Laura Kelly | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| 48thGovernor of Kansas | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2019 | |
| Lieutenant | Lynn Rogers David Toland |
| Preceded by | Jeff Colyer |
| Member of theKansas Senate from the18th district | |
| In office January 10, 2005 – January 14, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Dave Jackson |
| Succeeded by | Vic Miller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Laura Jeanne Kelly (1950-01-24)January 24, 1950 (age 75) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Bradley University (BS) Indiana University Bloomington (MS) |
| Website | Office website Campaign website |
Laura Jeanne Kelly (born January 24, 1950)[1][2] is an American politician serving since 2019 as the 48thgovernor of Kansas. A member of theDemocratic Party, she represented the18th district in theKansas Senate from 2005 to 2019.[3] Kelly was elected governor in2018[4] and reelected in2022.[5]
Kelly was born inNew York City to a military family that moved often and was stationed overseas. She studied atBradley University in Illinois, earning a Bachelor of Science in psychology in 1971,[6] and atIndiana University Bloomington, earning a Master of Science intherapeutic recreation.[6][7] Kelly received theBradley University Distinguished Alumna award and was inducted into Bradley's Centurion Society on October 4, 2021.[8]
Kelly worked as arecreation therapist at New York'sRockland Children’s Psychiatric Center. She became director ofphysical education andrecreation therapy at theNational Jewish Hospital for Respiratory and Immune Diseases.[1] She then moved to Kansas, and became executive director at the Kansas Recreation and Park Association from 1988 to 2004.[1]
Kelly was elected to theKansas Senate representing northernTopeka in November 2004, later serving asMinority Whip.[9] During her Senate tenure, from 2005 until her 2019 inauguration as governor, she was at times theRanking Minority member of theWays and Means Committee, Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight, and Public Health and Welfare Committee.[9]
In late 2009, Kelly briefly considered a run forKansas's 2nd congressional district.[10] During the 2011–12 legislative sessions, she served as the Assistant Minority Leader of the Kansas Senate.[11]
On December 15, 2017, Kelly announced her intention to run for governor of Kansas. In the Democratic primary she ran against formerWichita MayorCarl Brewer and former Kansas Secretary of AgricultureJosh Svaty.[12][13] On May 24, 2018, Kelly announced State SenatorLynn Rogers as her running mate.[14] On August 7, she defeated Brewer and Svaty, receiving 51.5% of the vote.[15][16]
In the general election, Kelly facedRepublicanSecretary of StateKris Kobach. Kelly was endorsed by former Kansas Governor and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human ServicesKathleen Sebelius.[17] She was also endorsed by 28 current or former Republican government officials, including former Kansas GovernorBill Graves; former State Senator, Lt. Governor and U.S. SenatorSheila Frahm, Lt. Gov.Gary Sherrer, Insurance CommissionerSandy Praeger, Senate PresidentDick Bond, Senate PresidentDavid Kerr, Senate Vice PresidentJohn Vratil, Senate Majority LeadersTim Emert andLana Oleen; SenatorsBarbara Allen,David Wysong,Wint Winter Jr.,Pete Brungardt,Ruth Teichman,Barbara Bollier,Audrey Langworthy,Terrie Huntington,Bob Vancrum, andAlicia Salisbury; RepresentativesJoAnn Pottorff, Ginger Barr, Jim Yonally, Jim Lowther, Fred Lorentz, and Representative and Republican Party ChairpersonRochelle Chronister; Republican National Delegate Don Johnston; and RepresentativesJoy Koesten andCharles Roth.[18][19]
Graves said, "Laura Kelly is the only Democrat I have ever endorsed for public office. And the reason I'm doing that now is because I believe so much is at stake in the state of Kansas. I have known Laura for over 30 years. She has all the qualities and all the capabilities that we are looking for to lead the state during this difficult time and to reestablish the state to what it once was. ... Laura has integrity, and I know she will bring Kansans together regardless of party to solve problems."[17] Former Republican state senatorTim Owens was the campaign treasurer for Kansas independent candidateGreg Orman, but he stepped down from that post on October 30 and endorsed Kelly, believing only she could beat Kobach.[20]
Kelly described her candidacy as aimed at reversing the fiscal, educational and other "disasters" ofSam Brownback's governance. She characterized her opponent, who had been noted for his broad disenfranchisement of voters and legal strategies against immigrants, as "Sam Brownback on steroids".[21]
On November 6, Kelly was elected with 48.0% of the vote to Kobach's 43.0% (the other 9% being split amongst two Independents and a Libertarian candidate).[22][circular reference] Kelly was inaugurated asGovernor on January 14, 2019 at theKansas State Capitol.[23]
Kelly was reelected on November 8, 2022, defeatingKansas Attorney GeneralDerek Schmidt, 49.5% to 47.3%. Her second term began on January 9, 2023.[24]
Kelly was critical of theKansas experiment, the experimental Kansas budget of GovernorSam Brownback that led to cuts in schools, roads, and public safety. She would like to reverse those changes and pointed out that after there were major budget shortages she led a bipartisan effort to successfully balance the budget without increasing taxes.[25][26]
