Kansas Democratic Party
Encyclopedia
The Kansas Democratic Party is the state affiliate political party
of the United States Democratic Party
headquartered in Topeka, Kansas
. The State Party Chairman is Joan Wagnon
and in 1857 the Kansas Democratic Party was formed in an attempt to curb this trend by writing a constitution which would make Kansas a pro-slavery state. This constitution, which was written in Lecompton, Kansas
, was boycotted by many of the free-stater's and seen as illegitimate. Eventually a free-state constitution was drafted in Topeka and was adopted. The Kansas Democratic Party has not been able to send a U.S. Senator to Washington since 1939, a record currently unmatched by any state party in America, Republican or Democratic. Kansas Democrats haven't controlled the Kansas Senate
since 1917, the only period in which Democrats have ever held a majority in the upper house, and the Democrats have had only three non-consecutive two-year periods of majority control in the Kansas House of Representatives
, the last being in 1991. Since becoming a state there have been 11 Governors from the Democratic Party, 6 of which came after 1961. In the 2000s the Kansas Democratic Party was able to win statewide offices and make gains in the Kansas Legislature
by benefiting from tension in the Kansas Republican Party between its conservative and moderate wings. These gains, however, were erased in the 2010 Kansas elections as the Kansas Democratic Party saw its worst defeat on a ballot since 1954. The Kansas Democratic Party candidates lost every statewide office race (including U.S. Senator), every congressional race, and suffered a loss of 14 members in the state House of Representatives.
including William Jennings Bryan
, and Presidents Woodrow Wilson
, Harry S. Truman
, Jimmy Carter
, Bill Clinton
, and Barack Obama
. Vice Presidents Alben Barkley, Al Gore
and Joe Biden
have also given keynote speeches at Washington Days.
Legislative
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
of the United States Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
headquartered in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. The State Party Chairman is Joan Wagnon
Joan Wagnon
Joan Wagnon is an American politician. She was mayor of Topeka, Kansas from 1997–2001.She was Topeka's first and so far only female mayor. She was the Secretary of Revenue for the state of Kansas from January 13, 2003 until January 2011...
Overview
Since its founding as a territory, Kansas politics have been largely dominated by the Kansas Republican PartyKansas Republican Party
The Kansas Republican Party is the state affiliate political party in Kansas of the United States Republican Party. The Chair of the Kansas Republican Party is Amanda Adkins.- Political history :...
and in 1857 the Kansas Democratic Party was formed in an attempt to curb this trend by writing a constitution which would make Kansas a pro-slavery state. This constitution, which was written in Lecompton, Kansas
Lecompton, Kansas
Lecompton is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Lawrence, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 608 at the 2000 census. Lecompton played a major historical role in pre-Civil War America as the Territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861...
, was boycotted by many of the free-stater's and seen as illegitimate. Eventually a free-state constitution was drafted in Topeka and was adopted. The Kansas Democratic Party has not been able to send a U.S. Senator to Washington since 1939, a record currently unmatched by any state party in America, Republican or Democratic. Kansas Democrats haven't controlled the Kansas Senate
Kansas Senate
The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal amount of districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members of the Senate are elected to a four year term....
since 1917, the only period in which Democrats have ever held a majority in the upper house, and the Democrats have had only three non-consecutive two-year periods of majority control in the Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
, the last being in 1991. Since becoming a state there have been 11 Governors from the Democratic Party, 6 of which came after 1961. In the 2000s the Kansas Democratic Party was able to win statewide offices and make gains in the Kansas Legislature
Kansas Legislature
The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, composed of 125 Representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 Senators...
by benefiting from tension in the Kansas Republican Party between its conservative and moderate wings. These gains, however, were erased in the 2010 Kansas elections as the Kansas Democratic Party saw its worst defeat on a ballot since 1954. The Kansas Democratic Party candidates lost every statewide office race (including U.S. Senator), every congressional race, and suffered a loss of 14 members in the state House of Representatives.
Washington Days
Since 1895 the Kansas Democratic Party has hosted the annual Washington Days consisting of one weekend of caucus meetings, dinners, receptions, and ending with an address from a keynote speaker. It is traditionally held in Kansas' capitol Topeka. The keynote speech has historically been a proving ground for future Democratic candidates for President of the United StatesPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
including William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
, and Presidents Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, and Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Vice Presidents Alben Barkley, Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
and Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
have also given keynote speeches at Washington Days.
LegislativeKansas LegislatureThe Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, composed of 125 Representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 Senators...
- Senate Minority LeaderKansas SenateThe Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal amount of districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members of the Senate are elected to a four year term....
: Anthony HensleyAnthony HensleyAnthony Hensley is a Democratic member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 19th District since 1992. He has been the Minority Leader since 1996 and has also been a committeeman of the Democratic Precinct since 1976. In 1992, he was the Majority Whip. From 1977 to 1992, he was a Representative... - House Minority LeaderKansas House of RepresentativesThe Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
: Paul DavisPaul Davis (Kansas politician)Paul Davis is a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 46th district. He has served since 2003 and is currently the Minority Leader....
Party officers and executive committee
- Chair Joan WagnonJoan WagnonJoan Wagnon is an American politician. She was mayor of Topeka, Kansas from 1997–2001.She was Topeka's first and so far only female mayor. She was the Secretary of Revenue for the state of Kansas from January 13, 2003 until January 2011...
