photo by: Submitted

Marci Francisco

In the center of Lawrence, Democrats maintained their dominance in races for the Kansas Legislature. But on the edge of the city and in the rural areas around it, Republicans landed several legislative victories on Tuesday.

Incumbent Marci Francisco easily kept her Lawrence seat in the Kansas Senate, and a Topeka Democrat handily won a seat in a new Senate district that includes northwest Lawrence and east Topeka. Most Lawrence Democrats in Kansas House races faced no opposition, and the Lawrence House delegation will have four Democrats in it next session.

But Republicans prevailed in multiple Douglas County races that also included terrritory in neighboring counties. Shawnee County Republican Rick Kloos won a Kansas Senate seat that includes parts of west Lawrence, and Johnson County Republican Beverly Gossage won a Senate seat that includes Eudora, Baldwin City and eastern Douglas County. Baldwin City Republican Carrie Barth won a House seat that includes southern Douglas County and parts of Franklin and Miami counties.

Here’s a look at unofficial results for several Lawrence and area legislative races:

• Democrat Marci Francisco easily held onto her seat in Kansas Senate District No. 2, which is the largest senate district in Lawrence. Francisco was beating Republican challenger David Miller 78% to 22%%, as of 9:45 p.m. with more than 90% of precincts reporting.

Francisco has held the seat since 2005, and is a previous Lawrence city commissioner. Miller is a former state legislator who was a statewide Republican leader in the 1990s. The senate district covers nearly all of Lawrence, except for portions of far west Lawrence and portions of northwest Lawrence, and leans heavily Democratic.

• Shawnee County Republican Rick Kloos was set to defeat Topeka Democrat Dena Sattler in Kansas Senate District No. 3, which includes large portions of the Lawrence city limits west of Wakarusa Drive but also includes all of Osage County, and parts of Franklin and Shawnee counties. Kloos was leading 58% to 42%, as of 9:45 p.m. with 95% of precincts reporting. Kloos has been in the Kansas Senate since 2020, and represents part of the district currently. However, due to the once-per-decade process of redistricting, the boundaries of Kansas Senate District No. 3 are far different than Kloos’ current Kansas Senate District No. 19.

• Incumbent Sen. Beverly Gossage, a rural Republican who lives in Johnson County between Eudora and De Soto, was beating rural Lawrence Democrat Norman Mallicoat 59% to 41% in Kansas Senate District No. 9. Results were as of 9:45 p.m. with a little more than 30% of precincts reporting. The district includes all of the Baldwin City, Eudora and Tonganoxie city limits, and also includes De Soto and a heavily populated portion of Johnson County along Kansas Highway 7 between Olathe and Lenexa.

• A pair of Topeka residents battled for a seat in new Kansas Senate District No. 19 that includes northwest Lawrence, east Topeka and the rural area in between the communities, including Lecompton. It was a battle that wasn’t particularly close as Democrat Patrick Schmidt won 64% to 36% over Republican Tyler Wible, with all precincts reporting. The district leans heavily Democratic.

• Incumbent Republican Carrie Barth easily fended off challenger Henry Johns, a rural Douglas County Democrat, in Kansas House District No. 5. Barth, a Baldwin City resident, bested Johns 66% to 34% in the district that includes Baldwin City, Wellsville, parts of rural Douglas County and parts of Miami County to the east. As of 9:45, 80% of precincts had reported.

• Incumbent Republican Lance Neelly of Tonganoxie handily was beating Lawrence Democrat Eddy Martinez in Kansas House District No. 42. The district represents small sections of Lawrence, primarily east of O’Connell Road, and a smaller section east of Harper Street. However, the district includes most of the rural area in northeast Douglas County, including the northern part of the Eudora city limits. The district also stretches deep into Leavenworth County, including Tonganoxie. Neelly, who has been in the Kansas Legislature since 2021 was leading 62% to 38% as of 9:45 p.m. with 60% of the precincts counted.

• Incumbent Republican Adam Turk was defeating rural Douglas County Democrat Bill Hammond in Kansas House District No. 117 that includes the southern city limits of Eudora and parts of rural Douglas County southeast of Lawrence.The district also includes parts of De Soto and parts of Johnson County along the Kansas Highway 7 corridor. Turk, a Shawnee resident, was leading 57% to 43% as of 9:45 p.m. with nearly 90% of the precincts counted.

• In the race for the Kansas Board of Education, the top policy-making body for K-12 public schools in the state, one of the area races was too close to call. Tonganoxie Republican Connie O’Brien had a slim 51% to 49% lead over De Soto Democrat Kris Meyer in State Board of Education District No. 4 with 97% of the precincts counted. About 2,300 votes separated the two candidates.

District 4 covers most of rural Douglas County and the Baldwin City and Eudora school districts. It wraps around much of the city of Lawrence and extends south of the South Lawrence Trafficway. The district includes most of the rural areas of the Lawrence school district, except for areas northwest of the city, and also includes much of the southwestern portion of the city of Lawrence.

Outside of Douglas County, District 4 represents parts of several neighboring counties, including Shawnee, Johnson, Franklin and Leavenworth, as well as the entirety of Osage County and part of Wyandotte County.

• Topeka Democrat Beryl Ann New had a much more commanding lead in Kansas Board of Education District No. 6. New was leading Wamego Republican Bruce Schultz 57% to 43% with 98% of the precincts counted.

District 6 includes the parts of the Lawrence school district located northwest of District 4’s boundary line. It includes most of the Lawrence city limits and the rural area northwest of Lawrence. Lecompton and parts of the Perry-Lecompton school district also are included in District 6. District 6 also extends farther west to encompass part of Shawnee County and all of Wabaunsee, Geary, Morris and Lyon counties.

• Four Lawrence Democrats faced no opposition in the General Election for seats in the Kansas House. They all cruised to victory. They are: House District 10: Suzanne Wikle, D-Lawrence; House District 44: Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence; House District 45; Mike Amyx, D-Lawrence; House District 46: Brooklynne Mosley, D-Lawrence.