In 2019, Kelly vetoed two Republican bills that would have cutstate income taxes in Kansas.[26] She said that the state could not afford the cuts,[26] and that the Republican bill, which would have cut revenues by an estimated $245 million over a three-year period, would have precipitated a "senseless fiscal crisis" and created a budget deficit.[27] Kelly's decision, as well as higher-than-expected state revenue intakes, led to the state beginning its 2020 budget year with $1.1 billion in cash reserves.[26] She sought to use some of the reserves to pay down debt and make payments to the state pension system.[28] In May 2022, she signed a bill into law that will gradually reduce thesales tax rate on food before eliminating it in 2025.[29][30]
During the 2024 Kansas legislative session, Kelly vetoed multiple bills intended to cut taxes, including a bipartisan bill that passed the Kansas House unanimously, arguing that the bills were too generous to the wealthy and would create financial problems for the state within a few years.[31][32]
In response to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Kelly, like other governors, took steps to halt the spread of theSARS-CoV-2 virus, which causescoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). She declared a state of emergency on March 12, 2020, following the state's first COVID-19 death,[33] and issued a 60-day ban on public gatherings of 50 or more people and a moratorium on utility shutoffs on March 16.[34] On March 18, citing the unprecedented crisis, Kelly directed the end to all in-personK–12 classes for the remainder of the school year, making Kansas the first state to take that step.[35] On March 23, to combat the virus's spread, she limited public gatherings to ten people.[36] On March 28, amid increasing deaths and illnesses, Kelly issued a "stay at home" order that directed all residents to remain at home, except for travel for essential work, essential business (such as traveling to obtain medical care or groceries), and outdoor exercise withsocial distancing measures.[37] Almost two dozen other states had already issued similar orders, and almost 75% of Kansas's population was already affected by similar orders from local officials, since 25 Kansas counties, including the most populous ones, already had stay-at-home orders in place.[37] Kelly strongly criticized theTrump administration's slow response to the crisis and the federal failure to provide Kansas and other states with adequate supplies ofpersonal protective equipment (such as masks, gloves, and gowns) andtesting kits.[38]
The Kansas City Star's editorial board criticized Kelly's rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, writing, "Kansas seems to be uniquely underperforming, a recurring issue for Kelly and the administration she leads." But the board added that Kelly did not bear all the burden for the state's response shortcomings because Republican state legislators were insisting that individual counties exercise sole authority with respect to COVID-19 efforts. That resulted in a slapdash response when treatment and vaccinations became available. If the state was not sufficiently prepared for the pandemic, many counties were even less so, citingCDC data showing Kansas near the bottom of vaccinations per 100,000 residents.[39] Members of the Kansas congressional delegation, includingSharice Davids, called on Kelly to do more to address the backlog of claimants at theDepartment of Labor seeking unemployment payments from federal programs aimed to help residents out of work due to the pandemic.[40]
On November 16, 2020, Kelly renewed her call for the legislature to join her in the issuance of masking orders.[41]
Because Kelly's orders on public gatherings applied to Easter Sunday celebrations in churches, the Republican-majority Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC),[nb 1] a group of leaders of theKansas Legislature, voted to revoke her order on a 5–2 party-line vote on April 9, 2020, asserting that the order violated thefree exercise of religion.[43][44][45] Republican Attorney GeneralDerek Schmidt opposed Kelly's order, issuing a memorandum calling it a violation of the Kansas state law, and urged law enforcement not to enforce it.[43] Kelly called this "shockingly irresponsible";[43] at the time, there had been more than a thousand confirmed COVID-19 cases, and dozens of confirmed COVID-19 deaths, in Kansas,[45] and of 11 identified sources of contagion, three had come from recent religious gatherings.[46] She challenged the LCC's decision in theKansas Supreme Court. Following an expeditedoral argument (conducted remotely viaZoom teleconference), the state Supreme Court unanimously reinstated Kelly's orders, concluding that her executive order was valid and that the LCC lacked the authority to overturn it.[47][48][49][50]
A week later, in a separate case, U.S. District JudgeJohn W. Broomes in Wichita issued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of Kelly's order as to two churches (one inJunction City, the other inDodge City), contending that the restriction violated religious freedom and free speech rights.[51][52] That case becamemoot after Kelly issued a new executive order with less restrictive COVID-19 rules effective on May 4, 2020, under an agreement that allowed the churches to hold larger in-person services but requiredsocial distancing.[53]
As governor, Kelly pushed the Republican-controlledKansas legislature to accept theMedicaid expansion under theAffordable Care Act,[54] to provide health care coverage to up to 150,000 Kansans.[55] A Medicaid expansion plan had passed the Kansas Legislature in 2017, but Brownback vetoed it.[55] During every legislative session of her governorship, Kelly has proposed legislation that would expand Medicaid, but she has not yet succeeded. In 2025, the legislation is called the Healthcare Access for Working Kansans (HAWK) Act.[56]