(Topeka) - Vice-Chair Lee Kinch (DerbyDerby, KansasDerby is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. Formerly known as El Paso, it is a suburb of Wichita. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 22,158. As of 2008 the population was estimated at 22,517, making it the 17th largest city in the state of Kansas...
) - Treasurer Dan Watkins (Kansas CityKansas City, KansasKansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
) - Secretary Barbara Fowler (EmporiaEmporia, KansasEmporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
) - National Committeewoman Randy Roy (Topeka)
- National Committeeman Larry GatesLawrence GatesLawrence Gates is the current Chair of the Kansas Democratic Party. During his tenure the Democrats have been able to win top offices and make gains in the Kansas Legislature by appealing to moderate Republican and independent voters....
(Overland Park)
Prominent past party officials
- Dennis MooreDennis MooreDennis Moore is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1999 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
(Congressman 1999-2011) - Mark ParkinsonMark ParkinsonMark V. Parkinson is the president and chief executive officer of the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living...
(Governor 2009-2011) - Kathleen SebeliusKathleen SebeliusKathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was the second female Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors...
(Governor 2003-2009, United States Secretary of Health and Human ServicesUnited States Secretary of Health and Human ServicesThe United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet...
2009-present) - Nancy BoydaNancy BoydaNancy Boyda is a former Democratic congresswoman representing .On November 4, 2008, Boyda was defeated for re-election by Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, after serving one term....
(Congresswoman 2007-2009) - Joan FinneyJoan FinneyJoan Finney , served as the 42nd Governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995.She was born Joan Marie McInroy in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Leonard and Mary Sands McInroy. She graduated from high school in Manhattan, Kansas in 1942. In 1957, she married Spencer Finney, Jr...
(Governor 1991-1995) - Jim SlatteryJim SlatteryJames Charles Slattery is an American politician and was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Kansas.- Early life and career :...
(Congressman 1983-1995) - John W. CarlinJohn W. CarlinJohn William Carlin served as fortieth Governor of Kansas from 1979 to 1987, and Archivist of the United States from May 30, 1995, to February 15, 2005.-Biography:...
(Governor 1979-1987) - Dan GlickmanDan GlickmanDaniel Robert "Dan" Glickman is an American businessman and politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until 2001, prior to which he represented the Fourth Congressional District of Kansas as a Democrat in Congress for 18 years. He was Chairman and CEO of the...
(Congressman 1977-1995, U.S. Secretary of AgricultureUnited States Secretary of AgricultureThe United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
1995-2001) - Martha Elizabeth KeysMartha Elizabeth KeysMartha Elizabeth Keys is a retired Democratic politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas from 1975 to 1979....
(Congresswoman 1975-1978) - William R. RoyWilliam R. RoyWilliam Robert Roy , also known as Bill Roy, is a former United States Representative from Kansas, a retired phyisician, and a columnist for The Topeka Capital-Journal.-Biography:...
(Congressman 1971-1975) - Robert DockingRobert DockingRobert Blackwell Docking, , was the 38th Governor of Kansas from 1967 until 1975.Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Docking attended public school in Lawrence, Kansas, before attending the University of Kansas, and served in the Air Force during World War II...
(Governor 1967-1975) - George DockingGeorge DockingGeorge Docking was the 35th Governor of Kansas, .Docking was elected to two terms as governor, but failed to win against Republican candidate John Anderson, Jr. in part because of his stance on the death penalty. He was known to say "I just don't like killing people." Was a delegate to the 1960...
(Governor 1957-1961) - James Floyd BreedingJames Floyd BreedingJames Floyd Breeding was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.Born near Robinson, Kansas, Breeding was educated in grade schools, Moonlight, Kansas, and Berryton High School in Shawnee County, Kansas....
(Congressman 1957-1963) - John Mills HoustonJohn Mills HoustonJohn Mills Houston was a member of the United States House of Representatives from the 5th congressional district of Kansas from 1935 to 1943. He was also a member of the National Labor Relations Board from 1943 to 1953....
(Congressman 1933-1943, National Labor Relations BoardNational Labor Relations BoardThe National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
Member 1943-1953) - Georgia Neese ClarkGeorgia Neese ClarkGeorgia Neese Clark Gray was the first woman Treasurer of the United States, serving from 1949 to 1953. No subsequent Treasurer has been a man.-Early life:...
(Treasurer of the United StatesTreasurer of the United StatesThe Treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury that was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds, though many of these functions have been taken over by different bureaus of the Department of the Treasury...
1949-1953) - George McGillGeorge McGillGeorge S. McGill was an American politician from Kansas.Born in Lucas County, Iowa, he moved with his parents to Kansas when he was 5. He graduated from Central Normal College in Great Bend, Kansas at the turn of the century and was admitted to the state bar two years later...
(U.S. Senator 1931-1939) - Jouett Shouse (Congressman 1915-1919)
- Guy T. HelveringGuy T. HelveringGuy Tresillian Helvering was an American politician. He was a U.S. Representative from Kansas, and later served as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and as a federal district court judge.-Early life:...
(Congressman 1913-1919, Commissioner of Internal RevenueCommissioner of Internal RevenueThe Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service , a bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury.The office of Commissioner was created by Congress by the Revenue Act of 1862...
1933-1943) - William Augustus AyresWilliam Augustus AyresWilliam Augustus Ayres was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas.William A. Ayres was born in Elizabethtown, Illinois. He moved with his parents to Sedgwick County, Kansas, in 1881. He attended the common schools and Garfield University in Wichita, Kansas...
(Congressman 1915-1921, 1923-1934)