The Legislature is just settling in, understanding the budget,” Parkinson said. The 2010 legislative session started Monday.

But Parkinson said once the “brutality” of further budget cuts is understood, then lawmakers will start considering tax increases. Because of decreased revenues, state leaders last year cut the budget by nearly $1 billion. Parkinson has said further cuts would devastate Kansas.

He said the conventional wisdom is that you can’t pass a tax increase in an election year, but he added, “that is not accurate.” He said he believes the general public understands the magnitude of the state’s budget problems.

But legislative unease about a tax increase was evident in the Senate tax committee where Parkinson’s proposals couldn’t even get introduced before the panel. It was the first time in memory that an administration bill failed to get introduced.

12:22 p.m.

The Republican plan to put the Legislature on 10 days of unpaid furlough is on hold.

The initial plan, which was to start tomorrow, would have held back legislative pay and subsistence for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which is a holiday. And it would have held back pay for 6 more days during the 2010 session.

But apparently, the plan, which was put together by Republican leaders and announced earlier this week, may have to be run as legislation or resolution or both, and require full votes of the Legislature. GOP leaders say they will come back at the issue next week.