THANK YOU, FELLOW KANSANS!

We moved to Kansas a year into our marriage when my husband accepted a job in a family business. I was devastated. I couldn’t bear having to leave behind family, friends and a job that I loved in my home-town of Chicago. I still remember that gray December day when I watched the impressive skyline fade away in my passenger rear-view mirror. I cried all the way to the Iowa state line.

I soon found that, in Kansas, the skies were bluer, the weather milder and, as first-time buyers, housing was far more affordable. I grew more and more at home here in the land “where the deer and the antelope play.” We became involved in our community, made wonderful friends and were proud to hear about Kansas’ progressive history. I learned that:

▪ The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed the earliest Kansas settlers to fight off slaveholders, which made Kansas territory a free state. (https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/emigrant-aid-societies/16697)

▪ In 1951, a lawsuit filed against Topeka’s board of education led to the landmark United States Supreme Court Case — Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka — which ended school segregation. (http://www.famous-trials.com/brownvtopeka )

▪ And of particular significance in this time of the Me Too Movement — Kansas was the first state to elect a woman to public office. Susanna Salter was elected the mayor of Argonia, Kansas on April 4, 1887, just weeks after Kansas women gained the right to vote in city elections. (https://www.kshs.org/index.php?url=kansapedia/susanna-madora-salter/12191)

Of course, recently, Kansas has been anything but progressive or moderate. Current right-wing extremism took over the state in 2010 when Sam Brownback beat a moderate conservative in the gubernatorial race, fronting the Tea Party backlash against Barack Obama. Brownback’s now failed “red state experiment” all but ruined Kansas. He severely slashed public education funding (which led to multiple lawsuits filed against the state)– He was the first governor to privatize Medicaid, and then blocked federal dollars for Medicaid expansion. He was one of the least transparent state leaders in the country. The list of financial damages created by Brownback was estimated to be in the billions. (https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article164297657.html)

But Brownback’s extremism would have paled had Kris Kobach become governor. In addition to his plans to further Brownback’s failed agenda, Kobach’s ties to militias, white nationalists and other extremists, along with his holocaust denial, ongoing and intense attacks on immigrants and…every other ugliness he represented… would have decimated what’s left of Kansas. (https://kobachiswrong.org/our-mission/)

I told my husband that, despite having spent our entire adult lives here…despite raising our family and being deeply rooted here… if Kobach became governor, we would need to move.

Last night we shared a happy dance when Kobach conceded. Kansas’ history of doing the right thing has re-emerged. While Governor-elect Laura Kelly has a lot of ground to make up, her priorities on improving the economy, healthcare and public education will get our state back on track. Additionally, the defeat of a blatant hatemonger rekindles our belief that good overcomes evil. We hope last night’s win will have a ripple effect on our nation. Thank you, fellow Kansans, for restoring decency and compassion to our state.

Next month, my husband and I will mark 39 years as Kansas residents. The election of Laura Kelly — and the defeat of Kris Kobach — is a wonderful way to celebrate!