Republican Jill Ward and Democrat John Burke are running to replace outgoing state Rep. Brenda Landwehr. 

The 105th District of the Kansas House will have a new representative for the first time since 2016. Republicans have won this district the last five elections. 

Election Day is Nov. 5. Oct. 15 is the last day to register to vote. Early voting starts Oct. 16. You can find your polling place and the races you vote in here. 

Who are the candidates in Kansas House District 105?

Democrat John Burke

Burke has a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University, a master’s degree from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. from Kansas State University. He spent some time at the University of Oklahoma where he was on the football and wrestling teams. 

He spent 18 years as the superintendent of the Haysville School District. In 2020, the Kansas School Superintendents Association gave him the Distinguished Service Award. A Dr. John Burke Learning Center was named in his honor. 

Burke also taught as an adjunct professor at Friends and Baker universities. He’s currently an assistant professor at Newman University. 

He and his wife have four children. 

“Dr. Burke wants to work with other legislators to help all Kansans to thrive,” his campaign website said. “He believes that by reaching across the aisle Kansas can improve its citizens’ lives economically and medically. It is his belief that the current Kansas Republican Party is no longer in touch with the values of the majority of Kansans.”

He is endorsed by the Kansas branch of the AFL-CIO, the Kansas National Education Association and Game On for Kansas Schools. 

His campaign website is here. 

Republican Jill Ann Ward 

Jill Ward is an account executive and a small-business owner. The lifelong Wichitan comes from a large family and says she understands “the pressures put on families and the challenges they face while they pursue their dreams.” 

Ward isn’t a career politician and wanted to run for the Kansas Legislature after she helped change the state’s hit-and-run law after the death of her child. She supports basic conservative principles — like the Second Amendment, growing the economy and reining in the size of government. 

“My faith and my family are the most important things in my life, and they drive my system of beliefs and my priorities,” her campaign website said.  

She’s been endorsed by the Kansas Chamber, NFIB-Kansas, Kansans for Life, the Kansas Rifle Association and Landwehr. 

Her campaign website is here. 

Neither candidate replied to the questionnaire. The Beacon is compiling responses from the candidates’ websites and public statements. 

If you could pass any bill, what would it be and why?  

Burke: Burke supports Medicaid expansion and legal medicinal cannabis. 

Ward: Ward helped pass Levi’s law, which increases the penalties for leaving the scene of a hit-and-run accident when the driver should reasonably assume someone could have died. The law is named after her 20-year-old son who died in a hit-and-run crash on Easter weekend 2022. 

What are your priorities for office? 

Burke: Burke’s website has five key priorities: fully funded public schools, workforce development, Medicaid expansion, legalized medicinal cannabis and a sensible tax structure.

Ward: Ward wants to see more tax relief. She said on the John Whitmer radio show that she is for any and all plans. 

“It’s regrettable that the governor forced a plan into place that did very little for property taxes,” she said. “So (the recently passed tax cuts are) a start, but we have to get some serious help for property taxes.”

Ward also said banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors is another key topic.