Large parts of far west Lawrence are in a new, wide-ranging Kansas Senate district, and voters are being asked to choose between two Shawnee County residents with wide-ranging backgrounds.

Republican Rick Kloos is facing Democrat Dena Sattler in the race for Kansas Senate District No. 3. 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.

While Kloos has represented parts of rural, western Douglas County, the new district now includes large portions of the Lawrence city limits west of Wakarusa Drive. It also includes neighborhoods east of Wakarusa Drive between Bob Billings Parkway and Clinton Parkway and west of Quail Creek Drive. The district also includes all of Osage County, parts of northern Franklin County, and southeast Shawnee County.

Kloos is self-described as bi-vocational with backgrounds both in ministry and the real estate industry, he said. Sattler is a former Kansas newspaper publisher, veteran of the U.S. Army, and former staff member of Gov. Laura Kelly and Lt. Gov. David Toland.

Here’s a look at both candidates.

photo by: Submitted

Rick Kloos

Rick Kloos

Kloos and his wife, Penny Boyer-Kloos, who currently is running for a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives, are residents of Berryton in Shawnee County. After a career of buying and reselling homes in the area, the couple founded God’s Storehouse — a Topeka church that operates a thrift store and coffee shop — in 2009. God’s Storehouse has been in the news during the last year, as there have been court battles over what financial documents the Internal Revenue Service can obtain as it works to determine the enterprise’s tax status, among other issues.

Kloos has risen up the ranks of the Republican Party after his 2020 election, where he defeated the longest-serving Democrat in the Kansas Legislature. He currently serves as the majority whip in the Senate.

In response to a questionnaire from the Journal-World, Kloos stated his position on the following topics:

• Kloos has supported legislation that raised Medicaid reimbursement rates, but has not committed to support expansion of Medicaid, the health insurance program for individuals in financial need. When asked whether he would support Medicaid expansion, he focused on the idea of increasing existing reimbursement rates instead. “This kind of legislation not only improves access for Medicaid beneficiaries but also enhances care quality at reduced costs for everyone,” he said. “Moreover, it supports the growth of the healthcare provider workforce, ensuring that healthcare facilities can sustain their vital services to communities into the future.”

• Kloos said he respected the statewide vote in 2022 that affirmed a constitutional right to abortion in the state, and focused his answer of what role the government should play in abortion to several specific medical cases. “I am committed to ensuring women receive authentic ​care for unexpected pregnancies and necessary emergency care for complications like ectopic pregnancies and ​miscarriages,” he said.

• On the issue of how he differs from his opponent, Kloos said he has a deep understanding of those in need, and also has a strong understanding of the needs of small businesses through his work with God’s Storehouse. “I’ve made this community my home, demonstrating a deep and enduring commitment to this region,” he said. “I founded a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding those in need, giving me firsthand insight into the challenges faced by the underprivileged.”

photo by: Submitted

Dena Sattler

Dena Sattler

Sattler was the longtime editor and publisher of the Garden City Telegram and also served as a regional publisher for multiple newspapers in the southwest portion of the state. After leaving the newspaper industry, she served as director of public affairs for Gov. Kelly and senior director of public affairs for the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Sattler also served in the U.S Army and is touting that she would be the first woman with military service to serve in the Kansas Senate, if elected.

In response to a questionnaire from the Journal-World, Sattler stated her position on the following topics:

• She said she strongly supports the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas, and said many of the Republican opponents of the expansion are acting irresponsibly. “Republican legislators who oppose Medicaid expansion enjoy generous healthcare benefits paid for by Kansas taxpayers, yet won’t help those less fortunate,” Sattler said. “That’s immoral and also irresponsible.” She said Medicaid expansion would not only help families, but also would help struggling hospitals and make it more feasible for health care providers to expand into underserved areas of the state.

• Sattler said Kansas voters spoke “loud and clear” that abortion is a constitutional right in Kansas, and that she would “always fight to protect women’s reproductive rights.” She criticized Republicans, including Kloos, for taking votes since the 2022 statewide election that “oppose women’s rights to make their own healthcare decisions.”

“It does not make sense when Republican extremists call for ‘smaller government,’ then meddle in women’s personal reproductive rights and other freedoms we are entitled to in our personal lives,” Sattler said. “That’s not small government, it’s government overreach.”

• On the issue of how she differs from her opponent, Sattler highlighted the skills she learned in the military to work with people of different backgrounds and beliefs, and cited the business skills she used while in newspaper management. But she said political philosophy is a key difference in the race. “Most importantly, I will truly serve the people and not blindly follow an extreme partisan agenda,” she said.