What Kansas Dems want? Just one more vote to end a decade of Republican supermajority

After boosting their numbers in the Kansas Legislature over the past four years, Democrats in 2020 want to deliver on their longtime goal of ending Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate.

Democrats say the change would give the party — and especially Gov. Laura Kelly — greater influence over the legislative process after years of conservative dominance.

“It means a lot,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat. “Then, all of a sudden, the governor knows we can sustain her vetoes.”

The possibility of cutting into Republican dominance hung over Washington Days in Topeka on Saturday, the Kansas Democratic Party’s signature annual gathering. The assembly came as the Legislature remains in a standoff over Medicaid expansion an anti-abortion amendment to the state constitution advanced by Republicans.

Republicans have held a supermajority in the House for a decade. In the Senate, supermajority control dates back to the early 1990s.

Debates over abortion, guns, taxes and a whole range of issues could be reshaped if Republicans know they can’t override a veto from the Democratic governor. And in 2021, it would mean Republicans would lose the power to approve new legislative district maps without Kelly’s approval.

“Those decisions will be made through compromise and working together, and I think most Kansans would welcome that,” said Rep. Brett Parker, an Overland Park Democrat.

Democrats need to pick up just one seat in the House to take Republicans under the 84-vote threshold needed to override vetoes. The Senate is a taller order, where Democrats need three additional seats to end the GOP supermajority.

But Democrats need to end supermajority control in only one chamber to alter the dynamics of power because veto overrides require successful votes in both the House and Senate.

“Achieving that would be a striking turnaround for Kansas Democrats,” said Bob Beatty, a political scientist at Washburn University.

After Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius resigned in 2009 to join President Barack Obama’s cabinet, Kansas Democrats “were in the political wilderness,” Beatty said. From 2010 to 2015, Republicans controlled more than 90 of the House’s 125 seats.

Beyond upholding Kelly’s vetoes, Democrats are also poised to gain an additional seat on some House committees. Rep. Stephanie Clayton, an Overland Park Democrat, said an extra seat gives Democratic lawmakers additional involvement as committees debate and vet bills.

“That can really swing a lot of committee issues,” Clayton said.

House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said his party always wants to hold a supermajority.

“But is that the final thing? No,” he said.

“Am I thinking about losing one? No,” Hawkins said. “I’m thinking about gaining six.”

Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, is blocking movement on Medicaid expansion until the amendment passes the Legislature. Republicans are continuing to search for votes after the measure failed in the House last month.

In speeches and interviews, Democrats argued the current gridlock is handing them a powerful message to run on.

“One legislative leader will not stand in the way of good government of the will of Kansans,” Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers told a luncheon crowd of hundreds. “If we don’t see it in the legislative session, we’ll see it in the ballot box in November.”

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat, called Medicaid expansion a “tremendously powerful” campaign issue. Proponents of providing health coverage to an additional 130,000 people often cite past polling showing majorities of Kansans supporting expansion.

In a statement, Wagle said the Republican Party is strong because Kansans are “down to earth” and hardworking.

“We are the Heartland, where small government, the sanctity of life, respecting the second amendment and strong family values will always be our basic priorities,” Wagle said. “I have seen election outcomes skew occasionally because of one particularly emotional issue, but I believe our Kansas Midwestern values will always be the nation’s equalizer.”

The Democrats’ optimism about ending GOP supermajority rule in the Legislature is buoyed by past successes in recent years.

A wave new Democrats and moderate Republican lawmakers four years ago led to the repeal of Gov. Sam Brownback’s income tax cuts. Then, in late 2018, a handful of moderate Republican lawmakers switched their party affiliation and joined the Democrats.

Those who switched, who represent areas of Johnson County that have become less Republican over time, have established a new baseline for Democrats.

“Republicans are now fighting back in districts that are harder for them to fight back on,” said Chris Reeves, the Kansas Democratic national committeeman.

This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 4:34 PM with the headline "What Kansas Dems want? Just one more vote to end a decade of Republican supermajority."