Kelly has also supported reforming KanCare so that more citizens have access to health insurance.[25]
Kelly combined the Department of Children and Family Services with the Department of Aging and Disability Services into a consolidated, integrated Department of Human Services.[57]
In January 2020, Kelly called for major changes to theOsawatomie State Hospital, the long-troubled state psychiatric hospital that has faced scrutiny from federal regulators over security, safety, and treatment lapses. She has supported a plan for state funding for mental health crisis centers in the state.[58]
Kelly has clashed with immigrants rights advocates, signing a Republican-backed bill in 2022 that was written by her eventual gubernatorial opponent, then stateattorney general,Derek Schmidt. The state law was written to prevent the implementation of a recently passed local law inWyandotte County, which sought to enact a community identification card program intended to benefit immigrants, the formerly incarcerated, those experiencing homelessness, those aged out of the foster care system, and the elderly.[59]
Kelly has largely reversed former governorSam Brownback's education agenda since taking office in 2019. She has said that she would like to ensure Kansas schools are funded and focus on improving Kansas students' performance to be competitive with other parts of the country. For example, she would address the statewide teacher shortage and improve pay for educators. She would also like to expand early childhood programs and increase options for students pursuing higher education.[25]
In her first official act as governor, Kelly signed an executive order reinstating theemployment discrimination protections for LGBT state workers that Governor Sam Brownback had eliminated in 2015.[60]
Kelly opposed a Republican-proposedanti-abortion amendment to theKansas Constitution in early 2020, saying it would return Kansas to the "dark ages". Amid acrimonious debate, thestate House fell four votes short of the two-thirds majority required to put it on the state ballot.[61] In 2022, she expressed her opposition to the2022 Kansas abortion referendum that would have removed the right to an abortion from the state constitution. The amendment was defeated, with nearly 60% of voters rejecting it.[62][63]
Kelly married physicianTed Daughety, a specialist in pulmonary and sleep disorders, in 1979. They moved toTopeka in 1986. They have two adult daughters.[21] Kelly and Daughety divorced in 2024.[64]
Kelly is Catholic.[65]
In 2023, Kelly launched Middle of the Road PAC in an effort to elect candidates.[66]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
| 499,849 | 49.54% | +1.53% | |
| Republican |
| 477,591 | 47.33% | +4.35% | |
| Independent |
| 20,452 | 2.03% | N/A | |
| Libertarian |
| 11,106 | 1.10% | −0.80% | |
| Total votes | 1,008,998 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
| 270,968 | 93.84 | |
| Democratic |
| 17,802 | 6.16 | |
| Total votes | 288,770 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Laura Kelly | 506,727 | 48.01% | ||
| Republican | Kris Kobach | 453,645 | 42.98% | ||
| Independent | Greg Orman | 68,590 | 6.50% | ||
| Libertarian | Jeff Caldwell | 20,020 | 1.9% | ||
| Independent | Rick Kloos | 6,584 | 0.6% | ||
| Majority | 53,082 | 5.03% | |||
| Turnout | 1,055,566 | ||||
| Democraticgain from Republican | Swing | +2.2% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Laura Kelly | 78,746 | 51.5% | ||
| Democratic | Carl Brewer | 30,693 | 20.1% | ||
| Democratic | Josh Svaty | 26,722 | 17.5% | ||
| Democratic | Arden Andersen | 12,845 | 8.4% | ||
| Democratic | Jack Bergeson | 3,850 | 2.5% | ||
| Majority | 48,053 | 31.4% | |||
| Turnout | 152,856 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Laura Kelly (incumbent) | 15,007 | 51.6 | |
| Republican | Dave Jackson | 14,076 | 48.4 | |
| Total votes | 29,083 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Laura Kelly (incumbent) | 14,813 | 51.7 | |
| Republican | Dick Barta | 13,833 | 48.3 | |
| Total votes | 28,646 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Laura Kelly (incumbent) | 18,009 | 58.1 | |
| Republican | James Zeller | 12,959 | 41.8 | |
| Total votes | 30,968 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
| Democratic | Laura Kelly | 4,559 | 71.8 | |||
| Democratic | D. Kent Hurn | 1,793 | 28.2 | |||
| Total votes | 6,352 | 100.0 | ||||
| General election | ||||||
| Democratic | Laura Kelly | 15,388 | 50.1 | |||
| Republican | Dave Jackson (incumbent) | 15,290 | 49.9 | |||
| Total votes | 30,678 | 100.0 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||||
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| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Kansas 2018,2022 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theDemocratic Governors Association 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Kansas 2019–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Vice President | Order of precedence of the United States Within Kansas | Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held |
| Succeeded by OtherwiseMike Johnson asSpeaker of the House | ||
| Preceded byasGovernor of Oregon | Order of precedence of the United States Outside Kansas | Succeeded byasGovernor of West Virginia |
Statewide political officials ofKansas | ||
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