photo by: Contributed

Brittany Hall — with help from her son, Mateo — files to run for election to the 46th District in the Kansas House of Representatives on Friday, March 29, 2024.

The president of Haskell Indian Nations University’s Board of Regents is running for election to the 46th District in the Kansas House of Representatives.

Last Friday, Brittany Hall officially filed election paperwork for the seat, which has been filled by Democratic lawmaker Dennis “Boog” Highberger since 2015. Highberger previously announced that he intended to step away following his current term after nearly a decade in office.

Highberger’s exit paves the way for a new face representing Lawrence in the Kansas Statehouse. Hall, who works as a technical assistance research coordinator at the University of Kansas’ Life Span Institute and serves on the Board of Directors at Peaslee Tech, is one of three candidates to have filed for the seat so far.

The other candidates are Brooklynne Mosley, an East Lawrence resident who works as vice president of mobilization and advocacy at GPS Impact, a media production firm, and Logan Ginavan, a lifelong Douglas County resident who is currently finishing a bachelor’s degree in political science at KU. All three have filed to run as Democrats in the 46th District, which is located entirely within Lawrence.

Hall, who is of Shawnee and Mexican heritage, spoke with the Journal-World about her decision to seek office last month, and said it’s deeply rooted in her experience as a single mother to her son, Mateo.

“This is something I want to do — I want to represent people who are like me, people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, identities,” Hall said. “… The system is not made for people like me, people of color and people who are parents of color, especially single parents.”

This won’t be Hall’s first stab at seeking office. She said she initially was approached to run for office in Kansas after vying for a seat on the Shawnee Business Council in 2021 and for the council’s treasurer seat the following year. While neither campaign was successful, Hall said her grassroots social media campaigning caught the attention of people working in Kansas politics, who encouraged her to consider running for a seat in the House.

Hall described family roots of poverty and drug abuse, a cycle she and her brother were able to break thanks to loving adoptive parents. That’s part of why shedding a light on generational trauma is one issue Hall said she’d prioritize if she’s elected.

Hall also said she’s concerned about health care access. That goes not only for expanding Medicaid but also access to options like the Indian Health Service, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for providing federal health services to Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

“I do feel lucky that I am Native American and that we do have health services such as IHS, but I think about my other culture, my other identity is Mexican; they don’t have that,” Hall said. “What do African Americans have? They don’t have that. And then all other minorities that come to Lawrence, (where) the diversity is so strong. We need equal health care for everybody.”

Other issues Hall highlighted include advocating for pro-choice policies and equal policies around education and families.