As Kansas Republicans delivered their closing pitch to Johnson County voters at an Overland Park rally on Saturday, state Rep. Sean Tarwater stressed the importance of maintaining the party’s supermajority in the Legislature while Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly remains in office.
“We did a lot of great things” despite Kelly, the Stilwell lawmaker said. “We want to keep doing that.”
Republicans went on to flip two Kansas House seats in Johnson County. The party kept the supermajority, allowing GOP lawmakers to continue overriding Kelly’s vetoes for the next two years.
At the same time, Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids cruised to reelection , winning a fourth term. Democrats won Johnson County sheriff for the first time in nearly a century. And Charlotte O’Hara, a conservative Johnson County commissioner, lost her race for reelection.
Johnson County voters delivered a mixed bag for both parties in the election. Republicans and Democrats experienced successes – and failures – in Tuesday’s results.