The Lyon County Democrats welcomed former Kansas Governor John Carlin to their annual picnic fundraiser at the Emporia Senior Center Sunday evening.
Carlin served as the keynote speaker for the event. During his time Carlin shared his insight into the current political climate, both on the state and national level, and discussed the 2020 election.
When it comes to the political climate in Kansas, Carlin says things have changed drastically since his time in office. He says over the years, the legislature has become increasingly divisive.
Carlin also took time to share his thoughts on current Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. He feels if certain legislative races saw different outcomes this past election — specifically many moderate Republicans losing their seats — Governor Kelly may have had a stronger start to her term. According to Carlin the cooperation between moderate Republicans and Democrats led to many accomplishments in the past and would have been very advantageous to Kelly.
As for a full evaluation of the Governor’s performance, Carlin says it is a bit too early for that.
When it comes to 2020, Carlin expects healthcare to be a major topic of discussion both at the state and national level. Carlin feels in Kansas Medicaid expansion needs to happen saying it is a “slam dunk decision.”
Carlin was the state’s 40th governor, serving two terms from 1979 to 1987, chairing the National Governors Association from 1984 to 1985. He also served as Speaker of the Kansas House for two years before becoming governor and was the Archivist of the United States from 1995 to 2005.
Photos by Tagan Trahoon/KVOE News
{gallery}Lyon County Democrats{/gallery}
