Capitol Insider

Bob Beatty, a Washburn University political science professor, says the packed Republican primary for U.S. Senate is forcing candidates to the right in hope of snagging an endorsement from President Donald Trump, which may be a risk for the GOP nominee in the November general election.

Kansas Department of Labor secretary Delia Garcia says agency’s ability to handle unprecedented number of calls and claims has improved after deployment of IT SWAT team, additional help from Amazon call center, and hiring and training of staff members who understand 1970s computer system

Fanny Fang, whose family runs Asian Market in Manhattan, and Shana Bender, an organizer for the Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice, took a stand after Riley County Commissioner Marvin Rodriguez suggested threat of COVID-19 is low because there are no Chinese people in the community.

Chad Anderson, chief clinical officer for KVC Health Systems, offers advice for coping with the loneliness of being isolated at home.

By early March, it was obvious to Gov. Laura Kelly that a crisis was looming. She pulled together members of her administration to form the approach that guided a series of executive orders, leading up to the announcement Saturday — a day after this episode was recorded — that she was placing the entire state under orders to stay at home except when necessary.

The Statehouse was swept up in the response to the spread of the coronavirus in Kansas. As Gov. Laura Kelly began issuing directives on school closures, foreclosures and evictions, some of her partisan rivals bristled. There were charges the governor had overreacted and panicked. This episode tracks conversation in political terms by looking at a five-day period, beginning with last Sunday, March 15.

Vicki Hiatt, chairwoman of the Kansas Democratic Party, and Ben Meers, the party’s executive director, say the shift to mail-in balloting and ranked-choice voting for the state party’s May 2 presidential primary in Kansas will increase turnout.

Garden City High School student Austin Morren and Mill Valley High School student Alyssa Canning discuss youth vaping and efforts to address it with Jordan Feuerborn, of Cancer Action Network, and Jordan Roberts, of Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition.

Students from six state universities in Kansas talk about their research projects during the 17th annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit at the Statehouse.

Equality Kansas executive director Thomas Witt, Rep. Susan Ruiz and Rep. Brandon Woodard say a bill requiring transgender children to compete in school sports according to gender at birth is discriminatory, repugnant and dangerous.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab talks about the proposed constitutional amendment on abortion, implementation of a law aimed at allowing voters to use any polling location in their county, and legislation that would require the use of paper ballots.

Rachel Marsh, of Saint Francis Ministries, and Christie Appelhanz, executive director of the Children's Alliance of Kansas, talk about the governor's plan to bring social services under a single umbrella and other issues impacting the state foster care system.

Lawrence Democratic Sen. Marci Francisco and Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, discuss a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution regarding the right to abortion in Kansas. Wagle voted for the amendment, while Francisco voted against it. The Senate-passed resolution is pending before the House.

Dorothy Barnett, executive director of the Climate and Energy Project, and Zach Pistora, a lobbyist with the Kansas Sierra Club, talk about a study of utility rates in Kansas.

Bob Beatty, a Washburn University professor who has written profiles of presidential candidates in the Democratic field, talks about U.S. Sen. Joe Biden surpassing expectations and putting distance between himself and his chief rivals, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind.

As America's top diplomat, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is one of The Topeka Capital-Journal's selections for Kansan of the Year. Pompeo and several of his closest friends talk about his journey from West Point to the State Department.

Alan Cobb, president and CEO of the Kansas Chamber, joins the Tax Foundation's Katherine Loughead, Erica York and Michael Lucci for a discussion on comprehensive tax reform in Kansas. The organizations have produced a 150-page report with recommendations.

Rex Buchanan, Josh Svaty and Burke Griggs collaborated to produce "Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills," a 224-page book recently published by University Press of Kansas. They talk about their project in this week's edition of Capitol Insider.

Braxton Moral, the 17-year-old who graduated from Ulysses High School and Harvard University in May, says he enjoys being at Washburn University in Topeka. The aspiring politician wants to study law before making laws.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab supports a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution on Nov. 5 ballots that would discontinue adjustment of U.S. Census figures in all 105 counties to reflect residential preferences of college students and military personnel.

Washburn University political science professor Bob Beatty says U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, has potential to break through into the upper tier among Democratic presidential candidates despite poor polling numbers for her in Iowa. He said Klobuchar has a humorous campaign style that works well on the stump.

Peggy Lowe, of KCUR 89.3 in Kansas City, and Sherman Smith, of The Topeka Capital-Journal, talk about in-depth reporting about 13 girls who were placed in state custody, trafficked for sex and sent to prison. Thousands of children were added to the Kansas foster care system in the past eight years, leading to severe instability and a surge in runaways who were vulnerable to human trafficking.

John Wilson, the incoming president of Kansas Action for Children, talks about embracing policies that would improve the lives of children from birth to five years of age, when they are developing skills that will define their behavior throughout school and later in life.

