Johnson County Republicans pick replacement for House seat after Resman’s death
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Johnson County GOP selected Mike Storm to fill Rep. John Resman’s seat.
- Storm will serve remainder of term and could affect April veto-override votes.
- Storm filed for the November race; Palenske filed for the August GOP primary.
Johnson County Republican precinct committee members have selected a new lawmaker to fill the seat vacated by Olathe Rep. John Resman, who died earlier this month at the age of 70.
The Johnson County GOP announced on Thursday that Mike Storm will serve out the remainder of Resman’s term in House District 121, which includes parts of Olathe, De Soto and Gardner.
“Western Johnson County deserves representation that is truly from here, for here,” Storm said in a Friday Facebook post thanking precinct committee members for putting their trust in him.
“I look forward to getting to work in Topeka alongside my colleagues to advance meaningful property tax relief and to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in state government,” added Storm, 61, who lives in Olathe.
He will have limited time to participate in the 2026 legislative session, which is slated to reach its first adjournment later this month. But his vote could be crucial in April, when GOP supermajorities will work to override bills vetoed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
All 125 House members’ seats will be up for re-election in November, and Storm has already filed to run for a full two-year term.
This won’t be his first foray into politics. Storm lost out to Shirley Allenbrand by roughly 4% of the vote in a 2024 race for the District 6 seat on the Johnson County Commission. In 2023, he ran unsuccessfully for an at-large position on the Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees.
Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske of Olathe has also filed to run as a Republican in the August primary.
