Vote for Ty Masterson

Cindy Holscher, a Kansas state senator from the Overland Park/Johnson County area (District 8).

This is her whole deal - 

• Legalizing cannabis (medical and recreational), with revenue potentially directed to schools/farmers.

She won the Democratic primary on August 4, 2026, with roughly 48–49% of the vote, defeating fellow state Sen. Ethan Corson (who had outgoing Gov. Laura Kelly’s endorsement) and Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog. She will face Republican Senate President Ty Masterson in the November general election.

Background

Holscher (born 1969 in Slater, Missouri; full name Cynthia L. Holscher, née Blumhorst) comes from a working-class farm family—her father was a union construction worker and her mother a school custodian/bus driver. She is a first-generation college graduate (University of Missouri, degrees in journalism and political science). She and her husband Greg have lived in Kansas for over 25 years; their three children attended public schools. She previously worked in marketing/operations at Sprint (including large budgets) before entering politics.

She first ran for the Kansas House in 2016 (winning a Republican-held seat), motivated by opposition to then-Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax cuts and school funding cuts. She co-founded a bipartisan women’s caucus, helped reverse some of those policies, and later won a competitive Senate race in 2020 in a Republican-leaning district. She has served as Senate Minority Whip and sits on committees including Public Health and Welfare and Government Efficiency.

Positions and style

Her campaign emphasizes “kitchen table” affordability issues, public education funding, and standing up for working families against corporate interests and special deals. Key stances include:

• Expanding Medicaid.
• Raising the state minimum wage (she has pushed for $16/hour, with local flexibility).
• Legalizing cannabis (medical and recreational), with revenue potentially directed to schools/farmers.
• Property tax relief (e.g., lowering residential assessment rates and protections for seniors/veterans).
• Fully funding public schools and opposing vouchers/private school shifts of public money.
• Supporting abortion rights (she opposed the 2022 constitutional amendment effort to restrict them).
• A statewide moratorium on new large data centers (citing energy costs, water use, farmland impacts, and taxpayer subsidies; she previously supported some related tax exemptions but later reversed).
• Criticism of certain corporate tax breaks, stadium subsidy deals, and “extremist” or establishment approaches.

She presents herself as a bipartisan problem-solver who can win in red-leaning areas and as more anti-establishment/populist than the Kelly-backed alternative. She has highlighted her farm/union/military family roots and record of passing bills (e.g., protections related to domestic abuse survivors, Purple Alert for missing adults with disabilities).

On “wild” or extreme views

That depends on the perspective. Holscher and supporters describe her priorities (Medicaid expansion, higher minimum wage, cannabis legalization, data-center limits, school funding) as mainstream Kansas positions with broad public support. During the primary, Gov. Kelly and some allies portrayed her as too far left or “extremist” relative to a more moderate path, arguing it could hurt electability in a general election; Republicans have amplified similar attacks, tying her to progressive priorities on education, taxes, and social issues.

Conservative scorecards rate her poorly (low single-digit to teens percentages on limited-government/free-market measures), reflecting consistent opposition to many Republican priorities on taxes, education choice, parental-rights bills, and related matters. She has a strong progressive tilt on abortion, LGBTQ-related issues in some votes, and worker protections, while emphasizing fiscal recovery from the Brownback era and practical affordability. Nothing in major reporting depicts fringe conspiracy theories or highly idiosyncratic radicalism; the “wild” label is mostly partisan framing around standard left-of-center Democratic positions in a red state.

In short, she is a relatively progressive Johnson County Democrat with a working-class background who beat the establishment favorite in the primary by running against corporate giveaways and for kitchen-table issues. Her general-election viability will hinge on whether those positions play as pragmatic or as too left for broader Kansas voters.

Just wanted to throw something out there. [coffee with Henry]

 Philip,

You ran a solid race and talked a lot about Kansas needing a turnaround. I kept thinking about that. If that’s really the goal, the best place to actually make it happen might be Secretary of Administration. That’s the department that runs the real machinery — budget, personnel, procurement, facilities, the whole back office that either makes government work or keeps it stuck.

I’m not saying it’s an easy job, and I know it’s a big ask. But if Ty ends up needing someone who understands how things actually operate and wants results instead of just another title, you ought to at least put your name in front of him.

If you decide to reach out, I’m happy to help however I can. No pressure either way — just thought it was worth saying out loud.

Henry 785-383-9994

Subject: Department of Administration – A Strong Fit

Philip,

Congratulations on a hard-fought campaign. Even though it didn’t go your way against Ty Masterson, you clearly showed you understand how state government needs to function better.

I’d like to encourage you to reach out to Ty directly and offer yourself for Secretary of Administration. That department is where real operational help is needed—budget execution, personnel, procurement, facilities, payroll, and the day-to-day machinery that makes the rest of state government work. It’s a role that rewards practical experience and someone who can actually get things done rather than just talk about reform.

You ran as someone who wants to improve how Kansas government operates. This would be a concrete way to put that into practice. If Ty is looking for a capable, results-oriented person to lead the Department of Administration, you’re worth a serious conversation.

Happy to help however I can if you decide to pursue it.

Best regards, Henry McClure MCRE, LLC 785-383-9994 mcre13@gmail.com

Are you thinking what I'm thinking ...... ?"?

 The Kansas State Finance Council (SFC) is a joint executive-legislative body that handles certain fiscal and administrative matters, primarily when the Legislature is not in session. It was created by statute (K.S.A. 75-3708) and serves as a mechanism for limited legislative delegation of authority over specific budget, expenditure, and related actions.

Membership and Structure

The Council has nine members:

• The Governor (who serves as chairperson)
• President of the Senate
• Speaker of the House of Representatives
• Majority Floor Leader of the Senate
• Minority Floor Leader of the Senate
• Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means
• Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives
• Minority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives
• Chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations

The Secretary of Administration serves as the non-voting secretary of the Council (responsible for administrative support, such as preparing minutes and agendas) but is not a member.

