Republican state Rep. Angel Roeser of Manhattan on Tuesday announced she will not seek reelection in District 67, possibly opening an opportunity for Democrats to gain a seat in the House this year.
“After a great deal of thought and prayer, I have decided not to seek re-election for my seat in the Kansas Legislature,” Roeser said in a Facebook post.
“Serving our community has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
“From the beautiful Flint Hills to the Kansas Statehouse, I’ve had the privilege of meeting incredible people, hearing your stories, and fighting for the values that make Kansas home — hard work, community, faith, agriculture, and being an accurate representation of District 67.
“This chapter may be ending, but my love for this community and for Kansas is not. I will continue cheering on our local communities, supporting agriculture and rural Kansas, and finding ways to serve beyond elected office.”
Two years ago, Roeser defeated Democrat Kim Zito despite newspaper reports that she didn’t have a degree from Kansas State University, although she claimed otherwise.
The Manhattan Mercury reported that Roeser wrongly claimed to have voted on the abortion amendment in the 2022 primary election.
During a debate in 2024, Zito accused Roeser of not voting on a constitutional amendment in 2022 that would have removed the right to an abortion from the state constitution.
The newspaper also reported that Roeser responded by saying she did vote in that election.
The newspaper followed up on Roeser’s claim and reported that while Roeser did register to vote on March 16, 2022, as Angelina Vy Layfield, there was no voting history that showed she voted in the 2022 primary election.
Roeser told The Mercury she was certain that she voted in the 2022 primary.
She said she could have registered under the name Tran because she changed her last name from Layfield to Tran at about that time.
But the newspaper reported that no records showed any votes cast under the name Tran.
Roeser raised $7,050 last year and had $3,819 in cash on hand at the end of 2025.
Roeser’s departure could present an opportunity for Democrats to win the seat in an effort to break the GOP supermajority in the Legislature.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris won 51.3% of the vote in this district while President Donald Trump received 46.1%.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly won 61% of the vote in this district in the 2022 governor’s race, while Republican Derek Schmidt won 37% of the vote here.
However, for two consecutive elections, Zito, the Democratic candidate, had to defend Facebook posts, including one from Nov. 9, 2020, where she wrote, “FUCK YOU” followed by a racial slur.
Republicans ran ads highlighting profanities that she wrote on Facebook.
Zito also had to explain a social media post where she said she wanted the Catholic Church to “go extinct.” She told the Manhattan Mercury that the remark was taken out of context.
Roeser’s announcement comes after Republican state Rep. Paul Waggoner of Hutchison announced that he would not seek reelection to the House.
Among those who are leaving the House are Speaker Dan Hawkins of Wichita who is running for insurance commissioner, as well as Reps. Pat Proctor of Leavenworth and Ken Rahjes of Agra, who are running for secretary of state.
Other lawmakers leaving the House include Will Carpenter of El Dorado, Dan Goddard of Parsons, Doug Blex of Independence, Rick Wilborn of McPherson and Ron Ellis of Meriden.
