First-year Johnson County representative moves out of district, resigns from KS House
Overland Park Representative Jennifer Day resigned Monday after one year in the state Legislature.
Day, 47, was appointed to the 48th district House seat in May 2020 after her predecessor, David Benson, resigned.
She won election in November by only 62 votes and served on the House tax, financial institutions and corrections committees during the 2021 session.
Day was one of seven freshman Democratic women to call for the resignation of Rep. Aaron Coleman, a Kansas City Democrat with a history of abusive behavior, prior to the start of the Legislative session.
In a Twitter post, Monday, she said she was mailing her letter of resignation.
“This is an emotional time for me,” Day said. “Serving KS HD48 as a member of @KSHouseDems was irreplaceable. Thank you, HD48...it’s been my absolute honor!”
“While I would love, love, LOVE to continue serving in the KS House, my new district is capably and wonderfully served by Rep. Jerry Stogsdill. Until he chooses to move on, I’ll remain an activist and avid volunteer,” Day said in another post.
Just put my resignation letter to the SoS into my mailbox.
This is an emotional time for me. Just 1 yr ago, I was appointed, then ran for reelection and won! Serving KS HD48 as a member of @KSHouseDems was irreplaceable. Thank you, HD48...it's been my absolute honor! #ksleg— Jennifer Day (@JenDayinKS) June 21, 2021
Stogsdill is a Prairie Village Democrat who has served in the Legislature since 2017.
In a direct message Day said she was moving to a new home in Northeast Overland Park, outside of her district.
“I am very excited about the new home!” Day said. “However, I am also extremely proud that i was able to hold this seat for the JoCo Dems and the KS House Dems alike with my win in Nov. 2020.”
In a statement House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, thanked Day for her work in the caucus.
“Representative Day has served the 48th district with integrity, excitement, and creativity. She has been integral to the caucus and represented her constituents with enthusiasm,” Sawyer said.
The Democratic precinct committee in Day’s Overland Park district will appoint a replacement for her unexpired term.
Day is the third House Democrat to resign this year. Rep. Brett Parker, also from Overland Park, and Elizabeth Bishop, from Wichita, both announced plans to resign in May.
Terry Frederick, a Republican who lost to Day in November, has already filed to run for the seat again in 2022 according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.
