There are several contested legislative races in districts just outside the Lawrence city limits. Here’s a brief look at those races:

Senate District No. 9

Republican incumbent Beverly Gossage is being challenged by Democrat Norman Mallicoat in the district that 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.

Mallicoat is an Olathe resident, a former telecommunications engineer, and a former U.S. Army captain. In answering a Journal-World questionnaire, he said he supports the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas; believes the Legislature should “let women and their medical professionals make decisions” about abortion and reproductive rights; and said that key differences with his opponent include her steadfast opposition to Medicaid expansion and her past support of a flat tax system that would mainly benefit the upper 3% of taxpayers.

Gossage lives in rural Johnson County between Eudora and De Soto. Since 2002, she’s owned a a private company — HSA Benefits Consulting — that helps businesses with their employee benefits. She’s also worked as a teacher at Lawrence’s Deerfield Elementary School, and later served as the director of Lawrence’s Sylvan Learning Center.

Gossage did not respond to multiple requests for her participation in a Journal-World questionnaire. Gossage has campaigned as a conservative and was among a group of Kansas Senate candidates to receive an endorsement from the right-leaning Americans for Prosperity-Kansas organization.

House District No. 5

Incumbent Republican Carrie Barth is being challenged by Democrat Henry Johns in the district that includes Baldwin City, Wellsville, parts of rural Douglas County and parts of Miami County to the east.

Johns, who lives near the community of Lone Star in rural Douglas County, worked 48 years as a respiratory specialist in the health care field, including serving in roles of health care management. In answering a Journal-World questionnaire, he said he supports Medicaid expansion; believes “women have the right to control their own bodies”; and said he would listen to all sides of an issue and would not be a “rubber stamp for a political party or for out-of-state interests.”

Barth, a mother of two who grew up in the Baldwin, Wellsville and Paola areas, did not respond to multiple requests for her participation in a Journal-World questionnaire. During her campaign she has touted a bill she wrote to toughen human smuggling laws in the state, and has said “government has threatened our constitutional rights over and over again.”

House District No. 42

Incumbent Republican Lance Neelly is being challenged by Democrat Eddy Martinez in the district that district represents small sections of Lawrence, primarily east of O’Connell Road, and a smaller section east of Harper Street. 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 has served in the Kansas Legislature since 2021. He lists his professional background as having included jobs in the corrections industry and as a security supervisor. He served as as the vice-chair of the House Transportation Committee during the most recent legislative session.

Neelly did not respond to multiple requests for his participation in a Journal-World questionnaire. Neelly has campaigned as a conservative and was among the group of House members who received the endorsement of Americans for Prosperity-Kansas.

Martinez lives in eastern Lawrence, and has done little campaigning for the seat. Martinez did not respond to multiple requests for his participation in a Journal-World questionnaire.

House District No. 117

Incumbent Republican Adam Turk is facing a challenge from Democrat Bill Hammond in the district 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.

Hammond, who lives in rural Douglas County south of Lawrence, previously worked as a business officer for community colleges and public school districts. He’s also has been ordained in the United Methodist Church as a deacon and elder. In answering a Journal-World questionnaire, he said he supports Medicaid expansion, having seen the need first-hand while serving on the board of a federally qualified health center in the state; he supports a woman’s right “to bodily autonomy and to make their own healthcare decisions;” and said he has a strong belief in funding for public schools, which he said is a difference with his opponent.

Turk lives in Shawnee in Johnson County. His campaign website said he grew up in rural Douglas County, is a 20-year veteran serving in the Kansas Air National Guard and has degrees in criminal justice administration and law enforcement. Turk did not respond to multiple requests for his participation in a Journal-World questionnaire. His campaign website highlights issues ranging from tax relief to safeguarding farmland and military bases from adversaries such as China.