Randy Weseman, assistant executive director of the Kansas Association of School Boards and a former school superintendent, said high-tech security equipment should be paired with development of a positive school climate that encourages gathering of information of student threats and evaluation of potential violence by a team trained in methods endorsed by the U.S. Secret Service.

Republican Bryan Pruitt, a Wichita native and former conservative commentator in Washington, D.C., says former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach would lose a statewide election against a Democrat and that U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall isn't entitled to a promotion.

Kansans for Life executive director Mary Kay Culp and lobbyist Peter Northcott say they will do everything they can to pass a constitutional amendment following a decision by the Kansas Supreme Court that found the state's bill of rights "affords protection of the right of personal autonomy, which includes the ability to control one's own body."

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt places faith in the Criminal Justice Reform Commission's ability to break through philosophical, political and financial barriers to overhaul the system and improve public safety.

Laura Howard, secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, says new research would affirm a direct link between welfare reforms signed by Gov. Sam Brownback and a sustained rise in the number of Kansas children in foster care.

Kathy Busch, chairwoman of the Kansas Board of Education, Jim Porter, a member of the state board from Fredonia, and Randy Watson, commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education talk about the future of public education in Kansas.

Washburn University political science professor Bob Beatty, who is getting to know Democratic presidential hopefuls on the campaign trail in Iowa, talks about Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and former Vice President Joe Biden, and assesses the performance of all candidates during recent debates.

Kansas Democratic Party chairwoman Vicki Hiatt and executive director Ethan Corson talk about the change in primary format for the 2020 presidential selection process, which they hope will improve voter turnout.

Blake Flanders, president and chief executive officer of the Kansas Board of Regents, talks about a strategy to bolster enrollment, help students progress to graduation and support demand for an educated workforce.

Washburn University political science professor Bob Beatty is getting to know Democratic presidential hopefuls on the campaign trail in Iowa. So far, he has profiled Beto O'Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Tim Ryan.

Vicki Schmidt reflects on her first few months in statewide office after transition from policy-making position as state senator.

Kristi Brown and Eric Stafford, of the Kansas Chamber, and Jeff Glendening, of the Kansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity, reflect on tax plan vetoes, overall spending, health care policy and school funding.

Kimberly Svaty, policy director for Advanced Power Alliance, and her husband, former state agriculture secretary Josh Svaty, address controversy about the proliferation of industrial wind farms and the value of so many developers harnessing a renewable energy source.

Roger Werholtz, interim secretary of the Kansas Department of Corrections, says the agency is challenged by having too many inmates, too little space and limitations on resources.

Rep. Jason Probst, a Democrat who came to the Legislature in 2017 after 15 years as a reporter, editor and opinion writer for the Hutchinson News, joins The Topeka Capital-Journal's Tim Carpenter and the Kansas News Service's Jim McLean for discussion on the importance of political coverage and the difficulty of balancing reporting responsibilities.

Reporters for The Topeka Capital-Journal talk about a collection of stories that document the ongoing struggle of equality in public education.

Democratic state Rep. Gail Finney, Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson, Pastor William Vann and Helen Abdul-Raheem, who runs a child care facility, discuss their opposition to size, location and messaging involved with massive poles installed by Westar Energy, now known as Evergy.

Political science professors Bob Beatty, of Washburn University, and Patrick Miller, of the University of Kansas, provide insight into next year's U.S. Senate race and this year's legislative session.

Melissa Rooker, executive director of the Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund, and Annie McKay, president of Kansas Action for Children, talk about the value of investing in early childhood education.

Justin Stowe, lead auditor at the Legislature's nonpartisan Division of Post Audit, and Chris Clarke, deputy post auditor, talk about their nonpartisan research approach and findings.

Scott Schwab expresses more interest in nuts and bolts of managing the secretary of state's office than inspiring the political or legal battles punctuating Kris Kobach's tenure.

Matt Fletcher, executive director of the advocacy group Interhab, talks about the rising demand for services to support Kansans with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Matt Graham, who installed solar panels on his Wichita home, Andy Rondon, who works with Lawrence-based solar installer Good Energy Solutions, and Dorothy Barnett, with the Clean Energy Business Council and Climate and Energy Project, talk about a Kansas Corporation Commission decision to approve special fees on solar energy producers.

Evergy senior vice president Chuck Caisley says customers who install solar units should share in the responsibility for maintaining the electrical grid.

Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, Rep. Susan Ruiz and Rep. Ponka-We Victors say women are viewed differently than their male colleagues in the Capitol. Women account for 14 members of the 40 member Senate, and 31 out of 125 in the House — just 27.3 percent overall.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt said an opportunity to serve in the U.S. Senate merits consideration. In the meantime, he is focused on the more than 1,000 duties of his current office.

Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers talks about  the Office of Rural Prosperity, which intends to grapple with housing shortages, financially struggling hospitals and shuttered businesses on main street. Priorities include boosting access to broadband services, expanding manufacturing jobs and driving tourism.