Here are the women who will lead the Republican and Democratic parties in Kansas
Republicans met over the weekend in Goodland for their annual convention. Meanwhile, Democrats met in Topeka for their annual convention, known as Washington Days.
Part of the state conventions was electing party leadership, who will lead their parties in the next election cycle, which features an open gubernatorial race in 2026 and congressional midterms.
Republicans elected Danedri Herbert as chair.
"It is an honor to lead the Republican Party of the greatest state in the nation," Herbert said in a statement to The Capital-Journal. "Kansas has long been the heart of the conservative movement, and our party is committed to continuing the fight for limited government and individual liberty. Over the next two years, I look forward to working with Kansas Republicans to grow our party, to stand firm for conservative values, and most importantly, to elect a Republican Governor in 2026."
Herbert, who is a spokesperson for Attorney General Kris Kobach, replaces outgoing chair Mike Brown.
Republicans also elected conservative talk radio host Andy Hooser as vice chair, Roger Lomshek as treasurer and Amanda Schlyer as secretary.
Democrats reelected party chair Jeanna Repass.
"Democrats are ready to fight for the shared values of Kansans during this time of uncertainty in our state and country," Repass said in a news release. "Unelected billionaires and their friends are cutting jobs and funding that has a direct impact on veterans, farmers, and other working families. These are not Kansas values and we will be unwavering as we stand up for every Kansan."
Delegates also reelected vice chair Shaun Junkins and elected former Sen. Usha Reddi as treasurer and Nik Cabrini as secretary.
Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas Republicans and Democrats elect state party chairs
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
21 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Governor Ayotte signs legislation requiring IDs for absentee voting in New Hampshire
McKenzie Taylor, director of the New Hampshire Campaign for Voting Rights, said Ayotte's signature on Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up A spokesperson for Ayotte did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment. Advertisement The other legislation that Ayotte signed, These changes come after the state adopted tighter voter ID rules last year, including a strict While voting by non-citizens is rare, it does happen. In July, a registered Republican living in Manchester, N.H., was arrested on felony charges that he Advertisement Since the changes in SB 287 and SB 218 will take effect in 60 days, the tighter absentee ballot rules will kick in between the September primary elections and the November general elections. Steven Porter can be reached at
The Hill
21 minutes ago
- The Hill
Senate strikes deal to approve funding bills ahead of August recess
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), head of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced Friday afternoon that the chamber will be moving forward to pass its first tranche of government funding bills for fiscal year 2026. The chamber will vote on three full-year funding plans that cover the departments of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, legislative branch operations, military construction and rural development. Senators will first vote on a series of amendments from both sides of the aisle as part of the process, and a final vote is expected Friday night. 'It's taken a great deal of work, good faith and negotiation to get to this point,' Collins said upon announcing the development from the Senate floor on Friday. The deal comes after days of uncertainty on both sides of the aisle over whether the chamber would be able to pass any funding bills before its August recess. The evolving package had undergone several revisions this week. Republican leaders dealt with frustration in their ranks over some of the funding levels in the legislative branch funding bill, while Democratic resistance to the Trump administration's relocation plans for the FBI's headquarters weighed down efforts to pass the annual Justice Department funding bill. In remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the bills 'the best chance we have to get the best outcome for folks back home,' while pushing members against another funding stopgap, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), like what the party was forced to swallow in March to keep the government open. 'We cannot have another slush fund CR that gives away more power to Trump,' she said. Together, the bills would provide more than $180 billion in discretionary funding for the agencies for fiscal 2026 – well over half of which would go toward the annual VA and military construction funding plan. Lawmakers are hoping to pass further funding legislation when they return from recess in September, as Congress braces for what could be a messy funding fight to keep the government open beyond the start of the fiscal year in October.
The Hill
21 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump fires BLS chief after weak jobs report
President Trump said Friday the U.S. is positioning two nuclear submarines in 'appropriate regions' near Russia, saying the move corresponds with threatening rhetoric from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a close adviser to current Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a social media post, Trump cited Medvedev's 'highly provocative statements' and said the nuclear submarines are being moved to the region 'just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.' Ukraine is set to receive its first two Patriot air defense systems 'in the coming days' as part of the deal the U.S. government struck with NATO last month. A bipartisan pair of senators introduced legislation this week calling for tens of billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine, as Putin continues to rebuff Trump's calls for an end to the war. The Hill's Laura Kelly writes: 'The bill's passage faces long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress, where GOP leaders in the House and Senate have deferred to Trump over which legislation makes it to the floor. The administration has slashed foreign aid so far, and administration officials and some GOP lawmakers regularly rally against sending U.S. military and other assistance abroad.' MEANWHILE… Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, visited an aid-distribution site in Gaza on Friday, as international pressure grows on Israel to address the humanitarian and hunger crisis in the enclave. Witkoff was joined by Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel. The White House said Witkoff and Huckabee will brief Trump on their findings, setting the stage for a U.S. plan to assist in distributing aid to the war-ravaged region. Trump this week said there is 'real starvation' in Gaza, breaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In Washington, Democrats and some MAGA-aligned Republicans are urging the U.S. to cut Israel loose. On Wednesday, more than half the of the Democratic caucus in the Senate voted in favor of resolutions to block U.S. military sales to Israel. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) missed the vote while she was in New York taping a segment on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' Slotkin released a statement Thursday saying she would have voted to oppose U.S. military sales to Israel. 'I have been a strong supporter of the Jewish State of Israel my whole life. And I still am,' Slotkin posted on X. 'But despite the fact that Hamas began this bloody round of conflict—and refuses to release the hostages—the images of emaciated children are hard to turn away from.' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Friday 'the time has come' to recognize a Palestinian state. Last week, France became the first Group of Seven (G7) nation to say it would recognize a Palestinian state. Leaders in Canada and Britain said they'd follow suit if Israel's war on Hamas does not end soon. Axios reports that Witkoff and Netanyahu this week discussed the need to secure a comprehensive deal for 'the release of all the hostages [held by Hamas], the disarmament of Hamas, and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.'
