TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A conservative Kansas House Republican has dropped his re-election bid in a suburban Kansas City district where two openly gay Democratic challengers are also running.
State Rep. Randy Powell, of Olathe, withdrew his bid this week for the 30th House District, which includes parts of Olathe and Lenexa, The Kansas City Star reported . The filing deadline was Friday.
“Like any legislator, my time in Topeka was a roller coaster of ups and downs, of great successes and frustrating setbacks,” Powell said in a statement. “Most recently, the passage of the Adoption Protection Act was a testament to the incredible things that can be done when good people come together with no concern for who gets the credit!”
Powell has served in the House since 2015 and won re-election in 2016 by about 5 percentage points.
That legislation allows faith-based adoption agencies to reject gay and lesbian couples as parents. It became law last month after narrowly passing the House.
Powell opposed Medicaid expansion and rolling back former Gov. Sam Brownback’s 2012 tax cuts and he pushed a resolution condemning pornography on public health grounds.
Powell’s decision means Colleen Webster, of Lenexa, and Wendy Bingesser, of Olathe, will vie for the GOP nomination.
Brandon Woodard, of Lenexa, and Matthew Calcara, of Olathe, are the Democratic candidates in the district. They are seeking to become the first openly gay member of the Kansas House.
“The voters of the 30th District, men and women alike, want a candidate who will stand up for the reproductive freedoms and civil rights of Kansas women,” Calcara said in statement. “The radical, anti-women agenda of ultraconservatives like Powell and his handpicked successor are simply unacceptable to most mainstream voters.”
Woodard said he thought Powell “saw the writing on the wall.”
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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com
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