The Star endorses a capable, conscientious incumbent for this KC-area Senate seat
She’s already a vital cog in Kansas government. She has much to recommend her to all political persuasions. And she stands head and shoulders above her opponent.
Re-electing state Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Republican from Louisburg, should be an easy decision in the November election for voters in Kansas Senate District 37 south of Kansas City.
Baumgardner’s core concerns and competencies overlap with some of the state’s most pressing needs, including funding schools, lifting up foster children and extending life-saving health care to all residents through expanding Medicaid.
Since her arrival in the Senate in 2014, she’s been a key leader on those issues in the Kansas Legislature. She served on the 2019 Special Committee on Medicaid Expansion, chairs two education committees, is vice chair of the Special Joint Committee on Foster Care Oversight and serves on the Senate Select Committee on Healthcare Access.
Foster care has become a signature issue for Baumgardner. She’s a tireless champion for getting foster kids placed in temporary homes more quickly — she and other legislators were aghast to learn that some 16 of the kids entering state custody each month have spent nights at hotels, in offices and in cars. And the three-year average it takes to complete the adoption process, along with their 40% high school graduation rate, are completely unacceptable, she rightly says.
She’s been instrumental in crafting legislation extending scholarships and college enrollment to foster kids in high school and requiring the state to start keeping report cards on their academic progress — grades that likely will reflect more on the state’s competency than on the students’. And she argues for an independent agency to oversee the welfare of foster kids.
A fourth-generation teacher in high school and community college, Baumgardner also was the Senate’s negotiator in talks that led to the school finance formula that finally met Kansas Supreme Court standards and ended a decade of lawsuits on the matter.
Yet she is particularly proud of having introduced the bill that became the state’s first coherent and humane process for providing restitution for the wrongfully convicted — a process she says has become a model for other states.
Baumgardner points out that she seeks collaboration beyond committee and party circles, working across the aisle for the good of all. “I want a great bill, not a good bill, to become law, and I want everyone to be invested in it,” she says.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWho decides the endorsements?
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..
Is the editorial board partisan?
No. In making endorsements, members of the editorial board consider which candidates are well prepared to represent their constituents — not whether they agree with us or belong to a particular political party. We do weigh heavily their stances on issues we consider basic tests of judgment and candor, such as whether they even acknowledge climate change as real, or if they continue to deny the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. We weigh these factors against many others, and state clearly what our conclusions are. Primarily, we evaluate candidates’ relevant experience, their readiness for office, their depth of knowledge of key issues and their understanding of public policy. We’re seeking candidates who are thoughtful and who offer more than just party-line talking points. The editorial board will endorse both Republicans and Democrats, making recommendations about who the best-qualified candidate for each job is.
Why are endorsements unsigned?
Endorsements reflect the collective views of The Star’s editorial board — not just the opinion of one writer. Board members all discuss and contribute ideas to each endorsement editorial.
Democratic challenger Becca Peck — who worked night shifts to pay for college before working for 10 years at Sprint — has advocated fiercely for years for a son with disabilities, as well as for others with health care challenges. She would no doubt be a passionate advocate for others, particularly for Medicaid expansion and reductions in the state’s onerous 6.5% sales tax on groceries.
Still, several of Peck’s criticisms of Baumgardner miss the mark, in particular on Medicaid expansion and reducing the food sales tax — both of which Baumgardner supports.
With a budget ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, Baumgardner is a good choice to help shepherd the state through budget cuts next year while protecting education, job training and the $10 billion Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program with its planned widening of the dangerous state Highway 68 in Miami County.
Kansans of all convictions have a capable, conscientious champion in state Sen. Molly Baumgardner. Voters in House District 37 have the opportunity to keep it that way Nov. 3.
This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.