The Republican Party has historically dominated Kansas politics, currently controlling 72.5% and 68% supermajorities in the state senate and the house, respectively.

The party continues to have a lock on the countryside. But the state’s urban landscape is becoming more competitive, and Johnson County is increasingly seen as a political toss-up.

“Johnson County, Kansas, is critical to the Republican Party in every election cycle, but never more so than it is in 2024,” says Kansas Republican Party Chairman Mike Brown.

Johnson County’s representation for the state senate is nearly split, with the GOP controlling five seats and Democrats controlling four. (District 35 is without an incumbent.) On the side of the housethe Democrats have an advantage of 16 seats to 11.

“Johnson County as a whole has gone from solid red … to purple,” said Michael Smith, a political science professor at Emporia State University. “And now Johnson County really does have a blue lane.”

Smith believes Democrats “have a beachhead in Johnson County.” He thinks they might be able to expand that by focusing on issues like abortion and protecting public school funding.

“I suspect that some of the issues that are driving Johnson County to be more blue are still very relevant to many of the voters there,” Smith said.

For the GOP, it’s the border and taxes

Brown notes that the issue of greatest concern to Kansas Republicans is border security, an issue he says is tightly tied with a handful of others.

“The biggest issue in Johnson County and across the state of Kansas is exactly the same issue … We want our border closed,” Brown said.

Brown says the border issue “goes to illegal immigration, which goes directly to public safety.”

Johnson County Republican Party Chairwoman Maria Holiday also lists the border as a concern, but she draws a line from that to homelessness in the area. She also links homelessness to the economy.

“I think the growth of homelessness in Johnson County is a result of the economic climate that we’re in right now,” she says. “I think it’s growing. I think the open border is a contributing factor to the growing problem.”

“People are blowing up my phone about homeless shelters,” Holiday adds.

She is concerned about Johnson County’s board of commissioners recently approved a $10.5 million renovation of a hotel to be used as a homeless shelter at 95th Street and Interstate 35. “So where are these people from?” Holiday asks.

“As a practicing Catholic, I firmly believe in helping people and providing for the homeless. But I also believe that … the government almost always does a much worse job of providing for people than private entities do.”

Holiday also noted that taxes are on the mind of Johnson County Republicans, placing taxes across the border as the issue she cares about the most.

She points to the Johnson County commissioners, saying “they’re pushing a budget right now that is once again above revenue neutral… They know how much it takes to operate, but they’re going to take a little more.”

Democrats focus on education, reproductive rights

According to Johnson County Democratic Party Chairman Deann Mitchell“people move to Johnson County for the public schools. So we have to make sure our public schools are funded, and that includes special education, which most people don’t understand is including honors programs.”

As with Brown, Mitchell also sees Johnson County as critical to a party’s success in 2024.

“The road to breaking the supermajority goes through Johnson County,” she says, adding that she’s optimistic Democrats can expand their “Democratic majority in the Johnson County electorate.”

Beyond the Kansas House and Senate races, Mitchell and the Democrats are also focused on races for the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners, sheriff, district attorney and Kansas State Board of Education.

Mitchell also reports that prospective voters in Johnson County are focused on women’s reproductive rights.

“The voters of Kansas, not just women, but the voters of Kansas made a clear message two years ago that we believe women should have the right to our own bodily autonomy.”

But, she says, the issue is “still on the ballot. It wasn’t clear two years ago.”

After women’s rights, Michell brings up “gun rights or some kind of gun reform… People want to feel safe. They want to feel safe in their homes, when they shop, in their churches … and they want their children to be safe in school.”

Candidates weigh in

Adam Thomas, Republican Representative for Kansas House District 26 who is running for Senate District 23, raises education as a priority. But he puts it behind taxes, the general economic outlook and negative political rhetoric.

“The three things I hear from literally every person I talk to, Republicans, Democrats, independents, libertarians, it doesn’t matter: They’re upset about how much they’re paying in property taxes and just taxes in general.” he says.

“The second biggest thing is just the everyday cost of living. I talk to seniors on a fixed income, and they’re concerned that everything has gone up in price… And then the other big thing that people talk about is just the overall tone and the overall language of everything they hear nationally.”

Thomas is chairman of the House Education Committee and noted that this year the state Govt funded schools to the required amount while investing additional funds in special education. His focus going forward is to find a better match between the skills of Kansas high school graduates and the needs of business and teacher salaries.

Thomas’ opponent Stacey Knoell hears various concerns when she knocks on the door of Senate District 23.

“People are most concerned about keeping the schools strong,” she says. “I think a lot of people move to Olathe because of the schools.

“The schools are asked to do so much. One, yes, to educate children. But schools provide food. Schools provide emotional support. Schools provide recreation, sports, and everything that schools are asked to provide, and with supervision and with the mandate that they also have to take everyone and educate everyone.”

Knoell follows education with women’s reproductive rights.

“This district voted overwhelmingly — Johnson County voted overwhelmingly, actually, Kansas voted overwhelmingly — to protect women’s reproductive rights and not let that play out in the Legislature.”

Knoell sees the issue of reproductive rights as a slippery slope, focusing “on the wording that was actually in the constitutional amendment, where you talk about personal privacy and bodily autonomy.

“If women don’t have those two things, what does that mean?” she asks. “Does that mean I have to get my husband to sign me off to go to the dentist? Even more than making this an abortion issue, who gets to decide what happens to a woman’s body?”

Knoell also says some voters reported concerns about safety and crime, and yet she says those same voters reported feeling safe in their homes and neighborhoods. She expressed the same concerns and feelings.

“They feel safe, but they worry about their safety,” Knoell says. “I mean, because there’s obviously reason to be afraid. We see it in the media all the time. I feel safe, but I’m worried about my safety. What if I call 911 to help me and they stop shooting me? “

Money and volunteers

The deadline for Kansas political parties to file their financial reports was July 29. As of that date, the Johnson County Republican Party Central Committee reported grant of $119,142.06, with $29,286.94 cash on hand after expenses. Johnson County Democratic Central Committee reported $211,748.84 in contributions and $165,500.40 in cash on hand after expenses.

As for volunteers, neither party would share exact numbers, but both claim a significant increase in staff numbers.

Brown says the total number of volunteers for the Republican cause is approaching 1,000 statewide, and Holiday says her Republican Party office in Johnson County can now be open five days a week, up from two. She adds that the office also hosts evenings for “a variety of Republican organizations.”

In addition, the Johnson County Republican Party’s Elephant Club — a monthly luncheon affair for paying donors — has doubled its rolls to 92 paid memberships.

On the Democratic side, Mitchell says the number of volunteers has “increased every cycle” and the party has “almost 300 task forces knocking on doors.”

Beyond that, Mitchell credits the excitement generated by the Democratic Party’s recent switch from President Joe Biden to Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate for another 100 people who contacted her office in the past week to volunteer.

This story was originally published by Flat grounda colleague in KC Media Collective.