photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Douglas County elections office at 711 W. 23rd St. is pictured Monday, Oct. 31, 2022.

Lawrence Democrats running in House districts that are entirely within Douglas County kept a hold on their seats in what were largely unopposed races in Tuesday’s election.

Reps. Suzanne Wikle, Barbara Ballard, Mike Amyx and Brooklynne Mosley — all incumbents — will represent the majority-Democratic county in the Kansas House of Representatives for at least two more years. Wikle, who was elected in 2024, was the only one of the four who was primaried in August, but easily fended off her opponent.

Douglas County Republicans, on the other hand, had a tougher night, with two Republican incumbents losing their seats to their Democratic challengers, according to unofficial totals from the Secretary of State’s office.

Here’s a look at some of the races that include parts of Douglas County.

District 5

Courtney Sappington, a Republican from Baldwin City, was defeating Henry Johns, a Lawrence Democrat. As of about 10:15 p.m., Sappington was leading with 59% over Johns’ 41% with nearly 86% of precincts reporting, according to unofficial totals from the Secretary of State’s office.

A self-described fiscal and social conservative, Sappington’s District 5 covers parts of four counties, including a large southern portion of Douglas County and a large section along the western border of Miami County. In Douglas County, Sappington’s district includes Baldwin City, as well as the townships of Marion, Palmyra, and Willow Springs.

Sappington’s campaign focused on providing property tax relief, deregulating the economy and reforming the foster care system. Sappington and her husband are the foster parents to two of their three children.

Sappington was appointed to her seat last year when Rep. Carrie Barth resigned in the fall. She won her primary race in August after beating two opponents. Before running for office, Sappington worked in supply chain and logistics.

District 42

Lance Neelly, the Republican incumbent from Tonganoxie, will serve District 42 for at least two more years after beating his Democratic opponent Brandon Wendt. As of 10:45 p.m., Neelly was leading Wendt 54%-46%.

Neelly, who was first elected to the district in 2020, advanced to the general election after narrowly defeating Leavenworth County commissioner Mike Stieben in the August primary by just over 1%. In Douglas County, District 42 covers a small portion of eastern Lawrence, northern Eudora and all of Tonganoxie, though the vast majority lies in Leavenworth County.

District 43

Kristen Schultz, the Democratic challenger, narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Bill Sutton with 51% of the vote.

With the victory, Schultz ends Sutton’s 14-year run as District 43 representative.

District 43 sits on the border of Douglas and Johnson counties and covers parts of Palmyra in Douglas County, and parts of Olathe, Gardner and Edgerton on the Johnson County side.

Schultz, of Gardner, is a small business owner in Gardner and Edgerton for more than 20 years.

District 47

Paula Ellis, the wife of Ronald Ellis — the Republican incumbent currently holding the District 47 seat — won her race on Tuesday to succeed her husband. Ellis, a Republican from Meriden, handily defeated Democrat Mary Williams 60% to 40%.

Ellis, a former hospital administrator, advanced to the general election after beating two primary opponents in August. She campaigned on lowering property taxes and policies to help farmers and small businesses.

Most of District 47 is in Jefferson County. It covers a small portion of Jackson County and a northwestern part of Douglas County, including the outskirts of western Lawrence and the townships of Lecompton and Wakarusa.

District 117

Brandon Holland, a Democrat from Baldwin City, defeated Republican incumbent Adam Turk on with 51% of the vote.

Holland is an equipment operator and forklift driver for a school goods distributor.

His top three issues are addressing the cost of living, providing better access to mental healthcare and regulating data centers. He believes that as one of the richest countries in the world, Americans shouldn’t have to choose between paying for medication and putting food on the table.

Holland wants to expand access to mental healthcare services, something he has personal experience with as a former rugby player. He said that it’s crucial for everyone to have access to whatever treatment they need so they could be productive members of society.

District 117 creeps along the southern border of Lawrence and covers a large portion of southern Eudora. It includes parts of Palmyra, Wakarusa and Willow Springs in Douglas County and parts of De Soto, Lenexa, Olathe, and Shawnee on the Johnson County side.