The Star endorses Tom Cox in this key Republican primary for Kansas Senate
When you listen to them side-by-side, the choice between the two Republican candidates for the Kansas District 10 Senate nomination is as clear as a cloudless day.
A four-year member of the Kansas House, Tom Cox is the more serious, knowledgeable, thoughtful and well-spoken of the two — the latter somewhat surprising, given opponent Mike Thompson’s background in broadcasting. From budgets to criminal justice to health care and more, Cox is quite simply more informed and insightful.
Nowhere does Cox’s superior grasp of the issues show up more than in the crucial areas of Medicaid expansion and criminal justice reform.
Thompson, who was selected by the Johnson County Republican Party in January to fill the then-vacant Senate seat, hews to the boilerplate and unsupported “it will blow the budget” conservative reflex on the issue of Medicaid expansion. In refreshing contrast, Cox favors a careful expansion, such as the bipartisan but bottled-up bill agreed to this past session by Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
Cox actually did his homework on it, not only agreeing with Denning that it would have been revenue neutral, but having checked with Republicans in other states that have successfully expanded the health care program for the disadvantaged.
“I call those states and I talk to Republicans who say, ‘No, it’s working great, we’re never getting rid of this,’” Cox told The Star Editorial Board in a joint interview with both candidates.
A member of the House Judiciary Committee, Cox has worked on bipartisan reform of the Kansas criminal justice system from the ground up — including efforts to give judges the choice of not locking people up for minor probation violations. Current law allows no such discretion, and thus the No. 1 reason for going to prison in Kansas is technical probation violations.
“Now they lose their job. Now they lose their car,” Cox said. “Now, when they get back out, they’re starting from scratch and have to explain to people, ‘I was just in jail for the last few months.’ It takes them from what I call ‘a taxpayer to a tax-consumer,’ and makes it near impossible for them to get back on their feet.”
Meaningful criminal justice reform, which stands to also save taxpayers millions, will require an every-year effort, especially since Kansas has some of the most uncompromising sentencing guidelines in the nation. “I would love to spend every year working on this issue and adding to what we’ve done the previous year,” Cox says.
Cox even had a handle on the tormenting but often-ignored issue of women imprisoned for killing their abusers, noting Kentucky’s groundbreaking progress on it.
The state’s emergency management laws also desperately need updating, as the pointless squabbling between the befuddled executive and legislative branches has demonstrated during the coronavirus pandemic. And while Thompson is on an interim study committee looking at the topic, it’s actually Cox who delivered an articulate assessment of the constitutional and practical considerations of the balance of power: in sum, that leaders in both branches behaved badly, but that state laws were designed for 15-day emergencies and are ill-suited for a yearlong pandemic.
Both candidates are fiercely pro-life, but Cox’s definition of the term is much more expansive than just abortion. He says furthering health care for all and fully funding schools, while opposing the death penalty, are pro-life stances as well.
While Cox spoke in our interview about the importance of fighting systemic racism, Thompson’s views on this issue should deeply trouble his constituents.
Asked about how to achieve racial equality, Thompson lapsed into a bizarre argument about how society has to get Black people “back into the churches” and to “a more cohesive Black family.” The ebbing of church and the challenges to families are apparent across the spectrum of life in our country. But to pin that to a discussion about the discrimination and inequities that Black Americans face is completely inappropriate, irrelevant and insulting.
After decades as a TV meteorologist, Thompson no doubt is the more familiar face, but voters should take the time to get to know both candidates in this race. Cox’s thoughtful, solutions-focused mindset has earned him The Star’s endorsement in the Aug. 4 Republican primary for the District 10 state Senate seat.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 5:00 AM.