It isn't hard to say Mary Pilcher-Cook is one of the largest obstacles to reason in the Kansas State House. Her firebrand attitude is so fierce that Republican Senate President Susan Wagle couldn’t deal with it, removing her from the committee of Health & Human Services.
Her resume was fantastic for conservative issues. She’s the senator that advocated that teaching sex education was the same as distributing pornography to minors, and should be subject to criminal penalties, including jail. She has been the subject of full throated support by Governor Brownback, including when she decided to declare birth control a government led eugenics plot.
Normally that would be enough, but for Pilcher Cook, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
It was only two years ago when the senator announced a plan to require miscarriage reporting — just in case you practiced an illegal abortion at home and should be investigated. Her cover story? To make sure proper burials occurred.
Of course, there was also the time the good Senator tried to ban gay foster parents and gay residents from adopting children. She also performed a stunt sonogram in a committee hearing. Oh, and efforts to ban books? Yes, we’ve been there too.
Most recently, though, Mary Pilcher Cook made her name by being the only senator, in either party, to vote against school funding. She cast her lonely no vote in the face of school closure, voting to lock the kids out of school this fall.
In a PPP Poll released by her Democratic opponent, Vicki Hiatt, there are signs that Kansas’most outrageous senator may be in real trouble. Hiatt, a teacher who retired after 30 years of work in special education, leads the way by 3 points in a fast-growing district that may have had enough of the current representation in the state senate.
Can Hiatt prevail? The district itself is not an easy one for a Democratic candidate, but the general dislike for the current senator is strong, and Democratic leadership is bullish on the opportunity.
For Hiatt to succeed, however, she is going to need some serious support. The good news for Vicki Hiatt is there may be enough individuals willing to provide it to put her over the top.
To help Kansas make that change, throw a donation here: vickihiatt.ngpvanhost.com/...
Full disclosure: like numerous Democratic candidates, I work for and help represent Democratic candidates statewide. The work above is not promoted by her campaign, nor does it speak for her campaign. It speaks in my role as Scott County Democratic Party Chair and National Committee member only.
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