Wichita’s Tom Sawyer won’t seek reelection to leadership position among House Democrats
Kansas Democrats are certain to have a new leader in the House next year after Minority Leader Tom Sawyer announced he will not seek reelection to the role.
Sawyer, a Wichita representative, has been the top Democrat in the Kansas House since 2018 — serving as House minority leader for the entirety of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s first term.
Though Sawyer won reelection to his House district earlier this month, he announced in a statement Tuesday he would not seek a continued leadership role in the Democratic caucus.
“I believe it is time for me to step back and allow the caucus to have a new Leader who will lead us and Kansans towards achieving these important goals,” Sawyer said. “The next generation of Kansans are the future of Kansas — and consequently, the future of our caucus.”
Members of the Kansas House are scheduled to return to Topeka next month and vote for new chamber and caucus leaders. Sawyer’s chief of staff, Joseph Le, said in an email that Sawyer was not endorsing any specific member to replace him as minority leader at this time.
Sawyer’s announcement comes amid a larger leadership shuffle within the Kansas House. Speaker Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican who held the role for six years, and Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch, an Ottawa Republican, both did not seek reelection to the Legislature.
House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, is likely to be the next speaker as other Republicans jockey for the majority leader and speaker pro tem roles.
Republicans will retain a supermajority in the Legislature.
Sawyer has served in various leadership roles over the past three decades. He was majority leader the last time Democrats held a majority in the House in 1991 and 1992. He continued to lead Democrats as minority leader from 1993 to 1998.
This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 5:36 PM.
