Democratic state Rep. Brandon Woodard on Monday announced he will run for the top Democratic post in the Kansas House.
The lawmaker, who ran for the position in 2022 but came up two votes short, will face Democratic Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton of Overland Park for House minority leader.
The winner would replace outgoing state Rep. Vic Miller as minority leader after he ran unsuccessfully for the Kansas Senate this year.
Elected in 2018, Woodard, along with state Rep. Susan Ruiz, was one of the state’s first two LGTBQ legislators elected to the Kansas House. He was just reelected to a fourth term in the Kansas House.
“It is my genuine hope that I can combine my decade of Democratic campaign work on local, state, and federal races, six years in the Statehouse, and organizational leadership skills to unite our caucus, find common ground, and elevate our message to our colleagues across the aisle and the people of Kansas,” Woodard said in an email to House Democrats.
“Our next leader needs to have these important qualities: an ability to negotiate, a national network of fundraising and political connections, and experience managing dynamic individuals,” the Lenexa lawmaker wrote.
“Thankfully, I have nearly a decade of experience in each of these areas.”
Woodard took time address the results from the election when House Republicans expanded their supermajority to 88 seats from 85 seats.
Republicans gained two of those seats in Johnson County, which has been trending bluer for about a decade.
“Let’s be real,” he wrote. “Election Night did not go how any of us hoped that it would.
“Donald Trump is going to be president, the Kansas Legislature got more conservative, and our caucus lost three incredibly valuable members whose voices will be missed next year.
“We can learn from and we can begin focusing on the 2026 election by delivering results for our districts, fighting the worst legislation when possible, and revamping how we engage with the people who send us to the statehouse.”
Woodard said he has spent the last several months raising money to provide $10,500 in direct financial support state legislative candidates in 19 districts.
Woodard, who was unopposed for reelection, said he also spent nearly $60,000 on positive mail and digital ads in seven House districts.
“I care deeply about Kansas and know that our greatest days in the Democratic Caucus are ahead of us,” Woodard wrote.
“As a nonprofit leader, community organizer, campaign veteran, and Ranking Minority Member on two committees for our caucus, I know that I can combine my professional experience and love for our work to elevate the image of our caucus by empowering each of you to speak up, show out, and learn something new,” he wrote.
Woodard is now d
He worked for the University of Kansas Endowment as associate development director from 2017 to 2022 and development officer from 2015 to 2017.
Woodard graduated with a bachelor’s in political science and a minor in business from the University of Kansas in 2013.
He now serves as the ranking minority member on the House elections and higher education budget committees.
He also sits on the House appropriations and insurance committees.
