Republican state Rep. Kellie Warren on Friday announced she would mount a primary challenge against GOP state Sen. John Skubal in Johnson County.
Elected to the Kansas House in 2018, Warren revealed her plans to run against Skubal in District 11, which bumps up against the Missouri/Kansas state line and covers parts of Leawood and Overland Park.
“Kansas voters consistently have embraced leaders who will champion real solutions and set aside partisan politics,” Warren said in a statement.
“It becomes more important than ever as our state works to combat COVID-19 and later rebuild our economy, that we have Senate leaders at the decision-making table who are dedicated to common-sense, real-world solutions that will get our economy growing again,” she said.
If Warren won the primary, it could set up a rematch of a House race from 2018, when she defeated former state Rep. Joy Koesten, who was then a Republican and is now a Democrat. Koesten has already filed for the Senate seat.
Warren defeated Koesten in the Republican primary two years ago with about 58% of the vote. She won the general election over Democrat Brian Clausen with 56% of the vote.
Skubal has a long record of public service in Johnson County, serving on the Overland Park Planning Commission and the Overland Park City Council.
He served on the Planning Commission from 2004 to 2006 and on the City Council from 2006 to 2016.
Skubal said he had heard rumblings about Warren running for the state Senate for a couple of years.
“It’s not a well-kept secret,” Skubal said. “We knew it was coming.”
He defeated conservative Republican state Sen. Jeff Melcher with about 57% of the vote in 2016 and won the general election with about 65% of the vote.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly carried the district by 12 percentage points over Republican Kris Kobach in the 2018 governor’s race.
However, President Donald Trump carried the district with 50% of the vote in 2016.
It went for former Gov. Sam Brownback with 54% of the vote in 2014 and Mitt Romney with 64% of the vote in 2012.
