Olathe Democratic campaign consultant will join KS Legislature, replacing outgoing rep
Olathe Democrats chose a campaign consultant and public school advocate to fill a newly opened seat in the Kansas Legislature.
Nikki McDonald, who has managed state legislative and school board campaigns in Olathe, will go to Topeka next month replacing Olathe Democratic Rep. Brad Boyd who resigned after less than a year in office.
A committee of Democratic precint people in Boyd’s house district voted Monday to appoint McDonald to finish his term.
McDonald, a former teacher who describes herself as a community organizer, said she will be especially focused on education issues when she takes office. McDonald founded the Olathe Public Education Network which advocates against “extremism” in public schools.
The Olathe Democrat has two children in the Olathe School District, including one with special needs. Earlier in her career, she taught in the school district.
“When you’ve sat on both sides of the table with a special ed meeting, you know, it’s humbling,” McDonald said. “I do feel like I owe it to teachers who are educating my kids to speak up.”
She is filling a newly drawn seat made up of areas that, until Boyd won in 2022, had been held by Republican lawmakers. McDonald managed Boyd’s campaign last year.
With the seat up for election again in 2024, McDonald said she intends to run for a full term.
“We’re at a moment, we really have to retain this seat because breaking the Republican supermajority is assignment number one,” McDonald said. “I just couldn’t leave it to chance because I actually know what we need to do to win.”
House Minority Leader Vic Miller, a Topeka Democrat, called McDonald a “ball of energy.”
He said he expects her reelection to be a tough race. Boyd won by fewer than 200 votes last year and was already a member of the local school board.
“We expect that to be a competitive seat and if Nikki decides to seek reelection to the post I think she’ll be a very good choice,” Miller said.
