Augusta School Board member Doug Law on Thursday filed to run against Republican state Rep. Kristey Williams for the House District 77 seat in Butler County.
Law, a former public school administrator who served for about two years on the Butler Community College Board of Trustees, filed to run as a Republican.
Law would give Williams her first opponent since 2014, when she was first elected to the House. She defeated Republican Kenneth Bratton that year with 61% of the vote.
“It is my desire to give the citizens of the 77th District an alternative to the radical right agenda,” Law said in a text message Thursday night.
Law said he will finish his first term on the school board at the end of this year. He said he has no general election opposition.
He was appointed to serve out an unexpired term on the Butler County Community College Board of Trustees. He lost his bid to serve a full term on the board by 72 votes in 2021.
He also said he was president of Go! Augusta, the local chamber of commerce.
Williams is now chair of the K-12 Education Budget Committee where she has advocated for school choice legislation.
Back home, Williams worked to defeat Law when he ran for the community college’s board of trustees.
Williams was elected to serve as the mayor of Augusta in 2007.
“I’m looking forward to a robust exchange of ideas in the upcoming primary season on issues that matter to the 77th District such as lowering property taxes, protecting family values, and championing our children’s education,” Williams said in a text message.
“I’ve never shied away from hard work, whether serving in the Capitol or supporting our local communities in the 77th District, so I’m looking forward to the race.”
Williams ended 2022 with about $63,000 in cash on hand in her campaign fund.
House District 77 covers all or parts of Andover, Augusta and Rose Hill.
About 54% of the district is made up of Republican voters. About 16% are Democrats. About 29% of the voters are unaffiliated.
Former Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt carried this district in last year’s governor’s race with about 59% of the vote.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly received about 38% of the vote here.
The Value Them Both amendment removing the right to an abortion from the state constitution won here with about 51% of the vote.
