Before the 2023 Kansas legislative session begins, with a new House district introduced to parts of the KVOE listening area, the representative has resigned his post and his replacement has been named.
Joe Newland, a Wilson County farmer who had won re-election in November after not facing an official challenge, resigned earlier this month to become president of the Kansas Farm Bureau, replacing Rich Felts, who had led the Farm Bureau the last eight years.
In Newland’s place will be retired veterinarian Dr. Duane Droge from Eureka. Droge has been involved in veterinary medicine since 1980, growing up near Bern and receiving his veterinary degree from Kansas State University. Droge received 73 of 77 votes during a replacement convention of the Republican Central Committee.
Droge is a conservative, professing support for First and Second Amendment rights as “absolute.” He also is against the legalization of marijuana, especially for recreational use, and believes in traditional gender roles, saying there are two genders “and anything else is just a mental condition.”
The 13th District includes all or parts of Lyon, Chase, Greenwood, Wilson and Woodson counties. It was expanded as part of legislative redistricting during the 2022 session. The 2023 session opens Jan. 9.
