Democrats look to shake Republican supermajority in Kansas legislature

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Right now, Republicans have a supermajority in the Kansas legislature. Democrats want to reverse some of those seats.

For the past two years, the Republican party has had a firm hold on the state legislature. With their supermajority, they're able to override a veto from governor Laura Kelly with a lot more ease.

In this election, Democrats aren't focused on getting a majority in the state house or the Senate. Instead, their goal is to break up that supermajority by flipping three seats in the state senate and two seats in the state house of representatives, according to a political analyst with Wichita State University.

According to her, Democrats are focusing a lot of their efforts in the Johnson County area around Kansas City, which has gotten more liberal over the past several years.

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"They've been really strategic about where they're placing their money, where they are campaigning and the support that they're offering to those candidates in those districts that could potentially flip," said Dr. Alexandra Middlewood, WSU Political Science Department Chair.

According to Middlewood, if Democrats break the supermajority, it makes it easier for Governor Laura Kelly to push her agenda through the legislature.

It would also force Republicans to negotiate more because it would be harder to override a governor's veto.

If the supermajority stays in place, Middlewood said the Republican legislative agenda will be more likely to continue to progress with or without the governor's approval.