Candidates

 United Kansas aims to bring together Kansans from all political backgrounds to work towards a shared vision of progress and prosperity. To that end, the Party is cross-nominating Democratic and Republican candidates for state office who are committed to collaboration and problem solving. Hear from three of those nominees below on their decision to accept the United Kansas nomination and their vision for a more unified Kansas. 

 I am a proud member of the United Kansas party.  I accepted the nomination because it is a commitment that I am not beholden to a specific party or its platform.  I love that United Kansas is focused on unity and collaboration to move our state forward.   

My professional career was in telecommunications where I held numerous positions until I retired in 2020.  I have a strong background in customer service and operations and have served in leadership positions that support voter rights, property rights and older Kansan issues. 

Commissioner District 3 includes Basehor City, Fairmount and Stranger townships.  

For additional information see sherrigrogan.com or Sherri Grogan for County Commission on Facebook. 

Joe Wilson is a lifelong public servant, small business owner, and proud resident of Leavenworth County. With deep roots in the community, Joe’s career has spanned law enforcement, technology, and leadership in both the private and public sectors. He believes in common-sense solutions and bridging divides to create a stronger, more unified community.

A graduate of CSU Global with a degree in Information Technology and a minor in Cybersecurity, Joe founded SorWil Technology Solutions, a successful IT company that has served numerous local businesses and nonprofits. His professional experience has given him a deep understanding of the challenges facing small business owners and the importance of creating economic opportunities for all.

Joe’s commitment to his community is evident not only in his professional life but also in his desire to serve as a moderate voice in the often divisive political landscape. Inspired by leaders like Ronald Reagan, Joe is running as a candidate for the United Kansas Party to represent all residents of the 2nd District, regardless of party affiliation.

Joe is a strong advocate for economic development, support for law enforcement, and responsible infrastructure planning. He is committed to ensuring that Leavenworth County continues to thrive by focusing on practical solutions, collaboration, and fiscal responsibility. His campaign is built on the belief that we are stronger together, and that community leadership should reflect the values and needs of everyone.

 Lori Blake is a small business owner and a longtime member of the Southeast of Saline School Board. A moderate with a history of voting for candidates in both parties, she is running for the Democratic nomination in the 69th District this year.

Last year, I decided to run for the State House in the 69th district.  Over three decades as a small business owner and administrator in public education, disability supports and child abuse prevention, I have learned families are the foundation for society. After thirteen years on the Southeast of Saline  School Board, I want to share my knowledge and experience supporting high quality education and representing the real needs of local families to change  policy. I’m running for the Democratic nomination. But I have a confession: the Democrat label doesn’t quite describe me. 

Though registered as a Democrat when I was younger, over the years I’ve also registered as a Republican, and I’ve voted for both Democrats and Republicans many times. As a school board member advocating to our legislators, I quickly became frustrated by the gridlock caused by our two party system and their inability to collaborate to solve problems. I chose to unaffiliate and tried to distance myself from both major parties because I think politics at the state and national level have gotten nasty. And too often, these same politicians forget there are local leaders elected to  make decisions that are local issues. We are not a one-size fits all state. Much of the focus in Topeka should be sent back to our city, county and school boards. These people understand their communities and their values best.   

Both parties are too dominated by their extremes and people with narrow agendas that the average person doesn’t care much about.  People like me, who just want government to focus on setting policy that betters people’s lives, tend to stay away from running for office.  Picking one of the major party banners doesn’t quite feel right. 

But this year something different is stirring here in Kansas: the United Kansas Party. It’s a new political party that wants to lift the voices and values of moderates—people who value collaboration, compromise and understand a single mind can’t arrive at the best solution due to their limited experience. We are stronger when we work together.  We should seek to create a culture of civility over ideological wars focused on beating the “other side.” 

What makes United Kansas different from other third parties is that it wants to be a constructive party, not one that runs its own fringe candidates, dividing the vote. It’s focused on reviving fusion voting, an old practice here in Kansas that used to be common until the early 1900s. 

Fusion voting is when two or more parties each nominate the same candidate, but voters get to express their support for that candidate on the ballot line that most closely matches their values. Fusion will let people like me express our support in the general election in a way that will make moderation more of a political force to be reckoned with. 

So, my neighbors, get ready for something new (or rather, something old that is coming back). The United Kansas Party is planning to nominate a number of candidates this year, in order to give moderates like me a boost. I hope you’ll consider this shift. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll help launch  our state to the stars out of difficulty. 

