KCK Democrat broke with party on trans rights, food assistance. Will it cost him his seat?

Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@kcstar.com.

Rep. Marvin Robinson II, a first-term Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas, faces a tough reelection bid to keep his state House seat as three challengers have stepped forward with the aim of defeating him in the Aug. 6 primary.

While each candidate brings a unique vision for how they’d advocate for the interests of a historically overlooked and underserved area, they share a common refrain. All point to Robinson’s record of delivering key votes to Republicans on partisan issues as a chief reason why he should not have a second term.

Among the items his critics cite are his votes to deny Medicaid expansion, limit access to food assistance, add abortion restrictions and undo diversity and equity policies at publicly funded colleges. Those moves, his political opponents contend, were made at the expense of the residents Robinson represents.

“You lied to us,” said Wanda Brownlee Paige, a retired teacher in Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools and who is running to replace him.

“You told us you’re a Democrat. That’s why we voted for you. And that you would carry the values of the party, and do what the people in this district elected you to do.

“He has not done that. So, we need to get him out.”

Kimberly DeWitt, a business consultant who unsuccessfully campaigned for the seat once before in 2016, says Robinson is essentially a “shadow Republican” whose record not only clashes with the desires but also the best interests of the people.

“That is concerning to me. It is scary to me,” DeWitt said.

And Michelle Watley, founder of Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet, an advocacy and education nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of Black women, says Robinson has undermined public assistance programs in a way that “flies in the face of representing the people of this district.”

Some 24,000 people live in Kansas House District 35, which spans northeastern KCK and is one of the most racially diverse in the state. Residents struggle financially at a greater rate than most Kansans, as about 19% of families live below the federal poverty line and about 19% of adults carry no health insurance, according to U.S. Census statistics.

Robinson acknowledged in an interview that he has made decisions that were poorly received by Democratic leaders, but he says his objective remains helping to improve the lives of the residents in his district.

He told The Star he believes in “survival of our people” above party loyalty.

Committed to Quindaro

During his first campaign, Robinson centered his focus on the revitalization of the Quindaro Townsite, a historically significant Civil War-era stop along the Underground Railroad. Before joining the Legislature, Robinson spent decades working to advance the area’s restoration and boost its national recognition.

And since taking office, Kansas Democrats have accused Robinson of trading the broader needs of his district for the prospect of money for Quindaro.

One of the biggest flashpoints of his short tenure came in 2023, when the freshman lawmaker cast a deciding vote to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of legislation that took aim at transgender rights. The law included among its restrictions a ban on people using single-sex spaces inconsistent with their sex at birth.

Later last year, House Republicans set aside $250,000 for Quindaro, an action critics viewed as a tradeoff for Robinson’s support for the party’s agenda. When the $17.1 billion state budget reached her desk, Kelly vetoed the funding, which was meant to develop a strategic plan for the historic area.

Robinson said he cannot think of a decision made in Topeka “that I regret.”

“I thought that they were forward-thinking and they put us on the tracks similar to other states that are booming,” Robinson told The Star, adding: “Anything we could do differently than what is being done and has been done seems to be the right course of action.”

Three challengers, three visions

This year no Republican challenger is on the ballot for House District 35, meaning whoever wins the primary will ultimately be sworn in as its representative.

The district has long been a Democratic stronghold. Over the past 10 years, two Republican candidates tried to get elected — to dismal reception. In 2022, Robinson captured 80% of the district’s voters over his GOP opponent.

With less than two weeks until the Aug. 6 primary, Paige has won the support of the governor’s newly formed political action committee Middle of the Road PAC, which Kelly has said will support moderate candidates regardless of party affiliation. She also has the backing of area organized labor groups, including the local chapter of the United Auto Workers, which represents employees of the General Motors plant in Fairfax.

Paige, who taught social studies in KCK public schools for 30 years before retiring in 2012, has served as an elected member of the school board since 2018. As she seeks to stand out in the crowded field, she is telling voters she would be the community’s strongest advocate in the statehouse.

