Prior to the 2010 elections, theDemocrats held both the House ofRepresentatives and the United States Senate. After the elections, the Democrats lost the House to the Republicans but still managed to hold onto the Senate. With the elections finished and new Republican officials ready to take office in 2011, Kansas is back to being a red state.
Governor: Sam Brownback
Overall goals:
Brownback said he is focused on creating jobs and supporting aviation funding for research and expanding global aviation markets. He said he also wants to strengthen the military and veteran programs in Kansas. He is anti-abortion and gay marriage.
Education-specific goals:
Brownback is a strong advocate for the No Child Left Behind Act. He also said he sees an importance in teaching abstinence classes to high school students.
Senator: Jerry Moran
Overall goals:
Moran said he plans to continue his efforts to protect rural Kansas. He said he will work to get more medical care to rural communities and restore Medicare coverage to smaller hospitals.
Education-specific goals:
He stated he believes in allowing local governments to mandate how to use federal grants for education — similar to the Local Option.
Representative: Kevin Yoder
Overall Goals:
Yoder said will vote to make tax cuts permanent. He said health care for all Americans is crucial but he doesn’t condone increases on taxes and insurance premiums.
He is against the Obama health care plan, insisting it will drive up costs and increase the national deficit.
Education-specific goals:
Yoder promises in his campaign that the money issued by the government to education will make it into the classroom. He plans to make control over Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley school districts local. This is known as the Local Option, which allows districts to raise money for their education in addition to state funding.
