Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Barnett has selected his running mate for Lt. Governor, his wife Rosemary.
Barnett says when choosing a running mate he had three simple criteria, someone who could help him implement his #OneKansas agenda, help his administration improve the functioning of the state government, and someone able to bridge the rural/urban divide. Barnett said in a press release, “Many were qualified in some areas. Only a few were qualified in all three areas. It became clear that the one person who was best qualified in all areas was also the person who had spent the past 22 months traveling 70,000 miles with me, Rosemary Hansen, my wife.”
Rosemary grew up in Americus and graduated from Americus High School in 1972. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Kansas in 1976 and obtained her law degree in 1982 from the University of Minnesota. She has served in several political stations in her lifetime including being a former foreign service officer in the department of state from 1985-2011 with overseas assignments in Ecuador, and U.S. Embassy assignments in Bangladesh, Germany, Bosnia, Australia, Afghanistan, and Thailand.
Barnett has acknowledged his choice is out of the ordinary, however, he made the point that there have been several non-traditional picks for Lt. Governor in recent Kansas history.
We will have more information available on KVEO and KVOE.com when it becomes available.
