NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly was not able to make the trip to Hutchinson as planned on Wednesday, due to the possibility for severe weather across the state, but she still wants to see turnout be strong, especially in the 102nd District, which is one of the more competitive races in the state, if you're judging by money spent.
"We're working very hard to break the supermajority in both the House and in the Senate," Kelly said. "In the House, as the current makeup stands, we need to flip two seats. We need for Jason Probst to maintain his seat so that that number doesn't go up to three."
Governor Kelly doesn't want to have to use her veto pen, but she certainly did do that last session.
"Last session I had to veto three tax bills that came out of the legislature because they were not sustainable long term," Kelly said. "We were finally able to get a sustainable tax bill passed during a special session, but if I didn't have the supermajority to deal with, we would not have had to go that long and spend that much extra time, effort and money to get that."
The hope is that if at least some Democrats would have to vote for legislation to override a veto, that there will be some negotiation between the two sides if the Republicans do not have supermajorities in both the House and Senate.
"We want to break that supermajority so that the legislation that comes out of the House and the Senate and eventually comes to my desk is bipartisan and that which I can support," Kelly said.
Advance voting in Kansas has been strong so far, according to statistics from Wichita State, Reno County has already surpassed its early voting turnout in 2022 by more than 1400 people as of Wednesday, Oct. 30.