TOPEKA — A one-time speechwriter for former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius says she will begin a campaign on Tuesday for an eastern Kansas congressional seat.
The Kansas City Star reports that Democrat Abbie Hodgson will seek the party’s nomination to challenge freshman GOP Rep. Steve Watkins in Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District, which includes Lawrence, Topeka and Leavenworth.
The 37-year-old Hodgson is a former Kansas House Democratic staff member who has spent the past two years working in Washington, D.C., for Pew Charitable Trusts. She has moved back to Kansas and says she will step down from her position with Pew’s State Strategy Group.
Hodgson said her campaign will focus on health care, agriculture, trade policy and the financial well-being of Kansans.
The 42-year-old Watkins defeated former state legislative leader Paul Davis last year.
