Kansas LGBTQ elected officials unite to form new PAC

All six openly-LGBTQ elected officials in Kansas have announced the formation of a new political action committee dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ individuals to state and local office.

The political action committee, the LGBTQ+ Leadership PAC, was registered earlier this month with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, under the leadership of Chair Matthew Calcara, a member of the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s National Campaign Board, and Vice Chair Suzanne Wheeler, former Director of Plans, Operations and Training for the Kansas National Guard. The Treasurer of the organization is Westwood City Councilman Jeff Harris.

“For far too long, the LGBTQ+ community in Kansas has lacked the organizational and institutional capacity to win elections and gain political representation. Starting today, that changes,” said Calcara.

Kansas is one of just six states to have never elected an openly-LGBTQ person to its state Legislature. The state has six openly-LGBTQ elected officials in local offices, all of whom have joined the organization as members of its board.

“Well over 80,000 LGBTQ+ citizens have never had a voice in the statehouse concerning policies which directly impact our community. We live in a time when extremist legislators attempt to pass laws every session which whittle away at the rights and further marginalize LGBTQ Kansans. The election of LGBTQ+ citizens and their supporters is essential to establishing positive and inclusive policies and laws which benefit all Kansans rather than just a few,” said Wheeler.

LGBTQ candidates have new visibility in the November 2018 elections thanks to the potentially history-making candidacies of LGBTQ+ Leadership PAC endorsees Susan Ruiz and Brandon Woodard. Ruiz and Woodard are the only two openly LGBTQ candidates running for the state Legislature in districts 23 and 30, respectively. Both districts are located in Johnson County and are considered to be among the most competitive state legislative races in Kansas in 2018.

Kansas has at least one dedicated LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, Equality Kansas, and several organizations that actively support LGBTQ+ civil rights, such as the ACLU. But, Kansas lacks an organization solely focused on fundraising and building political resourcesto support LGBTQ+ candidatesin a significant way.

“The reality of our current political situation is that campaigning, competing and winning takes money. We want to give LGBTQ+ candidates crucial financial support so that they can be seen as viable candidates,” added Treasurer Jeff Harris.

Current LGBTQ PAC board members are: Jeff Harris – City Councilmember, Westwood, KS; Jason Jenkins – City Councilmember, Linn Valley, KS; Jerred McKee – City Commissioner, Manhattan, KS; Michael Poppa – City Councilmember, Roeland Park, KS; Henry Schwaller – City Commissioner, Hays, KS and Cindy “CC” Smith – Mayor, Linn Valley, KS.

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The Gayly – October 1, 2018 @ 4:30 p.m. CDT.