Kansas GOP picks replacement for state Sen. Julia Lynn, who dropped re-election bid

Republicans have chosen a candidate to replace Sen. Julia Lynn in the November election, after the Johnson County Republican dropped her re-election bid, citing her sister’s health.

Beverly Gossage, a GOP precinct committeewoman from Eudora, will appear on the ballot as the Republican nominee. She will face Democrat Stacey Knoell.

Gossage founded HSA Benefits Consulting, which advises businesses on health savings accounts. She has also been a consultant and research fellow for the Show-Me Institute, a conservative Missouri think tank.

In 2014, Gossage ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican nomination for Kansas insurance commissioner.

Republican precinct members in Senate District 9 nominated Gossage at a convention Wednesday night. Gossage had previously announced she planned to seek the nomination after Lynn’s withdrawal became official.

“This is a daunting task to organize a campaign in such a short time but with your support, we can assure a victory in November,” Gossage wrote on Facebook.

Gossage’s nomination brings to an end a two-week period when Lynn’s status as a candidate was uncertain. The Kansas Secretary of State’s Office initially rejected her attempt to drop out, saying she hadn’t provided a doctor’s note about her sister’s health condition as required by state law.

Lynn challenged the decision in court. She provided documents showing that she had provided a note from an Olathe neurologist, though an initial version of the note had the doctor’s name along with a handwritten notation by a nurse.

A judge last week that Lynn submitted all the necessary paperwork to withdraw and ordered her name taken off the ballot.

This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 12:15 PM.