Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt is running for governor. She’s likely not the most recognized figure in a crowded Republican field, with a name and job rarely in the headlines. Schmidt admits she prefers it that way.
“You don’t need a lot of drama from your governor,” Schmidt said Monday on a visit to Iola. “I like to think I’m a Bob Dole Republican. I’m not a culture warrior. I’m a fiscal conservative. Even my husband would agree with that,” she laughed.
Schmidt is up against Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, Overland Park businessman Philip Sarnecki, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, and Charlotte O’Hara, a former Johnson County commissioner, for the Republican nomination.
The primary election is Aug. 4.
SCHMIDT has led the Insurance Commissioner’s office since 2018, coasting to reelection in 2022. Before that, she served 14 years in the Kansas Senate. The Wichita native is a graduate of KU’s pharmacy program.
Schmidt points to her experience leading a statewide department and strong relationships in the legislature as key to her decision to run for governor.
“I’ve had a nice run at the Insurance Commissioner’s office,” she said. “We came in, we saw what was wrong, and we started fixing things. We cut the cost of business by $100 million, and at the same time we’ve returned over $206 million back to Kansas consumers.”
It made her wonder, she says, “What would it look like for our state government to experience those kinds of efficiencies?”
A state senator during the Brownback years, Schmidt says she learned the importance of carefully managing budgets the hard way.
“We cut beyond the bone. We cut to the marrow. It was tough. I never want to go back to that again,” she said, shaking her head. “We were looking under the couch cushions for change.”
Schmidt describes how the state budget operates as a three-legged stool. “We have property, income and sales taxes. If you cut off any one of those legs, you have problems.”
When considering her opponents in the Republican primary, Schmidt worries many don’t understand the financial impact of their campaign promises.
“I think the question is: are they willing to go to a zero income tax? We’ve tried that. It didn’t work. I think there are taxes that can be cut, property taxes being one of them. But we can’t just cut a leg off the stool.”
Schmidt also points to recent unbalanced state budgets as a cause for concern. Experts predict about a $703 million deficit this current fiscal year and a $408 million deficit next year.
“Over the last two years, our state legislature has spent more money than it’s been bringing in. That’s a real concern.”
JOE NEWLAND, Schmidt’s running mate, is a Neodesha native. He’s a former Republican member of the Kansas House and is currently the president of the Kansas Farm Bureau. If elected, Schmidt says Newland will also serve as Secretary of Agriculture.
