Dickinson County Republican Party Chairman Greg Wilson on Monday night prevailed in a precinct committee election over the Abilene mayor to win a seat in the Kansas House.
Wilson, an Abilene farmer, prevailed over Abilene Mayor Brandon Rein in the race to replace Scott Hill in the House representing House District 70. Wilson defeated Rein 43-30.
House District 70 covers parts of Dickinson, Marion and McPherson counties.
There were 79 possible precinct voters and 73 who cast ballots, including 56 who were present at Monday night’s meeting and 17 who cast ballots by proxy.
“I want to congratulate Rep.-elect Greg Wilson on his victory tonight,” House Majority Leader Chris Croft said in a statement.
“We’re excited to have him on the team.”
Last month, Hill won a precinct election to replace J.R. Claeys of Salina in the Kansas Senate. Claeys left the Senate to take a job with President Donald Trump’s administration.
Hill said he did not endorse either candidate in the race.
Despite the defeat, Rein promised to run for the seat next year when the entire Kansas House will be up for election.
Wilson would not agree to be interviewed until he won the precinct election, but did not return a phone call late Monday.
His LinkedIn profile shows that he’s the o
He also has a bachelor’s in agricultural economics.
Rein had been on the Abilene City Commission since 2020, including stints as mayor and vice mayor.
He had been a member of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Leaders class of 2022.
He studied agricultural economics at Kansas State, where he was treasurer of the College Republicans.
In a campaign flier sent to precinct committee members, Rein said he was a Christian, a conservative and “someone who believes leadership means serving others.”
A third candidate, Dan Wasylk, who was expected to run for the open seat did not.
Wasylk ran in the GOP primary against former state Rep. John Barker in 2020 and lost with 25% of the vote.
