Rep. Nick Hoheisel, a Wichita Republican, faces a challenger after winning an uncontested general election in 2022. 

A retired postal service worker, Christine Pruitt is running for the seat. 

Republicans have won this seat in the past 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 97?

Republican Nick Hoheisel (Incumbent) 

Hoheisel is in his third term in the Kansas Statehouse. He first took office in 2019 and has two kids with his wife. 

Hoheisel is the chair of the Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee. He’s also on the Transportation and Taxation committees. He has twice been appointed to a Medical Marijuana special committee. 

“As a lifelong resident of Southwest Wichita, my wife, Misti, and I chose to raise our two children here because we deeply believe in our community’s spirit,” he said. “I’m committed to continuing 

the work to ensure Southwest Wichita remains a great place to live, work and raise a family.”

Hoheisel is endorsed by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, NFIB-Kansas, the Kansas Farm Bureau, the Kansas Livestock Association and the Kansas Rifle Association. 

His campaign website is here. 

Democrat Christine Pruitt 

Pruitt spent over two decades at the U.S. Postal Service but is now retired. She was a union member who fought for workers’ rights. She was born in Wichita and graduated from North High. 

The single mother raised two children and now has four grandchildren and four stepgrandchildren. 

“I have negotiated solutions to employee issues for more than 30 years,” Pruitt said. “Advocating and negotiating requires the ability to understand all sides of the issues, not just the one you think is best.”

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

If elected, which of these politicians would you most closely resemble?

Options include: Joe Biden, Sharice Davids, Bob Dole, Nancy Kassebaum, Laura Kelly, Roger Marshall, Jerry Moran, Donald Trump or someone else.

Hoheisel: My goal isn’t to emulate any politician; it’s to represent Southwest Wichita in Topeka, cast votes that best serve our community, and then return home to my family. However, I do deeply admire U.S. Sen. Bob Dole’s service to our state and country. Senator Dole had a strong sense of duty to constituents, a commitment to service, and prioritized finding practical solutions to complex issues. My aim is to work towards policies that benefit all Kansans, just as Dole did.

Pruitt: A mixture of Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids. I understand the struggles of working people. I believe the government should be responsive to the needs of the least of us.   For 10 years, Kansas has not passed Medicaid expansion. This would provide health care for many small-business owners that can’t afford coverage through the Marketplace. The lack of health care has contributed to the attendance issues that many companies are experiencing.  Ignoring illness until it becomes serious causes long-term consequences.

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

Hoheisel: If I could pass any bill, it would impose severe penalties for fentanyl trafficking. Fentanyl is a deadly threat, and distributors must face the strictest consequences. This bill would increase penalties for traffickers, prioritize law enforcement resources to combat the crisis, and bolster support for addiction treatment and prevention. With nearly 250 overdose deaths in Sedgwick County in 2023, 153 of which were fentanyl-related, a hard-line approach is crucial. In the last session, I helped secure an extra $3.5 million to support law enforcement in addressing this urgent threat.

Pruitt: I believe that the citizens of Kansas should have the right to force a vote on an issue.  Each of the states that border Kansas have the right to direct citizen initiative. The voters of Kansas let their voices be heard in 2022 but they are prohibited from forcing an issue onto a ballot. For instance, Oklahoma obtained medical marijuana via a citizen initiative. Although the voters elect the representatives, sometimes citizens believe that their voices are not being heard. This method allows them to force an issue they feel committed about onto the ballot.

How would you have voted on the following items? You can vote yes, no or pass. 

The Aug. 2, 2022, constitutional amendment on abortion

Voting no meant the state constitution would continue to protect the right to abortion. Voting yes would have meant it can be regulated or banned. 

Hoheisel: Yes. I voted yes to allow the people to have a say in their constitution. They spoke, and their voice should be respected. Going forward, we must focus on fostering a culture of life by addressing the rising costs of raising a family and work to make adoptions more affordable.

Pruitt: No. Bodily autonomy is every person’s right.

Flat tax on income

A flat tax on income was packaged with property tax cuts and eliminating Social Security income tax. Democrats and Republicans agreed on other parts of the plan, but were at odds over a flat tax. A single rate on income didn’t pass this year.

Hoheisel: Yes. I support simplifying the tax system. A single-rate tax at 5.25% would streamline the tax code and potentially lower administrative costs. The 5.25% proposal, which had support from both Republicans and Democrats, would have provided a tax break for every income tax-paying Kansan.

Pruitt: No. The less a person makes, the less they can afford the taxes. The more a person makes, the less impact higher taxes places on their lives. No one likes paying taxes but a flat tax places a higher burden on the people that can least afford it.

Banning transgender women from women’s sports

Banning transgender women from women’s sports. Voting yes would mean athletes have to compete as the gender they’re assigned at birth. This bill was vetoed but the veto was overridden in 2022. 

