photo by: Contributed/Brandon Holland

Brandon Holland filed for election to the Kansas House of Representatives on Friday, April 24, 2020.

Brandon Holland, son of Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, wants to make progress on Medicaid expansion, school funding and the state’s recovery from COVID-19 if he’s elected to the 10th District House seat.

Holland, 31, of Baldwin City, was the first candidate to file in the race and has lived in the 10th District since 1993. He currently works as a manager at a small liquor store in Lawrence, and he graduated from both Lawrence High School and the University of Kansas with a degree in political science.

His priorities, if elected, are to help the state recover from financial burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, to advocate for state Medicaid expansion, to fully fund the state’s education system and to make mental health services more accessible.

Health care and its affordability is a heightened priority for Holland, who said he suffered numerous concussions and brain injuries while playing for the student rugby team at KU. He struggled with his mental health for years before finding a doctor who could help, he said, but he wouldn’t have been able to pay for his treatment without his family’s help.

“I’m incredibly concerned about the health and financial well-being of Kansas wage earners, who’ve been struggling for years since the Great Recession and with the Legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid,” Holland said when announcing his candidacy. “Now with the coronavirus pandemic, life is going to get harder for us all. We need to ensure that working people have access to quality medical care.”

In terms of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holland’s campaign website indicates he supports consumers, employers and employees making a determination of when things can “return to normal.” He does not support liability waivers for organizations or industries, an issue which has been a sticking point in additional federal stimulus negotiations.

According to Holland’s campaign website, he also supports the legalization of medical marijuana, the elimination of a food sales tax, and raising the state minimum wage.