(Updated to reflect interview with Shepard)
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is facing a call from within her own party to pick a person of color to be lieutenant governor.
Sedgwick County Democratic Party Chairman Joseph Shepard on late Friday posted a letter on social media that he wrote to the governor urging her to choose a person of color to replace Lynn Rogers.
The governor named Rogers, the outgoing lieutenant governor, as state treasurer to fill the office that Republican Jake LaTurner is leaving after he was elected to Congress.
“With the appointment of Lynn Rogers as state treasurer, you have an opportunity to appoint a Lt. Governor that will aid state government in directly connecting to communities that are disproportionately underrepresented,” Shepard wrote to the governor.
Since Kelly appointed Rogers on Wednesday, Shepard said he had heard from “engaged populations across our county who undoubtedly believe that the appointment for lieutenant governor should be extended to a qualified person of color,” he wrote.
Shepard’s letter is the first sign that the Democratic governor could be facing some pushback from within her own party over appointing someone who would run with her on a ticket in 2022 if she decides to run for reelection.
It’s been widely speculated that Kelly will name Commerce Secretary David Toland as lieutenant governor, which would not necessarily be unusual since at one point years ago the lieutenant governor doubled as the commerce secretary.
Toland is seen in some circles as a rising Democratic star, especially with the success he’s had over at Commerce, where the state has amassed more than $2 billion in economic development projects this year.
Toland also served as the treasurer on Kelly’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign.
Kelly was asked directly last week if she would name Toland as lieutenant governor but would not answer the question.
She would only say the selection had been made and it would be announced Monday.
The governor’s office did not respond to an email seeking comment Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, there have already been rumblings over the prospective appointment, first signaled by Shepard’s letter posted on social media Friday.
“You now have the power to ensure that our leadership is reflective of the evolving diversity we see represented in our state,” Shepard wrote.
“Communities across Kansas, especially in Sedgwick County, desperately desire leaders that will unify, listen, and use their qualified experiences to build a stronger and more prosperous Kansas,” he wrote.
“In order to do that, we must provide opportunity for diverse communities to see themselves reflected in leadership positions that matter.”
In an interview on Saturday, Shepard said he wasn’t trying to be confrontational with the governor.
“I don’t necessarily view it as calling the governor out. I would hope she doesn’t view it that way either,” he said.
“I have admiration and respect for the way that she’s led our state, particularly over this past year with battling COVID-19 and doing everything within her power, from my perspective, to protect Kansans,” he said.
“On the other side of that, I do have an obligation as someone who is leading the county party and as an individual who is of color to let our governor know when there are concerns of lack of representation,” he said.
Shepard said he wanted to “respectfully” and “meaningfully” share with the governor the importance of the appointment.
“Who she selects for her next lieutenant governor will drastically impact the way Black Kansans, brown Kansans, underrepresented Kansans view their role in democracy, particularly in the Democratic Party and how they view themselves or see themselves in her cabinet,” he said.
The potential opposition to a lieutenant governor appointment could put Kelly in a political vice as she moves into the last two years of her first term.
She already is expected to face a Legislature that’s even more conservative the one she clashed with during the last two years. And now, she may face trouble in her own party.
Shepard said there is no shortage of candidates for Kelly to consider, including Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla and Brandon Johnson, vice chair of the Kansas Democratic Party.
De La Isla just came off an unsuccessful bid for Congress in the 2nd District against LaTurner, whose election set off the dominos that opened the door for a new lieutenant governor.
Shepard also suggested Johnson, a longtime police reform advocate whom Kelly appointed earlier this year to chair the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training.
The commission decides the professional certifications of police officers and also sets the training standards to become an officer.
Before Johnson was elected to the Wichita City Council, he helped found the nonprofit group Community Operations Recovery Empowerment, also known as CORE.
The group’s mission is to “empower youth and families with the skills and tools necessary to lead healthy, fulfilling, and increasingly successful lives.”
In a comment responding to the post, Democratic state Rep. Susan Ruiz suggested that De La Isla would be a good choice.
“Mayor Michelle De La Isla is totally qualified to be our next LG,” Ruiz posted.
Here’s the post on Twitter:
With Lynn Rogers transitioning into a new role @LauraKellyKS has the opportunity to appoint a Lt. Governor that is reflective of the diversity evolving in our state. I sent the letter below to Governor Kelly requesting that she appoint a person of color to the role of Lt. Gov. pic.twitter.com/vHGcXq1E3b
— Joseph Shepard (@JShepard_17) December 11, 2020