Hoheisel: Yes. I believe athletes should compete based on their gender assigned at birth. This measure is necessary to ensure fairness in women’s sports and address inherent competitive advantages.

Pruitt: The drama at the Olympic boxing event brought this to the forefront. I would need more information to know for sure how I would vote on banning transgender women from women’s sports. It is usually the fear of the unknown that creates prejudice. Testosterone testing is one option to even the field. 

Banning gender-affirming care for trans youth

Voting yes means children under 18 can’t get puberty blockers, hormone treatment, and in rare cases, gender-reassignment surgery. This bill narrowly failed this year and is expected to come up again in 2025. 

Hoheisel: Yes. I believe such significant medical decisions should be made with full maturity and informed consent. Restricting these procedures for youth allows for more time to consider long-term implications and ensures decisions are made when individuals are fully capable of understanding the impact.

Pruitt: No. Denying who a person is creates mental health issues. This happens when LGBTQ+ children are not accepted by their family. Bodily autonomy is exactly that. There is a difference between a youth wanting this versus a parent forcing it.

Chiefs and Royals stadium-financing bill

This bill didn’t spend any taxpayer money to attract the teams, but it did set aside future sales tax dollars from future stadium districts to pay off bonds. This law passed by a comfortable margin, and voting yes opens the door to the Chiefs and Royals in Kansas. 

Hoheisel: Yes. The proposal funds the stadium project with future sales tax revenue generated from the stadium area, avoiding costs for taxpayers who don’t visit the stadium. This strategic investment boosts our economy, supports our state and helps ensure that our sports teams stay in the region.

Pruitt: Yes. I would have voted yes based on the revenue coming from the stadium districts and not all of Kansas. The intent was to provide an incentive for the teams to relocate to Kansas. The collection of sales tax from bringing the team(s) would have paid the bonds. This move would have created additional jobs in Kansas and potentially business opportunities around the stadiums. 

APEX (Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion)

This bill had billions in tax incentives to bring a Panasonic battery plant to De Soto, Kansas. As it was being passed, lawmakers were not told which company would be coming, but were told the bill is necessary to attract large businesses. Voting yes approved a massive tax incentive plan for companies. 

Hoheisel: Yes. Despite frustrations with the lack of transparency, the economic benefits of attracting a major company to Kansas are substantial. This bill was crucial for making our state competitive globally, and the Wichita area stands to gain from an estimated 4,000 supplier jobs related to the APEX project.

Pruitt: Yes. I believe the problem comes from how long the tax incentive is left in place. Bringing jobs to Kansas helps the economy. Good-paying jobs help stimulate the entire area as increased spending helps all businesses.

Mail ballot grace period

Currently, any mail ballot in Kansas can arrive three days after Election Day and still be counted if it was postmarked on or before Election Day. Voting yes would eliminate that grace period. 

Hoheisel: Yes. I believe it’s crucial to uphold strict deadlines for ballot counting. This change ensures that all ballots are received and processed on time. Given the current reliability issues with USPS, I encourage mail voters to use ballot drop boxes to ensure their votes are counted.

Pruitt: No. As a retired postal employee, I know the issues with mail. I also know the problems with current mail service in the northern part of Kansas. There is a task force in place to monitor election mail to ensure that the election mail clears the plants every day. But a voter should not be denied the right to have their vote counted because of a delay in the mail. 

A bill loosening child care regulations

It would expand allowed child-to-staff ratios and allow teenagers to work at these facilities. Voting yes approves the loosened restrictions. Learn more about this bill here. 

Hoheisel: Yes. These changes would enhance flexibility and availability of child care services while maintaining safety and staffing standards. Access to and affordability of child care are major concerns in the community and are critical to addressing our workforce shortage.

Pruitt: No. The restrictions are what keep our children safe. Parents that are worried about the safety of their child are not as productive as parents that are secure in knowing their children are being cared for by professional, licensed individuals. The ratio is established to ensure that each child has appropriate overwatch.

The Parents’ Bill of Rights

This bill lets parents pull their kids out of classes if they are being taught objectionable material. Republicans say it is up to parents to determine what their children should be learning. Democrats say this bill addresses a problem that doesn’t exist. 

Hoheisel: Yes. This bill supports parental control over education by allowing parents to withdraw their children from classes with objectionable material. It reflects my belief in the importance of parental involvement in education and provides a way to address the concerns some parents may have.

Pruitt: No. Facts are facts whether I like them or not. As a graduate from the Wichita Public Schools, I was taught the same things that people want to object to now. History is history.  Unfortunately, it is written by the winners so the other side is seldom heard. The idea of a parent claiming that a child should not learn math, or learn to read, there should be no opting out of other subjects. I don’t agree with the theory of evolution but I am better off knowing about it.