Laura Kelly
Liberal
Democrat
Governor
Kansas
Current Position: Governor of Kansas
Policy Positions
Economic Policy
- Against large income tax cuts; vetoed Republican bills in 2019 that would have cut state income taxes, and vetoed multiple tax-cutting bills in 2024 arguing they were too generous to the wealthy and fiscally irresponsible
- For eliminating sales tax on food; signed a bill in 2022 to gradually reduce and eliminate the sales tax rate on food by 2025
Health Care
- For Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act; repeatedly proposed legislation to expand Medicaid to provide health coverage to up to 150,000 Kansans
Civil Rights
- Against abortion restrictions; opposed a Republican anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 2020, and opposed the 2022 Kansas abortion referendum that would have removed the right to an abortion from the state constitution
- For LGBT employment protections; signed an executive order reinstating employment discrimination protections for LGBT state workers that had been eliminated by Governor Brownback
Immigration & Foreign Affairs
- Against sanctuary city protections for immigrants; signed a Republican-backed bill in 2022 preventing implementation of a local community identification card program intended to benefit immigrants and other vulnerable groups