J.C. Moore is a lifelong Republican who represented the 93rd District in the Kansas state house from 2019 to 2021. Frustrated by the extremist elements in his party, he has accepted the United Kansas nomination in his bid to reclaim the Republican nomination in his Senate district. 

Here’s something I bet you didn’t know about politics in Kansas. The second biggest political bloc in the state isn’t the Democratic party; it’s the Unaffiliateds. That’s right: according to the Secretary of State’s office, 43% of registered voters are Republicans, 26% are Democrats, and 29% are Unaffiliated. 

Being told to line up with one of the two major parties doesn’t appeal to many of us. A lot of people do pick a party, either because being a Republican or a Democrat matches their values, or because they live in a district where one party is so strong, the only way to have a say is by voting in its primaries. But there’s a problem with this system: it’s driving us further apart and making it harder for government to function.

I’ve been a Republican my whole life. But lately I’ve been feeling that my party has been taken over by its extreme wing. The more it pushes for tax breaks for the wealthy or tougher restrictions on abortion, the more it alienates more moderate folks like me, middle-class people who are carrying the biggest tax burden and want government to make decisions based on science, not religion.

From 2019-2021, I was proud to serve the 93rd district, and to fight to make sure we manage our resources wisely and invest in our future. Given where the extreme wing wants to go, that wasn’t always easy. But as I gear up to run for the state senate, I’m encouraged by a new development here in Kansas. There’s a new political party, the United Kansas Party, seeking  to qualify for the ballot. Its focus is on economic opportunity, affordable health care, quality education, infrastructure, protecting our natural resources, and coming together to get things done. Its goal is to bridge the political divide, not make it worse.

What makes United Kansas different from other third parties, though, is that it doesn’t want to spoil elections and waste votes by running its own standalone candidates who have no shot of winning. Instead, it is aiming to revive fusion voting, an old practice here in Kansas that used to be common until the early 1900s.

Fusion voting is when two or more parties each nominate the same candidate, but voters get to express their support for that candidate on the ballot line that most closely matches their values. So given what the United Kansas party stands for, it could cross-nominate a Republican like me; that way its voters—people who are more in the middle of the road—could have a lot more influence.

I know fusion voting can help me draw support from many of the unaffiliated voters in my district who agree with United Kansas Party values. People in Kansas are looking for a change; the emergence of the United Kansas party plus fusion voting could really make that possible.

Jason Probst is the sitting representative for the 102nd District in the Kansas state house. Running for reelection as a Democrat, he has also accepted United Kansas’ nomination to give voters in his heavily independent district more choice at the ballot box. 

My fellow Kansans, we have a problem. The two-party system is dividing us more than we actually are. These days, politicians get rewarded when they take extreme positions; they get punished for being more moderate and open to compromise. 

I’ve been in the state house for three terms, since 2017. And I’ve watched as each legislative session has gotten more rancorous, with hardly anyone trying to reach across the aisle to collaborate and get things done.

It’s true that Republicans and Democrats have different philosophies about government. Republicans tend to see government as a tool to help business; Democrats tend to see it more as a tool to help people. I relate more to the latter, but the truth is we can’t have all of one and none of the other.

Many of the voters in my district understand that. And maybe my district is different than lots of others in Kansas, in terms of how many voters are unaffiliated. But those in the middle tend to get ignored both in politics and when it comes to policymaking in Topeka.

It’s easy to feel negative about politics, but I’m really encouraged by something new happening in Kansas this election year. A new political party, the United Kansas Party, recently submitted petitions to get on the ballot this November. The founders of the party are focused on economic opportunity, affordable health care, quality education, infrastructure, protecting our natural resources, ethical government and coming together to get things done. They plan to nominate Republicans and Democrats who align with their values.

That’s the most important aspect of the United Kansas party. They’re not planning to run their own standalone candidates, because minor party candidates almost never win—they just risk spoiling elections and wasting their supporters’ votes. Instead, they’re aiming to revive fusion voting. Fusion is where two or more parties each nominate the same candidate, but voters get to express their support for that candidate on the ballot line that most closely matches their values.

In general, I’m a fan of anything that increases voters’ choices. But I think fusion voting—which used to be common here in Kansas until the early 1900s—could really change how things work. Even if United Kansas only got five or ten percent of the vote for the candidates it  cross-nominates, it would change the incentives in Topeka and make it more likely that different political factions would look for ways to find common ground. And so while I’m not changing my Democratic stripes, I’m looking forward to the possibility of also being nominated by the United Kansas party. Because now is the time for good people from all sides of the aisle to come to the aid of their country.