Derek Schmidt's running mate in challenge to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is a Roger Marshall staffer

Republican gubernatorial frontrunner Derek Schmidt has selected Katie Sawyer, a staffer for U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, as his running mate, the campaign announced Wednesday.

At 38 years old, Sawyer would be the youngest Republican lieutenant governor in the United States. She has spent the past six years as the state director for Marshall's U.S. Senate office while also running a family farm with her husband in McPherson County.

"As a lieutenant governor, I look forward every day to making this the best place to live, work and raise a family," Sawyer told reporters.

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Katie Sawyer would be youngest GOP lieutenant governor in the U.S.

The announcement came a few hours before Wednesday's noon candidate filing deadline.

"I'm very excited about this ticket," Schmidt told reporters shortly after filing his paperwork at 9 a.m. at the secretary of state's office.

While the lieutenant governor in Kansas has almost no formal duties, Schmidt said she would be an "integral" part of his campaign and would be leaned on in crafting policy if he were elected. He later said in an interview that Sawyer would be a trusted adviser with connections to all 105 counties.

"My first and foremost goal is to make sure that we're representing all Kansans, and that we're working for all Kansans," she said in an interview.

Marshall called her "a bright rising superstar." He said her help with more than 300 townhalls means "she has her finger on the pulse of Kansas and she knows exactly what they’re talking about at their kitchen tables."

"A Schmidt-Sawyer ticket is poised for victory and I look forward to turning the page on years of Kelly-Biden lockdowns and failures," Marshall said in the statement via Schmidt's campaign.

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Derek Schmidt's running mate has been educator, journalist, farmer

Sawyer previously worked as an educator at McPherson College, a marketer and as a journalist.

Bob Beatty, a professor of political science at Washburn University, said it was logical for Schmidt to select a woman as his lieutenant in a bid to counteract his almost-certain opponent, Gov. Laura Kelly.

But while the choice could matter in a close election, he said lieutenant governors are often unknown, even when serving in office.

"The first rule of lieutenant governor and vice president picks — and this is ironclad — the first rule is do no harm," Beatty said. "And that outweighs everything."

There had been speculation that Schmidt would select a running mate from one of the state's urban cores, either Johnson County in the Kansas City, Mo., metro area or Wichita.

But Mike Kuckelman, chair of the Kansas Republican Party, said he felt Sawyer's experience for Marshall made her a sound choice and someone who understands the entire state.

"I think it gives a good mix to bring to that administration ... between the northeast part of the state and the rest of the state as well," Kuckelman said. "She will have a lot of input into his policies. She is young, her and her husband have a young family. They have a large ag operation.

"I just think all of that input into the administration is valuable."

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Little opposition in gubernatorial race in 2022 Kansas primary

Schmidt, the current attorney general, saw his path to the GOP nomination clear up in August when former Gov. Jeff Colyer dropped out of the race and endorsed Schmidt following a cancer diagnosis. Also running in the Republican primary are Arlyn Briggs and Lance Berland, of Kincaid.

Kelly, a Democrat, and Lt. Gov. David Toland filed for re-election last month and will likely do battle with the Schmidt/Sawyer ticket in the fall. Kansas secretary of state filings show they face a nominal primary challenge from Richard Karnowski and Barry Franco, of Seneca.

More: Jeff Colyer drops out of Kansas governor's race, citing cancer, clearing GOP path for Derek Schmidt

Democrats try to tie Republicans to Sam Brownback

Democrats have tried to tie Schmidt and now Sawyer to former Gov. Sam Brownback and painted a picture of her as a partisan aide.

"Derek Schmidt’s last-minute pick for Lt. Governor — a partisan political operative — spent her career working for politicians, not Kansans," said Lauren Fitzgerald, a Kelly campaign spokesperson. "Those politicians pushed through the Brownback agenda that hurt Kansas badly."

Schmidt brushed aside attempts to tie his campaign to Brownback, or to Marshall, as "partisan political noise."

"It's obvious that some of our competitors on the other side want to run against people who are not in this race," he said in an interview. "Derek Schmidt and Katie Sawyer are going to focus on moving this state ahead. We've got ideas that we'll be sharing over the next months, based on what Kansans have shared with us, to leave this state better than we found it."

Jason Tidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jtidd@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Tidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas AG Derek Schmidt chooses staffer for Marshall as running mate