It’s Election Day, Nov. 2, 2010. People make their way to their respective polling places to cast their vote for candidates normally known as only a face on a television commercial.
But this election’s ballot had some candidates who are more than just a face to the Baldwin City and Baker University communities.
Democrats, Tom Holland, Kansas gubernatorial candidate, Lisa Johnston, U.S. Senate candidate, and Tony Brown, Kansas 10th District State House Representative, have close ties to the Baldwin City and Baker communities.
Holland, from Baldwin City, has been in the Kansas legislature for eight years, both as a State House Representative and Senator. Holland said running Holland Technologies, Inc. has helped him make the decision to become involved in politics.
“I understand the necessity of keeping our customers happy and satisfied, and I saw a lot of parallels between being a business owner and keeping customers happy, and being a elected official and … trying to address and solve their problems,” he said. “So, that’s why I wanted to give it a shot, and I very much enjoyed it.”
Johnston served from 2003-2010 as assistant dean for student academic services at Baker.
This is the first time Johnston has run for office and she enjoyed the entire experience.
Brown taught at Baker from 1990-2008, and has been teaching LA401 as an adjunct professor since last year. He also served on the Baldwin City Council from 2004-2008 and was elected to the Kansas State House of Representatives in 2008.
While Holland, Johnston and Brown received a majority of votes in their respective races in Douglas County, it was not enough to help beat their opponents across the state.
According to msnbc.com, Republican Sam Brownback won 63 percent of the votes, while Holland received 32 percent.
In the race for a seat in the U.S. Senate for Kansas, Republican Jerry Moran won with 70 percent of the votes while Johnston only received 26 percent of the votes. The last time a Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat for Kansas in an election was in 1932.
According to kssos.org, Republican TerriLois Gregory beat Brown with 53 percent of the votes in his race for re-election.
Brown said while he was disappointed, he knows that’s the way it goes sometimes.
“That is the way politics goes,” he said. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”
Johnston said she knows a lot of people were disappointed with the results, but she is still glad to have had the chance to run.
“I have to say, overall, that I have no regrets running for office, she said. “It was a really wonderful experience. And, I’m very glad that I did it.”
Another run for U.S. Senate is still up in the air for Johnston, but definitely not out of the possibility.
“I would certainly be open to running again,” she said. “I don’t have my sights set on anything in particular right now. But if I were needed again, I would be willing to step forward and do that. I was very proud to represent the Kansas Democratic party as their nominee for U.S. Senate.”
