Wichita Democrats select Chuck Schmidt as new District 88 representative in Kansas House
A small group of Democrats has selected Chuck Schmidt to represent part of southeast Wichita in the Kansas House of Representatives.
Schmidt was chosen to represent District 88 by 13 precinct committeemen and committeewomen during a Wednesday evening meeting at the Sedgwick County Courthouse.
“I’m excited and honored that the Democrats in the 88th District have chosen me to represent their district,” Schmidt told The Eagle. “There’s a lot of things that I would like to do, but I’m realistic. I know that you can’t do everything.
“I do want to push hard for Medicaid expansion. I do want to push for medical marijuana. And I do want to make sure that we fund schools appropriately. That’s something that’s deep in my heart, and I will work for that all the time.”
Schmidt, a former educator, promised “to stand up for what’s right” while listening to multiple perspectives and constituent concerns. He replaces Rep. Elizabeth Bishop, who gave up her seat in the Legislature last month.
The Associated Press reported on May 27, the last day of the session for lawmakers, that Bishop told colleagues that she wanted to retire. She was the third Democrat in the Kansas House to resign that month. Bishop was the top Democrat on a committee on water issues and also served on committees for health, elections and pensions. She was first elected to the House in 2016.
Schmidt won the vote 8-5 over attorney Kelly Johnston, a former chairman of the Sedgwick County Democratic Party.
Bishop nominated Johnston to complete her term, lauding his fundraising experience. She talked about keeping the seat Democratic in the upcoming 2022 election, calling it a swing district. Johnston voiced concern over presumed gerrymandering and the potential that Schmidt’s home toward the eastern edge of the district could be drawn out of District 88 during redistricting.
The nearby districts — 81, 87 and 99 — are all held by Republicans, two of whom are the majority whip and majority caucus chair. District 88 covers portions of southeast Wichita, centered around the northern side of McConnell Air Force base.
Precinct committeeman Michael Hoheisel, who nominated Schmidt, said “the most important factor in making this choice is elect-ability.” He noted Schmidt’s experience knocking on doors to talk to voters in support of Democratic candidates.
“The purpose of government is to enact legislation that makes life better for it’s citizens,” Schmidt said in his candidate speech. “That’s why we’re here.”
Schmidt spent 33 years as a social studies teacher, coach and school administrator, and he wrote a book about his career. He noted his experience as a superintendent, building relationships with legislators and school board members to make policy.
“Most of the board members I worked with were Republicans, and yet we worked together to do what was best for all children,” he said. “At the same time, I was called on to work with a Legislature that was often hostile to the funding needs of schools.”
In his victory speech, Schmidt said that: “Wichita should be a Democratic city. We can turn Wichita, we can make this state purple.”
“I know it’s going to be frustrating,” he said. “There’s a lot of things we can’t do, but there are some things where we can stop bad things from happening. And there are some things that we can accomplish.”
Schmidt told The Eagle that he is opposed to legislation that he sees as discriminatory.
“Particularly the legislation that came about transgender students,” he said. “Being a lifetime educator, I know the difficulties that kids have, who are on the margins, and the things they have to deal with. To just add something like this, to attack them, to me makes no sense. That kind of thing I have no tolerance for.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 10:28 AM.