Communications director for Kansas House Democrats runs to represent Topeka
House Democrats communications director Alexis Simmons filed to run for the 58th District representing Topeka, a seat currently held by her boss House Minority Leader Vic Miller.
She moved to Topeka to attend Washburn University and ingrained herself in state politics, working as an office assistant in the civil litigation division of the Office of the Kansas Attorney General during her freshman year in 2014.
“I moved here for college and immediately felt welcomed into the fold,” Simmons said. “It really has a small-town feel. I feel like everywhere I go I see people I know.”
By 2016, she moved from the AG’s Office to the Kansas Senate, interning with then-Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley in the 2016 legislative session.
“I decided I was more interested in the policy piece of lawmaking,” Simmons said. “I got to see how much influence and how much good you can do in a person’s life by doing constituent work as an intern. But now, as a staffer, I feel the same way.”
Simmons interned with lobbyist Stuart Little from 2017-2019, and during that time moved to Washington, D.C., to study political science at American University. After graduating, she returned to Topeka and resumed working in state politics.
In 2021, she started working as the Kansas House Democrats communication director and in 2022, started teaching Intro to American Government at Washburn University and joined the board of the Topeka Human Relations Commission. Simmons’ said her work behind the scenes will help her if she’s elected to the House.
“There’s something to be said about the experience that you get from doing the constituent work from learning policies. I feel positioned very well to hit the ground running on day one,” Simmons said.
Simmons interest in politics started much earlier, though. Growing up, the schools she attended was deemed underfunded in the Gannon v. Kansas. She said her and her politically oriented family would discuss disparate education funding around the dinner table.
“I would think our ZIP codes should not dictate the quality of our education, and I saw the consequences of that very early,” Simmons said.
Throughout college and her career, Simmons worked on increasing the participation of women in politics. While studying in D.C., she helped train women to run for office and wrote a newsletter about women in politics. In 2021 Emily’s List, a pro-choice advocacy group, selected her to help train candidates to run for office.
More: This longtime Topeka Democrat is giving up his House seat for another run at Kansas Senate
“Women are traditionally underserved in politics in 100 different ways. So, giving them the tools to run a quality campaign is so important to make change,” Simmons said.
At 28 years old, Simmons would be one of youngest active elected officials in theStatehouse.
“I certainly don’t want to dismiss the value of experience,” Simmons said. “But with that said, I think a fresh perspective is so real.”
If elected, Simmons wouldn’t be the first member of her family to hold political office. Her great-uncle Robert Stephan served as the attorney general of Kansas from 1979 to 1995, making him the longest-serving attorney general in the history of the state.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Alexis Simmons running to represent Topeka in Kansas House
