Reform and Reaction

The Arc of Kansas Politics

Michael A. Smith, H. Edward Flentje

• Publisher: University Press of Kansas
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9780700636624, 9780700636617
• eBook ISBN: 9780700636631
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Originating under the leadership of the late Burdett Loomis, Reform and Reaction tells the complex story of recent Kansas politics, beginning in the 1960s and concluding with the reversal of Governor Sam Brownback’s red-state policies in the 2016 and 2018 elections. The Kansas that emerged from the reapportionment decisions and the overhaul of state government in the 1960s and 1970s was one that found itself in a push-and-pull, reform-and-reaction pattern the authors refer to as the arc of Kansas politics.

Reform-minded and policy-oriented politicians who tended toward a moderate, bipartisan approach pushed to modernize the state to better serve the needs of its citizens, following the maxim of Governor Robert Docking: “austere but adequate.” Because this approach avoided or rejected the narrow conservative interests of culture warriors, reformist administrations were followed by reactionary administrations that advanced a right-wing agenda. Brownback thus brought the era of “austere but adequate” to an abrupt end when he won the governorship in 2010. When voters became tired of this approach, a new set of reform politicians were elected—and so the arc continues.

The only book tracing changes in Kansas government since the 1960s, including the loss of moderates in both parties, the Brownback era, and its aftermath, Reform and Reaction is the last book by the celebrated political scientist Burdett Loomis, who conceived the idea for the book and authored one of its chapters before his passing.

Reform and Reaction not only illuminates the political history of Kansas but also sheds light on what may be in store for the future of the Sunflower State.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1 The End of the Old Kansas and the Reapportionment Revolution
• 2 Institutional Reform and the Bennett Governorship
• 3 Political Competition and Policy Activism in the 1980s: Governors Carlin and Hayden
• 4 The Finney Transition and Political Undercurrents
• 5 Contentious Republicans: The Graves Years
• 6 Democratic Rule in Red-State Kansas: The Sebelius-Parkinson Years
• 7 Political Strategy Shifts Rightward: The Brownback Years
• 8 Brownback’s Red-State Governance
• 9 Kansas Voters Reverse Course: The 2016 and 2018 Elections
• Conclusion: The Arc of Kansas Politics
• About the Contributors
• Index
• Back Cover