Moderates trounce conservative challengers in Johnson County school board races
Moderate incumbents on the Blue Valley school board and progressives won an easy victory over a slate of conservative challengers in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial final numbers.
Competing for the open at-large board seat, Clay Norkey, a Democrat, won 16,200 votes, while challenger Michael Huebner, part of a conservative slate, won 12,345 votes. In the northeast area of the district, incumbent Jan Kessinger won 16,066 votes, while challenger Christine Vasquez won 12,009.
For the northwestern seat, incumbent Patrick Hurley, who has served on the school board since 2015, won 15,402 votes, ahead of newcomer Trisha Hamilton with 12,479. In the southern portion of the district, incumbent Jodie Dietz won 16,279 votes, to Rachel Faagutu’s 11,055 and Amie Callahan’s 1,317 votes.
Like in other Johnson County districts, school board candidates were starkly divided on hot topic issues, including diversity initiatives and curriculum on gender and race.
But that divide was most clear in Blue Valley, as the eight candidates running for the four nonpartisan school board seats divided themselves up into two clear factions. On one side, incumbents, as well as Norkey, campaigned together, saying the district is headed in the right direction but can do more to tackle staffing and funding challenges. The slate includes two Republicans and two Democrats.
The other slate was made up of the conservative newcomers, who argued the district should get back to the academic basics and not focus on diversity and equity initiatives. Voters received a mailer advocating for the slate, paid for by the 1776 Project PAC, a New York-based political action committee targeting local school board races, that is aimed at abolishing critical race theory, a college-level framework for evaluating the impacts of racism on institutions. There is no evidence that it is being taught in Kansas K-12 schools.
Candidates running on a similar platform have recently seen success in the district. In a tight race in 2021, conservative Jim McMullen won by only 51 votes, and Kaety Bowers won by a larger margin, with 52.5% of the vote. They ran on frustrations over COVID-19 policies and the district mask mandate. Bowers has since resigned from her seat.
The election came as Hamilton, part of the conservative slate, faced widespread criticism for pressing charges against an eighth grader who threw water on her while yelling, “Trans Lives Matter!” The student is charged with battery in juvenile court.
Olathe school board
In Olathe, progressive incumbents and newcomers led the pack.
For the at-large seat, newcomer Will Babbit, who has the endorsement of the teachers union, had 15,550 votes, ahead of conservative second-time candidate Jennifer Gilmore, with 11,988 votes. Gilmore recently won a lawsuit against school officials when a jury decided her First Amendment rights were violated when she was removed from a school board meeting. She was kicked out because she accused a former opponent of “buying” the board seat.
Gilmore lost her 2021 bid in a tight race, where she ran alongside a conservative slate critical of COVID-19 policies and mask mandates.
Incumbent Stacey Yurkovich was in a strong lead with 16,500 votes, followed by Mark Wingren, with 8,298, and Dan Adera-Odhiambo, with 2,677 votes.
Board member and Democratic Kansas state Rep. Brad Boyd won with 15,605 votes, ahead of challenger Jesse Gillam, with 11,543.
And running for an open seat, Claire Reagan, backed by Democrats and the teachers union, had 16,404 votes, ahead of Holly Palacio, with 11,017.
Shawnee Mission school board
Incumbents and progressive newcomers also had a strong lead in the Shawnee Mission school board races.
With all precincts counted, running for an open seat, Mario Garcia III had 5,259 votes, ahead of Ronald Occhiogrosso, with 1,729 votes.
Incumbent Jessica Hembree won with 5,831 votes, defeating Mark Tallent, with 1,969. Incumbent Jamie Borgman won 5,710 votes, ahead of challenger Lynn McLarty’s 3,624.
For an open at-large seat, David Westbrook had an easy win with 27,743 votes, ahead of Logan Austin, with 12,926.
Gardner Edgerton school board
Two incumbents on the majority-conservative Gardner Edgerton school board appeared to win reelection on Tuesday, but two races were too close to call.
Incumbent Russ Ellis won 1,783 votes, ahead of challenger Emma Jones, with 1,533. Board member Jeff Miller won 1,895 votes, to Aleksandra Nokes’ 1,429.
Incumbent Katie Williams, the board’s lone progressive, had a race too close to call. Williams won 1,669, only 29 votes ahead of challenger Allen Vonderschmidt, with 1,640.
The race for an open at-large seat also was too close to call Tuesday. Heath Freeman won 1,661 votes, only 22 ahead of Threasa Lang, with 1,639.
This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 8:56 PM.
