Kansas politics at crossroads during Gov. Kelly’s term

Kansas politics are at a turning point during Gov. Laura Kelly's final term. The override of her veto on ending the three-day mail-in ballot grace period shows sharp partisan divides shaping voting rights. New limits on local health authorities’ power during TB and measles outbreaks further illustrate legislative resistance to executive decisions.

Meanwhile, Kelly's leadership ended the state grocery tax, and she's navigating pressure over stadium funding plans for the Chiefs and Royals. These developments, along with debates over property tax relief and responses to religious protests at the Capitol, highlight ongoing tensions and change in Kansas' political landscape.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly holds a small axe on Monday during an event at Dillons in Topeka. Kelly is calling on lawmakers to eliminate the state sales tax on food, among the highest in the nation. By Jonathan Shorman

NO. 1: KANSAS GOV. LAURA KELLY AXED THE TAX ON GROCERIES. WILL SHE GET CREDIT FROM THE GOP? | OPINION

The Democratic governor prioritized ending grocery taxes since her 2018 campaign, achieving it despite Republican opposition. | Opinion | Published January 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joel Mathis

Missouri state Rep. Wick Thomas, a Kansas City Democrat, speaks with reporters on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. Thomas is Missouri’s first openly transgender lawmaker. By Kacen Bayless

NO. 2: TRANSGENDER KC RESIDENTS FEAR ATTACKS FROM BOTH SIDES OF STATE LINE: ‘WHERE DO WE GO NOW?’

Transgender residents living across the sprawling Kansas City metro are straddling two states pushing to restrict their health care. | Published February 6, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kacen Bayless Matthew Kelly

Kansas lawmakers are weighing changes to property taxes, including a constitutional amendment that would limit annual valuation increases. By Jaime Green

NO. 3: STRUGGLING JOCO, WYCO HOMEOWNERS AWAIT PROPERTY TAX RELIEF AS KS REPUBLICANS REMAIN DIVIDED

House and Senate Republicans who vowed to deliver property tax relief have yet to agree on a tax reform proposal to bring to the voters. | Published February 11, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly shakes hands with KU athletic director Travis Goff and chancellor Douglas Girod, right, after Kelly addressed the crowd regarding plans for renovations to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and a campus Gateway Project in Lawrence on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2023. By Tammy Ljungblad

NO. 4: THESE ARE THE HIGHEST PAID KANSAS STATE EMPLOYEES. ONE MADE OVER $1.2 MILLION IN 2024

Find out where your tax dollars went. | Published February 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Eleanor Nash

Melissa Etheridge, who sang the National Anthem last year at the NWSL Championship at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, is the recipient of the prestigious 2025 Governor’s Award from Kansas governor Laura Kelly. By Emily Curiel

NO. 5: KANSAS ARTS AWARD HONORS MELISSA ETHERIDGE FOR SHARING STATE’S GREATNESS WITH THE WORLD

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and the Kansas Arts Commission announced recipients of the 2025 Kansas Governor’s Arts Awards at a ceremony in Topeka. | Published March 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Lisa Gutierrez

NO. 6: WE SATANISTS HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO USE THE KANSAS CAPITOL, JUST LIKE CATHOLIC PROTESTERS | OPINION

Gov. Laura Kelly’s office denied the Satanic Grotto its legal permit to use the rotunda for a Black Mass. The church intends to do it anyway. | Opinion | Published March 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michael Stewart

Joseph Naumann, archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas By Jason Alatidd

NO. 7: KCK CATHOLIC LEADER SUES SATANIC CHURCH, ARGUING IT STOLE HOLY ITEMS FOR BLACK MASS

Michael Stewart, the Satanic Grotto’s founder, said the host he plans to use in next week’s Topeka ritual “came from Pope Amazon.” | Published March 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

Mail-in ballot envelopes at the Johnson County Election Office in Olathe. By Jill Toyoshiba

NO. 8: KANSAS TO ELIMINATE 3-DAY GRACE PERIOD FOR MAIL-IN BALLOTS AFTER GOP OVERRIDES GOV. KELLY

If one more House Republican had voted with Democrats, Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto would have been sustained. | Published March 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

Jonathan Clayton’s role in a grant awarded to the Mullinville Community Foundation has come under scrutiny. By Neil Nakahodo

NO. 9: KANSAS HAS A NEW LAW ON BACKGROUND CHECKS AFTER STATE MISSED EX-OFFICIAL’S FRAUD

A December state audit found that the Department of Commerce does not perform background checks on job applicants. | Published April 11, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

NO. 10: KANSAS ROLLS BACK PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS’ AUTHORITY AMID TB, MEASLES OUTBREAKS

Under a new law, local health officials will have to prove “probable cause” to make someone quarantine. Orders about public gatherings and masking will just be recommendations now. | Published April 11, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

A general aerial view of Kauffman Stadium (front) and Arrowhead Stadium (back) before a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots on Sept. 29, 2014. By Denny Medley

NO. 11: KANSAS’ OFFER TO POACH CHIEFS & ROYALS STADIUMS IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE. WHAT’S NEXT?

Kansas has offered to issue billions in bonds to finance new stadiums for the teams if they’re willing to relocate. | Published April 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.