House GOP picks Ryckman as speaker; Ward is minority leader

Kansas House Republicans have selected a Johnson County businessman to guide them through the next legislative session, while Democrats have ousted their current leader in favor of a fiery Wichita attorney.

Rep. Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe, easily won the race for House speaker when Kansas lawmakers met for leadership elections on Monday. Ryckman bested Rep. Russ Jennings, R-Lakin, by an initial vote of 57-28. A third candidate, Rep. Jene Vickrey, R-Louisburg, dropped out before the vote.

Jennings, who was seen as the more moderate of the two candidates, then called for a unanimous vote in support of Ryckman, removing any question of whether moderate Republicans and Democrats might partner to elect a moderate speaker when the entire House votes next month.

Ryckman, who owns a variety of business holdings, signaled a willingness to work with more moderate lawmakers, telling reporters: “Everybody’s voice needs to be heard.”

The speaker wields a great deal of influence over the direction of the session, making committee assignments and deciding which bills come to the floor for a vote. Ryckman said he was ready to have a serious debate about the state’s tax system, something moderate candidates called for on the campaign trail.

“Things that people ran on and won, those are things that the state and this caucus needs to have a debate on,” Ryckman said.

On the Democratic side, Wichita Rep. Jim Ward defeated current House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs of Kansas City on a vote of 21-19 to capture the leadership of the minority party on a second ballot. The two initially deadlocked at 20-20.

The change from Burroughs, considered a centrist, to Ward, considered a progressive, could signal a shift in how House Democrats handle the major issues facing the Legislature this session.

Ward has consistently been one of Gov. Sam Brownback’s most vocal critics and has often been one of few dissenting voices when his party cooperated with majority Republicans. He said Monday that he is willing to work across the aisle.

“There will definitely be times when we hold the Republicans accountable, but that’s not the overall mission,” he said. “We have 40 (seats). We’re part of the decision-making process now.”

It takes 63 votes to form a majority in the Kansas House. Although conservative lawmakers outnumber more moderate ones within the Republican Party, Democrats and moderates can combine to form a majority on the floor.

‘What’s your plan?’

Ward said the election showed that Kansans want a change in state government. He said Democratic leaders will travel the state to meet with school boards, newspapers and citizens in small towns to seek their input ahead of the session. “We’re going to be able to answer the question: What’s your plan?” he promised.

Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Wichita, one of Ward’s supporters, said he thinks Ward will put forward a platform for fixing the state’s fiscal problems that Democrats can unite behind, something he thinks the party failed to do last year. He also said Ward has the capacity to work across the aisle despite his fiery reputation.

“I think he can have individuals that will play the role of building the coalitions and he can play the role of the firebrand at times,” Helgerson said.

Rep. Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, predicted fireworks in the upcoming session with Ward as minority leader, saying that it’s sure to be entertaining.

Asked about Ward’s election, Ryckman smiled and said, “I’m looking forward to working with all those who want to look for a solution.”

Big tasks ahead

Ryckman has been budget committee chairman during the past two sessions and was one of two architects of a bill that repealed the state’s school finance formula in 2015. One of the biggest tasks in the session that starts in January will be to craft a permanent replacement for the formula after the temporary block grants expire.

Ryckman succeeds another Johnson County Republican, Ray Merrick of Stilwell, as House speaker. Merrick called Ryckman the best man for the job. “He knows the (budget) numbers better than anybody in this building,” Merrick said.

Ryckman’s supporters touted his ability to forge consensus. Rep. Steve Johnson, R-Assaria, praised Ryckman for showing “transparency, integrity and pragmatism” during his tenure as budget chairman.

“While I don’t always agree with Ron, I know I can trust him,” Johnson told the House Republican caucus.

Ryckman acknowledged that the Republican Party has been divided in recent years and that its members will need to work together in order to face the state’s challenges, including a $348 million budget shortfall for this fiscal year.

“There’s a lot of different options out there,” Ryckman said. “Those decisions and plans won’t be made in a vacuum … and hopefully we’ll have a unified plan that comes forward that the caucus can surround themselves with.”

Ryckman pointed to June’s special session when lawmakers from both parties came together to pass a school finance bill to prevent a shutdown of the state’s school districts as a model to follow.

Other House leaders

Brownback met with the newly elected legislative leaders of both parties on Monday afternoon. The governor said he is confident he can work with legislative leaders to craft a solution to the state’s budget problems.

“The nature of the place is this will work out,” Brownback said. “This will happen.”

Moderate Rep. Don Hineman, R-Dighton, won the race for House majority leader against Rep. John Barker, R-Abilene, on a vote of 44-41.

Hineman’s election ensures that the more moderate members of the party will have a voice in House leadership.

“The numbers dictate that we’re all going to have to come together as Republicans and forget those labels that kind of restricted us in the past,” Hineman said. “We’re going to have to find solutions, and it’s not going to be easy.”

Rep. Scott Schwab, R-Olathe, will round out the House leadership team as speaker pro tem.

In the Kansas Senate, Wichita Republican Susan Wagle easily won a second term as Senate president, staving off a challenge from Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover, 23-7.

Wagle noted that there was a significant amount of legislative turnover between this upcoming session and the previous year after the recent election.

“We have a lot of new faces, and I believe the newly elected body is very anxious to sit down and resolve our budget issues,” she said. “They know that’s why we were elected, and they’re willing to take tough votes.”

Sen. Jeff Longbine, R-Emporia, was elected vice president. Sen. Jim Denning, R-Overland Park, will be majority leader. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, will retain his spot as the Senate’s top Democrat.

This story was originally published December 5, 2016 at 11:09 AM with the headline "House GOP picks Ryckman as speaker; Ward is minority leader."