Races set after Monday filings

With redistricting being completed by judges late Thursday night and the filing deadline for state and federal races at noon on Monday, local races have seen a potentially seismic shift over the weekend.

Here’s a recap of the changes that affect southeast Kansas. All filing results were as of late Monday afternoon.

U.S. House
Locally, there’s no major changes.

Montgomery County joins most other Southeast Kansas counties in the Second District, currently represented by Republican Lynn Jenkins.

Jenkins has filed for re-election, but there will be a battle on the Democratic side. Scott Barnhart of Ottawa, Robert V. Eye of Lawrence, and Tobias Schlingensiepen of Topeka have all filed for the Democratic nomination in the Second District. Jenkins’ opponent in the Nov. 6 general election will be determined in the Aug. 7 primary.

State House
Perhaps the biggest local upheaval was in the State House districts and seats.

This analysis will stick mostly with Cherokee, Crawford and Bourbon county districts, starting with the First House District, which was based in Cherokee County with the exception of a few precincts, including Weir.

The First District will now include all of and only Cherokee County. Longtime Rep. Doug Gatewood, D-Columbus, announced he will not seek re-election, and four people have filed to take Gatewood’s seat. Grant Randall, Baxter Springs, is the sole Democrat, while Republicans Brad Bolin (Baxter Springs), Michael Houser (Columbus) and Lance Nichols (Galena) will compete in the Republican primary.

The Second District changed drastically in the redistricting process. The district once included southeast Bourbon County (including parts of Fort Scott), parts of Crawford County (including Frontenac, Arma, Girard and Cherokee) and extreme northern precincts of Cherokee County, including Weir. The judes have redrawn the Second District to include most of Crawford County, eastern Allen and Neosho counties (including Erie) and southwestern Bourbon County.

Rep. Bob Grant, D-Frontenac, will seek to keep his seat in a battle against repeat foe Jeff Locke, a Republican from Arma.

The Third District, centered around Pittsburg and Chicopee, will now draw in Opolis and the rest of the extreme southeast portion of Crawford County.

Rep. Terry Calloway, R-Pittsburg, announced this weekend his decision not to seek a second term and threw his endorsement behind Michelle Hucke, a Pittsburg Republican. Julie Menghini, a Pittsburg Democrat, will seek to reclaim the seat she once held against Hucke after losing to Calloway a few years ago.

Finally, the Fourth District is up for grabs. The district, which once included all of Linn County and most of Bourbon County including large parts of Fort Scott, will now include almost all of Bourbon County (except for the far southwest portion of the county), most of Linn County (except for the far northwest portion of the county) and the extreme southeast portion of Anderson County.

The seat is up for grabs after Rep. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, decided to run for a state Senate seat. That has left four people vying for the Fourth District Position. Arlyn Briggs, Kincaid; Lynne D. Oharah, Uniontown; and Marty Read, Mound City, will compete for the Republican nomination during the Aug. 7 primary. The winner will face Shirley J. Palmer, a Fort Scott Democrat, in the general election.

State Senate
As stated, Tyson will seek her party’s nomination for the 12th state Senate district. She will face John C. Coen, Wellsville, in the Aug. 7 primary and the winner will take on Democrat Denise Cassells, Mound City, in the general election.

The 12th district was represented by Pat Apple, but he was redrawn into the 37th district. The 12th once included all of Miami and Linn counties, as well as most of Franklin County and northeastern Anderson County. Now, the 12th is all of Anderson, Franklin, Linn and Allen counties, as well as the southern portion of Miami County.

The other local change was in the 13th District, which will now include Crawford and Cherokee counties, extreme southeast Labette County, and southern Bourbon County including Fort Scott. Before redistricting, the 13th included all of Crawford and Bourbon counties and most of Cherokee County.

Sen. Bob Marshall, R-Fort Scott, will face a primary battle with fellow Republican Jake LaTurner, Pittsburg. The winner of the Aug. 7 primary will go on to face Democrat Gene Garman of Pittsburg in the general election.

Andrew Nash can be reached at andrew.nash@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 ext. 140.