UPDATED: Kelly names Rogers treasurer

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(Updated with more comments from the governor, the lieutenant governor as well as possible Republican candidates for the seat and corrects the number of Democratic statewide office holders).

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday named Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers as state treasurer, replacing Republican Jake LaTurner who was elected to Congress.

Rogers, 62, moves over to serve as the state’s designated fiscal officer and the second Democrat to hold a statewide office.

The treasurer’s office, with a budget of about $30 million and 39 employees, oversees the disposition of unclaimed property, the Kansas 529 Education Savings Program and the timely deposit of all revenues into the treasury.

“Lynn has dutifully served the people of Kansas as our lieutenant governor for the past two years,” Kelly said.

“He works hard. He is dedicated to public service and, above all, he cares deeply about improving the lives of the people of Kansas,” Kelly said.

As lieutenant governor, Lynn led the Office of Rural Prosperity, focusing on expanding opportunities in rural communities by working with farmers, ranchers, business owners, health professionals and communities.

“His work on behalf of the Office of Rural Prosperity has been tireless,” Kelly said.

“His passion and energy and his dedication to expanding opportunities for all people in Kansas has inspired our entire administration,” she said.

Kelly said she would announce her choice for lieutenant governor next Monday. She said the selection has already been made.

The governor didn’t address speculation that she would name Commerce Secretary David Toland to the position.

In the past, the lieutenant governor has overseen the Commerce Department.

Kelly picked Rogers as her running mate in 2018 when he was in the state Senate.

Together, they formed the team that defeated former Secretary of State Kris Kobach and his running mate, Wink Hartman.

A retired banker who helpedĀ  farmers and ranchers with financial planning and investments, Rogers served in the Senate from 2017 up until he ran for lieutenant governor on Kelly’s gubernatorial ticket.

In the Senate, Rogers served as the ranking member on the banking committee.

“I look forward to applying all of this experience in helping to protect the financial interest of Kansans,” he said.

“We are here to serve Kansas, and I am thankful for the opportunity once more to be able to do that in the new office as the state treasurer,” he said.

He said he wants to get out and travel the state as much as possible while conceding it might be difficult during the pandemic.

“I think there’s a lot we can do to be out in communities,” he said. “I think it’s really important that Kansans know who their state officers are.

“As I traveled as lieutenant governor, I often came across people who said, ‘I’ve never met the lieutenant governor, they’ve never been in my town.'”

“I want to make sure we can say the state treasurer has been there as well.”

Rogers said he plans to run for a full four-year term as state treasurer, but he will undoubtedly face Republican opposition.

Former Republican Party Chairman Kelly Arnold said he was considered for the treasurer’s position in 2017 when former Gov. Sam Brownback appointed LaTurner treasurer.

Arnold said in an interview Thursday that it’s a position he has considered running for.

“That is one of the positons I have looked at,” he said. “Who knows what my future may hold. I haven’t even started thinking about 2022.”

Another Republican name in the mix for treasurer is Sara Hart Weir, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in the 3rd District earlier this year.

Weir’s name has been connected to the office because it administers the ABLE program, which makes available tax-exempt savings accounts for people with disabilities.

As former chief executive of the National Down Syndrome Society, Weir worked to pass the law, which was intended to ease the financial burdens shouldered by individuals with disabilities to cover certain expenses for education, housing and transportation.

A little more than a decade ago, former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed Dennis McKinney as state treasurer. He ultimately lost in 2010 to Ron Estes, now a congressman.

Other than Kelly, Democrats have not had much success winning statewide office. But the governor expressed confidence in Rogers.

“The people of Kansas elected Lynn Rogers to be lieutenant governor,” she said. “So, I know that they like him.

“They will have a chance two years from now to determine if they want him to continue in the state treasurer’s office. I have no doubt that they will because I have no doubt that he will do a stellar job.”

Rogers was elected to the Wichita School Board in 2001 and served there for more than 16 years before going to the state Senate.

He served as president or vice president for seven of those years on the school board.

“I am confident that he will thrive in his new role and Kansas residents and financial institutions statewide will benefit from his efforts.”