These are the Kansas delegates who will help pick new Democratic presidential nominee

Following President Joe Biden’s departure from the U.S. presidential race Sunday, the Democratic Party has just under one month to select a new candidate to oppose former President Donald Trump in the Nov. 6 general election.

Biden quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the next nominee — but it isn’t up to him who will take the coveted spot at the top of voters’ ballots in November.

Instead, that decision falls to 3,939 Democratic Party delegates, who will convene in Chicago in late August to officially choose the nominee at the Democratic National Convention. Missouri will send 70 delegates to Chicago, while Kansas will send 39.

Who are Kansas’ delegates to the Democratic National Convention?

Here are Kansas’ 39 delegates to the Democratic National Convention:

U.S. representatives: U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids

Statewide officials: Gov. Laura Kelly

State legislators: Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes of Lenexa; Sen. Pat Petty of Kansas City, Kansas; Sen. Usha Reddi of Manhattan; Sen. Ethan Corson of Johnson County; Rep. Barbara Ballard of Lawrence; Rep. Brandon Woodard of Lenexa; Rep. Vic Miller of Topeka

Statewide Democratic Party officials: chair Jeanna Repass, vice chair Shaun Junkins, district chair Richard Nobles, district chair Mike Morton

County Democratic committee chairs: Dr. Emily Walters of Crawford County, Deann Mitchell of Johnson County

Everyone else:

• DNC Committeeman Hank Chamberlain of Wyandotte County

• Salina teacher Raiden Gonzales

• State House of Representatives candidate JoAnn Roth

• Ellinwood attorney Kent Roth

• Telecom attorney Gina Spade

• Kansas Young Democrats district chair Jackson Bertoncino of Pittsburg

• Lawrence public school board member Carole Cadue Blackwood

• Transportation workers’ union leader Ty Dragoo

• State House of Representatives candidate Jessica Porter of Topeka

• Overland Park city administrator Reed Krewson

• Former state Rep. Jennifer Day

• Former state party official Lauren Martin

• Former principal economist for the Kansas legislature Chris Courtwright

• Former Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple, also a former state representative

• Wichita businessman and LGBTQ+ advocate Christopher Pumpelly

• Incoming Washburn University freshman Caleb Newfer

• Wichita area community organizer LaWanda DeShazer

• Sedgwick County Democratic Party secretary Ariel Dillon

• Labor leader John Nave, an executive vice president of the Kansas AFL-CIO

• Kansas teachers’ union leader Ronald Hobert

• Topeka entrepreneur Daisy Karimi

• Johnson County LGBTQ+ activist Jae Moyer

• Former Kansas House of Representatives Democratic primary candidate Kelly Atherton

• Kansas Human Rights Commissioner Terry Crowder

• Kansas State Senate candidate Sherry Giebler

• Johnson County Community College trustee-at-large Greg Mitchell

• Former Wichita mayoral primary candidate Brock Booker

Who will Kansas’ Democratic delegates choose as the party’s nominee?

Kansas uses a proportional representation system in assigning its 39 delegates based on the outcomes of the state’s party primary election. But technically, all delegates from Kansas are able to vote for who they believe would make the best nominee.

“Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them,” the party’s 2024 delegate selection plan states.

The Star reported in March that 84% of the state’s Democratic primary votes went to Joe Biden. An additional 10% of votes went to the “uncommitted” option — due in part to a protest voting campaign opposing U.S. military aid to Israel in its ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip, which experts estimate has killed upwards of 186,000 people. Author Marianne Williamson received 3% of the vote in the Kansas Democratic primary, with two other candidates receiving less than 3% each.

In a typical election year, the lion’s share of Kansas’ delegates would be designated to vote for Joe Biden, in accordance with those primary results. But this election is anything but typical — and delegates’ decision will now be based on party consensus, discussions with other Democrats and their own conscience.

Do you have more questions about the Democratic nomination process or the 2024 election? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.

Natalie Wallington

The Kansas City Star

Natalie Wallington was a reporter on The Star’s service journalism team with a focus on policy, labor, sustainability and local utilities from fall 2021 until early 2025. Her coverage of the region’s recycling system won a 2024 Feature Writing award from the Kansas Press Association.