heartland - November 06 2024

FLASH…INTERSTATE 70 CLOSED WEST OF GOODLAND DUE TO WINTER STORM…
1. Kansas Incumbents Secure Congressional Seats
2. Schmidt Wins Open 2nd District Seat Over Boyda
3. Kansas GOP Grows Legislative Supermajority
4. Conservatives Gain Power on Kansas State Board of Education
5. Spirit AeroSystems Faces Possible Layoffs Due To Financial Uncertainty

FLASH…INTERSTATE 70 CLOSED WEST OF GOODLAND DUE TO WINTER STORM…

1. Kansas Incumbents Secure Congressional Seats

Incumbents cruised to victory in three of Kansas’ four Congressional seats Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat, and Republican Reps. Tracey Mann and Ron Estes will all serve another term.  Davids took the stage at the Overland Park Convention Center around 9:45 p.m. as results kept streaming in.  The Associated Press called the race at 10:35 p.m., but Davids’ Republican challenger, Prasanth Reddy, had already conceded in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Davids’ district includes Johnson, Miami, Franklin and Anderson counties along with part of Wyandotte County. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann, a Republican, cruised to an easy victory Tuesday in the state’s big 1st District  — which covers the whole of western Kansas, along with chunks of central Kansas, and stretches an appendage to include Manhattan and Lawrence. He faced Paul Buskirk, a Lawrence Democrat who works for the University of Kansas Athletics Department.  When AP called the race just before 9:45 p.m., Mann was winning by a two-to-one margin, according to unofficial results from the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office. Just after 10 p.m., the AP called the 4th District race for incumbent U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican, who squared off against Democratic challenger Esau Freeman in a district that  includes Wichita and south central Kansas. Freeman is a business representative for a local branch of the Service Employees International Union.  Estes led Freeman with 66% of the vote in unofficial voter data at that time.

Article Source: KS Reflector

2. Schmidt Wins Open 2nd District Seat Over Boyda

Former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, won the state’s only open seat in the 2nd District. Schmidt, a Republican, won the 2nd District seat over former one-term U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, a Democrat, who conceded the race around 9:45 p.m. At that time, Schmidt was winning with 55% of the vote to Boyda’s 40%, according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office unofficial vote totals. The district covers most of Kansas’ eastern third. The incumbent, Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner, decided not to seek reelection. The 2nd District seat has been held by Republicans since former Rep. Lynn Jenkins defeated Boyda in 2008. Lawrence, a reliably liberal area, was removed from the 2nd District after the 2020 Census.

Article Source: KS Reflector

3. Kansas GOP Grows Legislative Supermajority

Kansas Republicans have held onto key seats in Johnson County and appear poised to maintain veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers of the Kansas Legislature. Vulnerable Johnson County Republicans fended off challenges and GOP candidates ousted two House Democrats in the county to expand their legislative advantage, according to unofficial election results from the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office. The GOP appears to have picked up a new seat in Olathe’s House District 15, where Lauren Bohi led incumbent Allison Hougland by 131 votes with all precincts reporting. That outcome could still be influenced by late-arriving mail ballots and provisional ballots.

Article Source: KC Star

4. Conservatives Gain Power on Kansas State Board of Education

Far-right Republicans were poised to win two of five seats up for election on the Kansas State Board of Education, shifting the board’s power to a conservative bloc. With moderate board members on their way out and four conservatives already in place, the board is positioned for an ideological shake-up. Candidates differentiated themselves along the campaign trail on issues like parental rights, public school funding and school safety. Democrats appeared to maintain three positions on the board, based on unofficial results late Tuesday from the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.  

Editors note: free advice, Ds should stop using the pejorative “far-right” to describe MAGA Rs if they want to be viable in 2026.

Article Source: KS Reflector

5. Spirit AeroSystems Faces Possible Layoffs Due To Financial Uncertainty

In a new filing with the government, Spirit AeroSystems says there is “substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” It also says a plan to improve liquidity could include layoffs and more furloughs. “The Company will require additional liquidity to continue its operations over the next 12 months,” Spirit said in a quarterly form it filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday. In October, Spirit furloughed approximately 700 employees who work on the 767 and 777 programs because of the impact of the Machinists’ strike at Boeing. After the Machinists accepted Boeing’s latest contract offer on Monday, Spirit announced the furlough would end Nov. 18.

Article Source: KSN

Sources

2. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/11/05/incumbents-win-reelection-in-kansas-congressional-races-schmidt-clenches-open-seat/

3. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/11/05/incumbents-win-reelection-in-kansas-congressional-races-schmidt-clenches-open-seat/

4. https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/election/article294547689.html

5. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/11/05/kansas-state-board-of-education-election-results-favor-conservative-power/

6. https://www.ksn.com/news/business/spirit-aerosystems-says-layoffs-furloughs-may-be-needed