No endorsement: This Kansas House race has been dominated by clichés and generalities
Voters in Kansas House District 18 in north-central Johnson County will choose between incumbent Cindy Neighbor, a Democrat, and Cathy Gordon, a Republican.
Unfortunately, The Star Editorial Board can’t make a recommendation in this race.
Neighbor has served multiple stints in the Kansas Legislature as both a Republican and a Democrat. Her ping-pong electoral history reflects the close political split of her district: She won the seat in 2002, lost in 2004, won in 2006 and 2008, lost in 2010 and 2014, then won in 2016 and 2018.
She was first elected as a Republican and later changed her affiliation to Democrat. She has served on the Shawnee Mission school board, and she has been a consistent supporter of public education.
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Members of The Kansas City Star Editorial Board interview political candidates, as well as advocates and opponents of ballot measures. The editorial board is comprised of seasoned opinion journalists and is separate from The Star’s newsroom. The board’s members are editorial writers Toriano Porter and Mara’ Rose Williams — all veteran journalists with decades of experience. Editors Derek Donovan is also a member, and editor David Tarrant, while not a member of the board, reads and often improves each editorial we publish. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
What does the endorsement process entail?
The Star Editorial Board invites candidates in each race to meet with the board in an on-the-record discussion, the purpose of which is more fully understand what distinguishes one candidate from another. Board members do additional reporting and research to learn as much as possible about the candidates. The editorial board then convenes to discuss the candidates in each race. Board members seek to reach a consensus on the endorsements, but not every decision is unanimous..
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Generally, Neighbor has been a moderate to progressive vote in the Legislature. She has supported Medicaid expansion in Kansas and has voted to protect reproductive rights. In 2019, she received a 100 rating from the Mainstream Coalition, a left-leaning group in Johnson County.
In our interview, Neighbor showed a frustrating tendency to speak in generalities and clichés about serious problems facing the state, offering no specifics or actual solutions.
Should Kansas tighten its rules for crisis response in the midst of the COVID-19 emergency? Lawmakers have a responsibility to “come to the table,” Neighbor said. “There has to be discussion. It’s got to be give-and-take.”
Can the state’s unemployment system be improved? “Everyone can always do better,” she said.
There is something to be said for a legislator who seeks compromise. Not every lawmaker needs to breathe fire on every issue. But the times require leadership and a clear agenda for making Kansas a better place, and Neighbor didn’t deliver either in our interview.
Republican Cathy Gordon might have been a good alternative. Like many Kansas Republican candidates, however, she declined to speak with The Star Editorial Board. We can’t recommend a candidate who won’t answer questions about important issues.
Gordon is a nurse practitioner and is focused on health care. On her website, she calls herself a “commonsense conservative and lifelong Republican.”
She told Ballotpedia she wants to “get the economy back to normal, open and support businesses.” It isn’t clear how she would accomplish those goals while the coronavirus pandemic still threatens the state.
Her website says she wants to protect businesses from liability if employees become infected with COVID-19. The Legislature should not protect employers from punishment if they recklessly harm workers. Courts — not the Legislature — should decide those cases on the evidence, not with a blanket exemption.
“Open the state,” her website says. “Open the schools.” Voters should expect a medical professional to acknowledge the real danger the coronavirus represents.
In these difficult times, Kansans are looking for leadership, a commitment to principles, a depth of knowledge of public policy issues and a clear vision to move Kansas forward. No candidate in the Kansas House District 18 race appears prepared to meet those benchmarks, and neither has earned The Star’s endorsement.
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.