Senate Republicans elected three new leaders on Monday, marked by the return of veteran Tim Shallenburger to a leadership role and Chase Blasi upsetting incumbent Majority Leader Larry Alley.
Senate Republicans voted 18-12 to elect Shallenburger of Baxter Springs as Senate vice president over state Sen. Renee Erickson of Wichita. One senator did not vote in the race.
Shallenburger will replace Rick Wilborn, who is moving over to the House after winning the seat held by the late state Rep. Les Mason of McPherson.
Meanwhile, Blasi defeated Alley in the race for majority leader in a race that pitted the experience of the incumbent to the youth of the challenger who has been steeped in the operations of the Senate as a former staffer.
Blasi defeated Alley 19-10 with two senators not voting. Alley lost despite having support from Senate President Ty Masterson.
In the other contested Senate leadership race, Republican state Sen. Caryn Tyson of Parker defeated Republican Sen. Beverly Gossage of Eudora for assistant majority leader.
Tyson defeated Gossage 23-8 to win the post that was held by Erickson before she decided to run for Senate vice president.
Shallenburger, who was nominated by Sen. Elaine Bowers of Concordia, has a rich history in Kansas politics.
He served in the Kansas House from 1987 to 1998, including two years as speaker pro tem and four years as speaker.
He served as state treasurer from 1999 to 2003 and chair of the Kansas Republican Party in 2005.
In 2002, Shallenburger ran for governor, losing to Democrat Kathleen Sebelius.
He later went to work for former Gov. Sam Brownback, who hired him as legislative director.
In his campaign for Senate vice president, Shallenburger called for an “open and honest” process that guards against “concentrating too much power or authority in a select group of members or in one geographic location.”
“Being in leadership isn’t about driving a personal agenda but promoting the will of the caucus,” Shallenburger said in a letter to Senate Republicans.
“We are all elected as Republicans and share the values of this party; on that there is no dispute. But there are differences, often geographic, that merit more perspectives in the room,” he wrote.
He sounded that theme when addressing the Senate on Monday, encouraging senators to represent their constituents in the best way they saw fit.
“We should not be subject to intimidation for our thoughts, beliefs or votes,” Shallenburger said.
“We all should share in developing the agenda we as Republicans will use to guide us in coming years,” he said.
He said that members of the Senate – each represents about 2.5% of the population – should be given an equal opportunity to serve on the committees they wish.
“We should spread the wealth when it comes to committee chairs and vice chairs and allow your 2.5% the same representation as your counterparts all across Kansas,” he said.
The race for majority leader was one of the most talked about under the dome where Blasi, who has not served a full term in the Senate, took on Alley.
Two years ago, precinct committee leaders picked Blasi to replace Gene Suellentrop in the Kansas Senate.
Last month, Blasi won a full term in the Senate with 71% of the vote over two other challengers.
A native of Colwich and now a resident of Wichita, Blasi joined the Senate president’s office in June 2017.
He joined then-Senate President Susan Wagle’s office as her legislative director.
Blasi became her chief of staff in October 2019.
He continued on in that office when Masterson succeeded Wagle in January 2021. He worked as chief of operations for Masterson.
Before joining the Senate president’s office, Blasi worked for the Department of Revenue as its legislative liaison. He is a graduate of Newman University.
He now works for Evergy in community relations.
The race for majority leader took a couple of different turns, including Alley’s announcement that his chief of staff, Eric Rucker, wouldn’t return for another term regardless of the outcome of the leadership race.
It was an issue that bubbled up in 2021 when Alley first ran for Senate majority leader and ultimately prevailed over Republican Sen. Jeff Longbine.
There has been grumbling in the Senate over the years that Rucker – a former state senator – had too much influence in the Senate.
Alley sent a campaign mailer to Republican senators, touting support from Masterson and Senate Majority Whip Rick Kloos.
In addressing the Senate, Blasi took a similar approach to Shallenburger, talking about the need for Senate leadership to listen to its members.
“Kansas is a state that values family and community,” Blasi said.
“That’s the foundation I was raised on in my small hometown of Colwich – a community I am honored to represent today,” he said.
“I believe in leadership that listens, understands and brings people together,” he said.
“I want to make sure that every voice is heard, whether you live in the city, in a quiet town or in between on the great plains,” he said.
Blasi confronted any notion that he was not experienced enough for the position.
He pointed out that he’s worked as a senior staffer for two Senate presidents and has sponsored key pieces of legislation, ranging from child care regulations to pregnancy resource center tax credits.
“I deeply respect the unique role each of us play in representing approximately 73,000 Kansans,” he said.
“As majority leader, I’ll work to ensure that we listen to all voices, honor every perspective, and execute on our shared conservative vision for Kansas,” he said.
Tyson, chair of the Senate tax and the Legislative Post-Audit committees, moves into a new leadership role as she prepares to start her fourth term in the Senate.
She also served one term in the House before joining the Senate.
In a letter to Republicans in the Senate caucus, Tyson vowed to be a strong advocate for lower taxes and limited government.
She said she wants to build a team in the Senate that provides an opportunity for every Republican senator to be heard and be successful.
In the uncontested Republican Senate races, Masterson was reelected president and Kloos was reelected majority whip.
Meanwhile, on the Democratic side:
- Sen. Dinah Sykes of Lenexa was reelected as the top Democrat. Sykes didn’t have opposition.
- Sen. Olethe Faust-Goudeau of Wichita was reelected assistant majority leader over a challenge from Marci Francisco of Lawrence.
- Sen. Cindy Holscher of Overland Park was reelected Senate minority whip. She replaces Pat Pettey of Kansas City, who did not run again.
- Sen. Marci Francisco of Lawrence was reelected agenda chair.
- Sen. Ethan Corson of Fairway was elected caucus chair. He replaces Sen. Jeff Pittman of Leavenworth, who was not reelected to the Senate last month.
