Democratic state Rep. Nancy Lusk is leaving the Kansas Legislature after serving four terms in the House.
Lusk is not seeking re-election to the House District 22 seat, which covers a swath of northern Overland Park.
“It’s been a wonderful experience. I love it in a lot of ways,” Lusk said in an interview Monday morning.
“It’s time to have more balance in my life. It’s time to pass the baton to somebody else.”
Lusk said she’s been carefully weighing whether to run again for a while.
“Every time I’ve run for re-election, it’s been a big decision. It’s not that easy to decide whether to run again,” she said.
Lusk was first elected to the seat in 2012, defeating Republican Marla Brems with about 61% of the vote.
She defeated Republican Mike Jones with 52% of the vote in 2014 and was unopposed in the 2016 and 2018 general elections.
Lusk is backing Lindsay Vaughn, who announced her candidacy for the seat Monday morning.
Vaughn runs the volunteer program at Literacy KC. She also worked as a field organizer on Congresswoman Sharice Davids’ campaign in 2018.
She also served as chair of the Johnson County Young Democrats.
“Decisions made in the statehouse directly affect the daily lives of Kansans,” Vaughn said in a statement.
“I believe we need a young woman’s voice at the table in Topeka, and I am prepared to be that voice.”
Vaughn earned bachelor’s degrees in political science and anthropology with a minor in social and economic justice from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
House District 22 has decidedly leaned Democratic over the years.
The district went for Gov. Laura Kelly in 2018, Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Paul Davis in the 2014 governor’s race and President Barack Obama in 2012.
The district was last represented by a Republican in 2011-12, when the seat was held by Greg Smith.
Lusk will serve as Vaughn’s treasurer for the campaign.
Vaughn “is a bright, forward-thinking leader, who is engaged in our Overland Park community and government,” Lusk said in a statement. “She will be a champion for District 22.”
