Wichita lawmaker to resign Kansas House seat next month, offers no explanation
Wichita Republican Patrick Penn plans to resign his seat in the Kansas House next month, filings with the secretary of state show.
Penn gave no explanation for his abrupt departure in a letter to Secretary Scott Schwab dated May 14, saying his resignation will be effective at 7:06 p.m. on Friday, June 13.
“Whatever God has planned for me, our family’s shared vision for a prosperous Kansas and our core values of Faith, Family, and Service will always travel with and guide me,” Penn wrote. “I look forward to working with the next representative our great District chooses through the process and to remaining engaged in our community’s future.”
John Whitmer, chair of the Sedgwick County Republican Party, said he received a copy of the letter Wednesday evening.
“I would have to let you get with him to find out his specific reasons,” Whitmer said when asked Thursday if he had spoken with the third-term representative about his decision to leave office.
Penn, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, won re-election in House District 85 last November by more than 1,800 votes over Democratic challenger Aonya Kendrick Barnett.
District 85 includes part of northeast Wichita, parts of Kechi and Bel Aire and a small portion of western Butler County.
Penn was raised in foster care. He went on to join the U.S. Army, serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring in 2017 as a captain.
He was first elected to the Kansas House in 2020, ousting fellow Republican Michael Capps in the primary after Capps’ role in a political smear campaign against then-Wichita mayoral candidate Brandon Whipple came to light.
In Topeka, Penn chairs the House Legislative Modernization Committee and serves on committees dedicated to a number of other topics, including elections, commerce, IT, insurance, energy and rules and regulations.
An ardent defender of President Donald Trump, Penn routinely ignored or criticized media outlets attempting to cover him. He stirred controversy in February when he joked on the House floor about firing a cannon at recently defeated former Hutchinson Democratic Rep. Jason Probst.
“He’s been a solid conservative vote. I think he’s represented his district well, and I’m sure the precinct people will elect a suitable replacement that will be a solid conservative,” Whitmer said.
He has scheduled a meeting for 6 p.m. May 28 where Republican precinct committee members in Penn’s district will choose a successor to serve out the remaining year and a half of his term. Anyone who lives in the district will be eligible to run.
This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 3:21 PM.