“I’m a fighter. I’ll go against the grain,” Paige said. “If it’s for the people that I represent, if this is what you want, let’s do it. Let’s make it work. … I want to do what’s right.”

Paige is not the only candidate with political experience.

Coming into the race with an earlier statehouse contest under her belt is DeWitt, also a lifelong Kansas City, Kansan. A specialist in information technology, the 43-year-old runs her own consulting firm, recently enrolled in law school and aspires to open a coffee roastery in her hometown.

In her first bid, DeWitt in 2016 challenged in the Democratic primary retired state Rep. Broderick Henderson, who served in the House from 1995 until 2022. Henderson is Robinson’s cousin.

“When I hear these other candidates speak, when I don’t hear Mr. Robinson speak, what I’m not hearing is a plan. I haven’t heard a plan for 30 years,” DeWitt told The Star. “But I have a plan.”

DeWitt’s top priorities include increasing transparency and communication with district residents, improving relationships with state lawmakers in Topeka and setting new expectations to keep the office accountable to the community.

She wants to work with residents to find ways to improve public education, boost area business and save residents money.

Running for her first elected office is Watley, who also grew up in Kansas City, Kansas.

Watley worked as a union carpenter at Nebraska Furniture Mart before entering the advocacy world. She now heads the nonprofit organization Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet, which has lobbied for changes in local and state laws such as the Crown Act, legislation meant to end racial discrimination in workplace settings based on hairstyle.

Residents of the district are struggling to pay taxes many cannot afford, Watley said, while economic development has lagged behind wealthier communities to the west. Having spent some of her childhood in the Juniper Gardens public housing project, Watley says she understands from life experiences the financial challenges many in her district face.

“Having someone that understands the challenges, who’s available to tackle those challenges, to address those challenges, who has connections and understands how the system works, and how to navigate it, is what the district needs and deserves,” Watley said. “So, I think that’s what sets me apart.

In a crowded contest, even a widely disliked incumbent can hold a great advantage. More choices can lead to the splitting of votes within the district among political opponents.

During interviews with The Star, Robinson’s challengers acknowledged that possibility — with varying degrees of concern.

“I think that the underlying perception of that argument is that voters are not attuned enough, or paying enough attention to know that there’s a difference between a representative who voted against his district in just about every vote he took, and … leaders like myself who have shown up for the community time and time again to create change and to be agents of change,” Watley said.

Robinson’s case for a second term

In his bid for reelection, Robinson has defended many of his decisions in Topeka, saying he doesn’t think the issues should be partisan. A Navy veteran, he pointed to his support of tax relief initiatives for fellow veterans as an example.

He continues to tout his support for Kansas’ so-called “Women’s Bill of Rights,” the law that impacts a wide array of services for transgender and nonbinary Kansans and roiled his relationship with fellow Democrats last year.

On public services, Robinson says he recognizes the importance of programs like food assistance, saying he still carries the food stamp card he once relied on in his billfold.

He also believes many of the local concerns of residents of his district — such as the lack of grocery stores and the loss of small businesses along Quindaro Boulevard — are not shared by leadership in his own party.

In the absence of some support he enjoyed during his first campaign, Robinson has newfound backing from conservative organizations based outside Wyandotte County.

Last summer Americans for Prosperity Foundation, founded by Wichita billionaires Charles and David Koch, honored Robinson with its first-ever Frederick Douglass Award for his decisions to cross party lines on legislation targeting trans rights. And earlier this month Kansas Family Voice, a conservative Christian organization, sent out mailers on behalf of Robinson, promoting his bid for a second term.

Serving in the Kansas House has been a “huge honor,” he said, as well as a “very difficult task.” And as voters prepare to head to the polls Aug. 6, he encourages everyone to look at his record.

“We’ll just see what the public decides,” Robinson said.

Learn more about Wyandotte County candidates in the 2024 KC Voter Guide.