Controversial Kansas legislators lose, incumbents fall to conservatives and Topeka-area races set

A number of incumbent members of the Legislature won't be returning to Topeka, including several controversial, high-profile members.

Most notably, Rep. Aaron Coleman, D-Kansas City, Kan., who fell to primary challenger Melissa Oropeza in a three-way race in heavily Democratic Wyandotte County. Coleman came in third behind both Oropeza and Faith Rivera, a third candidate

In March, a Johnson County judge signed off on a diversion where Colman could see his misdemeanor domestic battery charge dismissed. Police had alleged in October that Coleman hit his brother and spit on him while arguing about religion while also threatening his grandfather.

Prior to holding elected office, Coleman allegedly assaulted and threatened to kill an ex-girlfriend. He admitted to cyberbullying and revenge porn while in middle school.

Rep. Suzi Carlson, R-Clay Center, finished in third in a three-way primary. She trails frontrunner Bill Bloom by 600 votes.

Carlson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in January by Topeka police. The case was resolved in June with a diversion agreement where prosecutors will drop charges if she complies with a set of conditions.

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Reps. Mark Samsel, Cheryl Helmer fall to challengers

Carrie Barth defeated Rep. Mark Samsel, R-Wellsville, by almost 1,200 votes with all precincts reporting.

Samsel was accused in spring 2021 of assaulting two students in a classroom while substitute teaching. He ultimately pled guilty to three lesser charges of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. His 90-day jail sentence was suspended for a year of probation.

Samsel has since said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and "nothing like this ever should happen again."

Another controversial member, Rep. Cheryl Helmer, R-Mulvane, fell to challenger Webster Roth by about 300 votes.

Helmer drew national attention when she said in an email earlier this year that she doesn't "appreciate the huge transgender female who is now in our restrooms in the Capitol," a reference to Rep. Stephanie Byers, the state's first transgender lawmaker.

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Republicans lose to conservative challenges in primary races

Meanwhile Republican incumbents facing conservative challengers were split in their bid to earn re-election to the Kansas House, with at least one falling to primary challenges from conservative opponents.

The cause of the challenges varied, though a half-dozen Republicans garnered primary opponents. Most centered on votes from their predecessors on hot-button legislation.

In the biggest upset of the night, Scott Hill — a former Kansas State Board of Education member who gained attention by supporting eliminating evolution as an underlying principle of state science curriculum in 1999 — defeated incumbent Rep. John Barker, R-Abilene.

Barker said last week he was surprised to earn a primary challenge despite a relatively conservative track record, as well as chairing the powerful House Federal and State Affairs Committee.

"I think the pandemic brought a lot of this out, personally," he said. "People were not happy, being closed up. I think that is probably part of it, though not all of it. ... I'm comfortable leaving it with the people who I serve."

Jason Goetz, who defeated Rep. Bradley Ralph, R-Dodge City, criticized Ralph's votes against a bill banning transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports.

Elsewhere in southwest Kansas, Bob Lewis defeated incumbent Rep. John Wheeler, R-Garden City, by about 180 votes after criticizing Wheeler's voting record on a so-called parents' bill of rights and touting his own endorsement from the Kansas Rifle Association PAC.

Other Republicans fared better.

In a battle of incumbents, Rep. Jim Minnix, R-Scott City, held off Rep. Tatum Lee, R-Ness City. Lee, one of the most conservative members of the Legislature, was drawn in the same western Kansas district as Minnix, a fellow freshman.

Rep. Susan Concannon, R-Beloit, one of the few remaining pro-Medicaid expansion Republicans remaining, handedly defeated challenger Gerald Johnson in the primary.

The Sunflower State Journal reported last month that Johnson is facing animal cruelty charges in Cloud County, though he has said they came about from defending his livestock.

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Contentious primaries between legislative incumbents and conservative challengers is a semi-regular fact of life in Kansas.

Indeed, in 2020,conservatives swept out a batch of moderate members of the Kansas Senate, a nail in the coffin for hopes of approving Medicaid expansion.

The effects might not be as drastic this time around, though it could improve the odds of hitting a two-thirds majority on controversial policy items in an increasingly polarized Statehouse.

Kelly Arnold, former chair of the Kansas Republican Party, said it was natural to have inter-party duels.

But the focus, he said, must be on ensuring it doesn't distract from holding onto a relatively slim supermajority in Topeka.

"We don't want to get to the point where we're eating our own," he said. "And we have historically had that problem before. Where we go after each other and take the eye off the ball."

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Shawnee County House races are set for November's general election

In Shawnee County, the Kansas House races are also locked in for the fall general election.

In the Kansas House District 52 Democrat primary, Derik Ferlage led Max Stucky Halley by a little less than 300 votes with all precincts reporting. The winner will face Rep. Jesse Borjon, R-Topeka, in the fall.

Kansas House District 53 was the lone Shawnee County race with contested Democrat and Republican primaries.

Kirk Haskins defeated Joe Cheray by roughly 550 votes on the Democrat side. On the Republican side, Bruce Williamson leads Connie Burns by 60 votes in a result that could potentially still change with provisional ballots and advanced mail ballots, which have until Friday to arrive.

In Kansas House District 55, Tobias Schlingensiepen defeated Joshua Luttrell by roughly 1,400 votes in the Democrat primary. He will face Republican Todd Staerkel in November.

Andrew Bahl is a senior statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at abahl@gannett.com or by phone at 443-979-6100.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Rep. Aaron Coleman, others lose re-election bids for Kansas House