A Republican is running to unseat a long-serving Democrat in a Kansas House district. 

Rep. Henry Helgerson, an Eastborough Democrat, has won multiple stints in the Kansas Statehouse. He was unopposed in 2022 and Democrats have won this district in the last five elections.

Erik Seligman is trying to change that. 

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 83?

Democrat Henry Helgerson (Incumbent) 

Helgerson has a few stints in the Kansas Legislature. He first took office in 1983 and left office in 2000. He returned in 2003 and 2004, but didn’t reappear at the Statehouse until 2016, where he has served since. 

He is a Wichita State University, Rockhurst College and Harvard University alumnus. Helgerson has a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard. He founded the Wichita Children’s Museum — now Exploration Place — and was the director of Mennonite Housing and is a member of the Wichita Chamber of Commerce, according to his campaign website. 

Helgerson manages a family-owned business that started in 1937. 

“We must reach across party lines, across economic, social and racial divides to create a new future,” his campaign website said. “The strength of Kansas is in our people who get up and go to work every day, and are willing to help out a neighbor when misfortune happens. And it has for thousands of Kansans.”

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

Republican Erik Seligman

Seligman has a bachelor’s degree in math from Princeton University and a master’s in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University. He works for Cadence Design Systems — a software company — after retiring from Intel after 27 years.  

He is a former member of the Hillsboro School Board in Oregon and its curriculum committee  and the Washington County (Oregon) Commission on Children and Families. He currently serves on the industry advisory board for Wichita State University’s electrical and computer engineering department.

He is endorsed by Americans for Prosperity, the Cannabis Justice Coalition-Kansas and the Kansas Rifle Association. 

Helgerson and Seligman didn’t respond to the election questionnaire. Responses are from their  campaign websites, voting histories and public comments. 

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

Helgerson: Helgerson has proposed a range of legislation. He has called for more money for water projects, building a state psychiatric hospital in Wichita and aid for homeless veterans.

Seligman: Seligman said on his website that “We need to strengthen Kansas charter school laws, and expand school choice programs throughout the state … Some schools will have different programs, such as STEM, STEAM, or dual/non-dual language, that may work better for some kids than others … But do we really believe one-size-fits-all is the best way to deliver education? Every school has a finite amount of resources, and cannot focus on everything.”

What are your priorities for office? 

Helgerson: Helgerson supports Medicaid expansion. 

“It’s been years coming,” his campaign website said. “Expansion bills passed the House three times … Expanding Medicaid would aid more than 150,000 Kansans who currently do not have health insurance or access to affordable medical care.”

His campaign website, which hasn’t been updated in years, is here. 

Seligman: Seligman opposes gender-affirming care. 

“It has become increasingly clear that gender-affirming medical care allows children — many too young to get a tattoo — to decide on medical treatments that will affect the rest of their lives, and are not truly necessary,” his campaign website said. “The incumbent voted against outlawing these treatments.”

He also wants more tax cuts and said the special session on taxes didn’t go far enough. He also opposes “racist and anti-Semitic equity programs.”

His campaign website is here.