photo by: Contributed

TJ Campsey, a local activist and Communist Party member, filed for election for the Kansas House of Representatives Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

A Lawrence activist who described himself as a Communist Party member has filed for election for the Kansas House of Representatives, setting up a primary this summer.

TJ Campsey, a brewer at Free State Brewing Company, told the Journal-World Wednesday he filed for election as a Democratic candidate in the 10th district, which includes nearly all the Lawrence city limits south of 15th Street and east of Iowa Street.

The incumbent, Suzanne Wikle, a Democrat who was first elected to the seat in 2024, has also filed for election. Wikle, a professional advocate for policies related to children and families, handily won the primary election in summer 2024 as the Journal-World reported and was unopposed in the general election that fall.

Campsey said in a statement he believes the Kansas Republican Party has “manufactured hatred and fear of trans people and immigrants to divide the working class,” and the current government serves “the wealthy and well connected.” He aims to stop that support for “special interests” and make the 10th district “a standard bearer for the working class.”

Campsey’s filing will set up a Democratic primary in the 10th district. So far, no Republican candidate has filed for the seat.

Two other House districts in Douglas County will have primary elections as it stands. Those are:

• District 42, which spans parts of Douglas, Leavenworth and Jefferson counties. Two Republican candidates from Tonganoxie, incumbent Lance Neelly and Mike Stieben, have both filed.

• District 43, which mostly covers Johnson County but includes a small portion of Douglas County, specifically parts of Palmyra Township. Two Democratic candidates from Gardner, Kristen Schultz and Keith Davenport, have filed. The incumbent is William “Bill” Sutton of Gardner, a Republican. He has also filed for election.

The deadline for candidates to file is Monday, June 1 at noon. The primary elections will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 4, while the general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3.