Democrat Cindy Holscher on her campaign for Kansas governor
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What motivated Cindy Holscher to launch a campaign for Kansas governor?
State Senator Cindy Holsher, first elected to the legislature in 2016, is on the campaign trail to build support for her election as Kansas governor. That primary election in August 2026 might seem too distant to ponder candidates to replace Governor Laura Kelly, but tell that to Republicans and Democrats keen to succeed the two-term Democratic governor. Believe me, the fight is on. Senator Holsher, welcome back to the Kansas Reflector podcast.
Oh, thank you so much for having me. It's good to be here.
Excellent. So to begin with, what kind of response have you encountered as you've moved about Kansas and spoke to voters?
Oh, the response has been just overwhelming. I've done over 55 town halls between the months of April and the end of July all across the state with voters, essentially going anywhere I've been called to come do a town hall. And the turnout has been just exceeding my expectations. It's been Republicans, Democrats, and independents showing up. One of the first town halls I did was in, gosh, I think that was Parsons, Kansas. And I figured maybe 50 people would show up. There were over 120 people that want to be heard, want their questions answered. So like I said, it initially started out with about 10 or 15 stops, but then more and more communities started calling me saying, we want you to come to our area today.
And like I said, he ended up doing 55 of them in about a three-month time period. And, you know, consistently across the state. And, you know, some of these were in Johnson County, but also, like I said, elsewhere. It's been consistent in terms of people are concerned about affordability issues. And with a lot of the changes that have happened on the federal level, I think the best way I can summarize that is like they are saying that it feels like one shoe has dropped. And it's been a concern, and now they're waiting for that second shoe.
So you think maybe one shoe is the federal government's imposing its will on states?
Yes.
And that they think there's more to come?
Yes. The big, beautiful bills, so to speak. People are cautious about that and what the implications will be while they're already feeling the pain from some of the things that have happened.
So can you be more refined in that? Put your finger on something that you are hearing that people want state government to do in terms of maybe responding to that.
Yeah, they're looking for protection, and I guess pushback is probably one of the best ways to talk about it in terms of cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. And really, people are looking for direction in terms of what can they do right now. They're gearing up for elections, but also they want practical tactics and practical solutions. examples of action they should take now.
Well, let's step back a second. Can you outline who you are, where
you
come from, how you came? I think you were born in Missouri,
east of Kansas City. Yeah, I was born on a farm in Missouri. So I always let people know that I was a Missourian by birth, but Kansan by choice when it came time. When it came time for me to decide where to live and where to settle, my husband and I chose Kansas. But yeah, I was born on a farm. I am the granddaughter of tenant farmers, the poorest of the poor. So mobility was a bit of an issue. It wasn't something that really was available
How did town‑hall meetings across Kansas shape her campaign message?
My parents are from that area. They married, continued the tradition of farming. I would tell you that was the 80s, though, when it was hard to hold on to a farm. So both of my parents worked outside of the home. Additionally, my dad's a Marine Corps veteran. He worked 37 years in concrete construction, member of heavy laborers union. And my mom actually worked worked at the school that I attended. She was a bus driver as well as a custodian. So, I mean, those were my roots. I'm actually a first-generation college graduate. Put myself through college. My college experience was probably a little different than a lot of people's. You went to University of Missouri I did yeah I'm a product of the public school system and public education system but like I said I put myself through school and I wasn't able to go out and do a lot of things like go to games and like I said enjoy all the things that a lot of times college students talk about my free time was spent waiting tables making money to put myself through school and
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What motivated Cindy Holscher to launch a campaign for Kansas governor?
0:00–3:21
2
How did town‑hall meetings across Kansas shape her campaign message?
3:21–6:27
3
What personal and professional experiences does Holscher draw on as a candidate?
6:27–9:06
4
Why does she believe she can win in a heavily Republican state?
9:06–12:09
5
How does Holscher plan to address Kansas’ affordability crisis (housing, childcare, health care)?
12:09–15:52
6
What is her stance on the upcoming congressional redistricting and its impact on voters?
15:52–19:57
7
How does she propose to protect public‑school funding and oppose private‑school vouchers?
19:57–22:51
8
What solutions does she offer for health‑care access and Medicaid expansion in Kansas?
22:51–25:32
Speakers
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