TOPEKA — A Kansas state senator has switched to the Democratic Party to become the fourth moderate suburban Kansas City lawmaker to leave the Republican Party in a week.
State Sen. Dinah Sykes of Lenexa said Wednesday that she could either fight to change the GOP or fight for her constituents. She won her seat in 2016.
Rep. Stephanie Clayton of Overland Park also switched parties Wednesday. Clayton was first elected to the House in 2010 and said she could best support public schools by becoming a Democrat. Clayton has been an outspoken GOP moderate who was first elected to the House in 2010 and has been a strong advocate of government transparency measures and an organizer of a bipartisan Women’s Caucus.
The GOP’s majorities slip to 84-41 in the House and 28-11 in the Senate, with one independent there.
Last week, state Sen. Barbara Bollier of Mission Hills and departing Rep. Joy Koesten of Leawood also switched to the Democratic Party. Koesten lost her GOP primary and leaves office in January. Bollier’s four-year term goes through 2020.
