Democratic state Sen. Tom Holland said Thursday he plans to reestablish residency and run for the seat in the newly created Senate District 19.
Holland revealed his intentions – expected for months – in an interview when asked about his plans to run for reelection in 2024.
Holland would be the second candidate so far to run in that district, which is now open after it was drawn during redistricting last year.
“The battle is going to be in the primary. After that it’s all over. It’s a solid blue district,” the Baldwin City Democrat said Thursday.
Republican incumbent Rick Kloos was moved into Senate District 3 with Holland after the Legislature redrew election boundaries last year.
Kloos had been in District 19 when he was elected in 2020.
On Thursday, Dena Sattler, the former communications director for Gov. Laura Kelly, announced she’s running for Senate District 3.
Senate District 3 covers parts of Shawnee, Franklin and Douglas counties and all of Osage County.
The new Senate District 19 includes parts of Lawrence, Lecompton, Tecumseh and Topeka. Most of the population is concentrated in the Topeka part of the district.
The voter registration in the new Senate District 19 is 40% Democratic, 25% Republican and 34% unaffiliated.
Gov. Laura Kelly carried this district with 72% of the vote in last year’s governor’s race. Her Republican rival, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, got 25% of the vote.
There is expected to be a crowded Democratic field seeking Senate District 19. It has been widely speculated that House Minority Leader Vic Miller will run for the seat.
“I think I have a heck of a legislative record that puts most others to shame,” Holland said.
“We’re going to be talking about my record, my accomplishments and my vision for Kansas,” Holland said.
Former Kansas congressional candidate Patrick Schmidt is getting ready to run for the seat after losing to Republican Congressman Jake LaTurner last year.
Schmidt, a former naval intelligence officer who grew up in Overland Park, has already appointed a treasurer so he can run for the state Senate in District 19.
Before leaving the Navy, Schmidt worked as an intelligence watch officer for the Naval Undersea Research and Threat Analysis Center.
He also worked as a targeting analyst for the Joint Special Operation Task Force Arabian Peninsula, where he led a countersmuggling intelligence and cryptologic team supporting U.S. Central Command.
And he served aboard the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, where he worked as a division officer and a fleet intelligence watch officer.
His work aboard the carrier included directing a multisource intelligence team providing air, surface and subsurface threat warnings for the carrier strike group.
He graduated in 2015 from Tufts University with a bachelor’s degree in international relations.
After college, he worked in the economic and commercial section for the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus.
He later worked as a research assistant for the Iran Security Initiative for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
