Republicans kept the House majority, but voters took away their supermajority. The new caucus must decide who will lead—and whether it will defend rural property rights and stand against government growth.
Republicans are suffering from a bit of identity crisis, after the national loses. The election changed the balance of power in Topeka. Democrats made major gains, Republicans lost their supermajority, and House Majority Leader Chris Croft lost his seat.
Republicans still hold the House, but with a much smaller margin. That leaves less room for internal division and fewer votes to spare. The new caucus will face pressure from a governor who is likely to push Kansas in a more leftward direction.
Who will lead the House Republicans—and will they stand firm?
With the departure of current Speaker of the House, Dan Hawkins as he will take on his new role as Kansas Insurance Commissioner, reports say Speaker Pro Tem Blake Carpenter intends to seek the Speakership, while Troy Waymaster is rumored to be interested. Waymaster has chaired key budget committees, and Carpenter already serves in House leadership. Those are two names to watch.
The Speaker is only one part of the picture. Who will serve as Majority Leader, Assistant Majority Leader, and other leadership positions? Will Republicans promote current leaders, turn to experienced committee chairs, or make room for new voices? There seems to be a loud voice coming from second term members, that have largely been left out of leadership roles so far.
Susan Humphries has chaired the Judiciary and Rules and Journal committees. Adam Smith chairs Taxation. Nick Hoheisel is the current Majority Whip, and Kyle Hoffman is Assistant Majority Leader. Each brings a different kind of experience to the question of how the caucus should organize itself.
The next leadership team will face a state government already asking taxpayers for more. Property owners are struggling with rising tax bills, and rural Kansans continue to face threats to their land and local control. We do not need a Topeka leadership team that treats government expansion as the answer to every problem.
Governor-elect Cindy Holscher has supported Medicaid expansion and legalizing recreational marijuana, with new spending directed toward public services. That is the kind of policy direction that should concern anyone who believes government should be limited and taxpayers should keep more of what they earn. Bigger programs bring bigger bills. Once government expands, taxpayers are left to sustain it, likely into perpetuity.
The rural property rights question is just as serious. Kansans should not have to fight to protect their land, water, and local decision-making from policies designed to benefit the few counties that elected Holscher. A smaller Republican majority must be especially alert to legislation that expands state authority or uses public money to benefit favored interests.
The new caucus will face real pressure to compromise. But compromise is not automatically progress. If the price of agreement is more spending, more government control, and fewer protections for property owners, Kansans deserve to know who is willing to draw the line.
The Republican caucus has a consequential choice ahead. It can serve as a check on an agenda that would move Kansas toward bigger government, or it can help advance that agenda. It can defend rural communities and taxpayers, or retreat when the pressure comes.
The voters changed the political landscape. Now the new House leadership must show whether it understands the message: Kansans still expect fiscal discipline and leaders willing to protect their freedom. Property tax relief should be very bipartisan and certainly that is something we can finally tackle…
Who should lead the House Republicans—and what should the caucus stand for?