Governor of Kansas

Laura Kelly

Democrat · Kansas

48th Governor of Kansas, in office since 2019. Former state senator. Re-elected in 2022 in deep-red Kansas. Focuses on Medicaid expansion, economic development, and education funding as a moderate Democrat in a conservative state.

Record

Pragmatic Democrat who won and held a Republican state by focusing on kitchen-table issues. Expanded Medicaid, boosted education funding, and attracted record economic investment to Kansas including electric vehicle manufacturing.

Legislative Record

Recently signed into law

• KS flat tax veto — Veto of Income Tax Trigger Bill (Vetoed, Apr 10, 2025)
  Vetoed legislation establishing trigger mechanism for flat income-tax rate cuts that she warned could amount to up to $1.3 billion annually amid a forecast budget shortfall. Kansas Legislature later overrode the veto with two-thirds majorities.
• KS SB 125 — FY 2025–2028 Omnibus Budget (Signed with Line-Item Vetoes) (Signed into law, Apr 9, 2025)
  Signed the Republican-led Legislature's budget allocating funding across FY 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028 after issuing dozens of line-item vetoes — including striking a provision requiring annual Medicaid disenrollment/reenrollment that she said conflicted with federal regulations.
• KS abortion video veto — Veto of Anti-Abortion Video School Mandate (Vetoed, Mar 31, 2025)
  Vetoed legislation that would have required Kansas public schools to show specific anti-abortion videos to students; later overridden by the Republican supermajority.

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