A quorum requires the chairperson plus five or more other members. Approval of most matters requires the Governor’s approval plus a majority vote of the legislative members (typically five of the eight legislative votes), unless a statute or budget proviso requires a higher threshold (e.g., unanimous vote or six legislative votes).

Primary Duties and Powers

The SFC acts on matters that statutes characterize as legislative delegations. These are generally exercised only when the Legislature is not in session (with some exceptions authorized by law or proviso). Key functions include:

• Increasing expenditure limitations on special revenue funds imposed by legislative act.
• Granting approval for state agencies to receive, spend, or transfer federal grants, funds from other sources, or interagency moneys (under K.S.A. 75-3711a and related provisions), when not otherwise specifically authorized by law.
• Exercising functions related to the State Emergency Fund (including allocations and expenditures for emergencies or extraordinary circumstances, such as weather-related disasters; certain actions require a unanimous vote of the full Council under K.S.A. 75-3713).
• Increasing limitations on expenditures from reappropriated balances in State General Fund accounts.
• Increasing limitations on the number of personnel positions paid from appropriations.
• Other specific statutory functions, such as those related to certificates of indebtedness (K.S.A. 75-3725a, which requires six affirmative legislative votes plus the Governor), certain disaster-related or emergency management actions (e.g., under K.S.A. 48-938), and other matters expressly delegated by statute or budget provisos.
• Approving specific distributions or allocations directed by the Legislature (common recent examples include implementing state employee pay plans by determining agency-by-agency amounts, or approving certain university/regents funding distributions or bond-related actions when required by proviso).

The Governor separately handles certain related executive functions (such as appeals from decisions of the Secretary of Administration, approval of some Department of Administration rules and regulations, and allocations for unanticipated needs under specific guidelines). Matters not characterized as legislative delegations are generally handled by the Governor rather than the full Council.

Operational Notes

• The Council meets upon the call of the chairperson (Governor) as needed.
• Legislative members receive compensation and expense allowances for attendance.
• Notice, agendas, and minutes are provided to members and made available through legislative channels (including notice to all legislators via the Director of Legislative Administrative Services).
• It frequently addresses interim fiscal adjustments, federal fund approvals, emergency expenditures, and implementation details of budget actions that the full Legislature has authorized but left for further refinement.

In practice, the SFC provides a streamlined way for legislative leaders and the Governor to address time-sensitive fiscal matters between regular sessions while maintaining bipartisan legislative involvement (via majority and minority leaders plus the main budget committee chairs). Exact items on any agenda depend on current statutes, appropriations bills, and emerging needs. For the most current statutory details, consult K.S.A. 75-3708, 75-3711, 75-3711c, and related sections, along with recent budget bills and meeting materials from the Kansas Legislature.

The Kansas Secretary of Administration heads the Department of Administration (DoA), a cabinet-level agency that provides central administrative support services to state agencies, employees, and taxpayers.

The position is created by statute (primarily K.S.A. 75-3702a). The Governor appoints the Secretary, subject to Senate confirmation; the Secretary serves at the pleasure of the Governor and directs/supervises the Department.

Core Responsibilities

The Secretary manages and directs the Department’s offices and functions, sets agency priorities and vision/mission, and allocates resources. The DoA (created by the Legislature in 1953) acts as the state’s primary provider of centralized administrative services.

Key areas under the Secretary’s oversight typically include:

• Financial and accounting systems — Statewide accounting, payroll, financial reporting, and related services (Office of Accounts and Reports; Office of Financial Management).
• Budget processes — Involvement in financial policies/plans and (in recent practice) the Director of the Budget role, advising the Governor on the state budget.
• Personnel and human resources — Statewide HR policy, leadership, guidance, civil service/personnel administration, and related rules/regulations (Office of Personnel Services; powers under the Kansas Civil Service Act).
• Procurement and contracts — Efficient purchasing processes and statewide contracts for goods and services.
• Facilities and property management — Asset management, design/construction of state buildings, maintenance, leasing, parking, and related services.
• Printing, mailing, and surplus property — Central printing/mailing services and surplus property programs.
• Systems/IT support — Architecture, technical development, and support for statewide systems used by the Department.
• Employee benefits — State Employee Health Benefits Program (including health plan and workers’ compensation/self-insurance aspects).
• Legal and communications — Internal legal advice (Office of Chief Counsel) and internal/external communications, media, and open records (Office of Public Affairs).

Additional Roles and Duties

• Member of the Governor’s Cabinet.
• Serves as Secretary to the State Finance Council.
• Serves on various boards/commissions/committees (examples include the Kansas State Employees’ Health Care Commission and the Kansas Criminal Justice Information System/KCJIS Committee; may include roles related to information technology or other administrative bodies).
• Statutory authority includes adopting or acting on rules and regulations related to personnel/civil service, performing investigations concerning civil service enforcement (at the Governor’s request, on petition, or on own motion), entering certain interagency agreements, and broader administrative functions authorized for the Department (e.g., coordinating fiscal affairs, improving agency operations, and providing central services).

The Department’s offices (roughly a dozen) work together to deliver these services. Exact office structure and emphases can evolve with legislation, reorganization, and gubernatorial priorities, but the Secretary’s overarching role remains directing the central administrative machinery of state government.

For the most current details, refer to the official Kansas Department of Administration website (admin.ks.gov), relevant Kansas Statutes (Chapter 75, Article 37 and related provisions), and the Governor’s Budget Report narratives for the Department. As of recent records, the position has been held by Adam Proffitt (appointed 2023, who has also served concurrently as Budget Director).