WATCH: The Post’s candidate forum for Kansas House Districts 27 & 28

Four candidates vying for two seats in the Kansas House in Leawood and Overland Park laid out their contrasting views and priorities in a live forum hosted by the Johnson County Post Wednesday night.

The Post is hosting more than a dozen separate forums for Kansas Statehouse districts in Johnson County ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.

The two districts covered in this forum were:

• House District 27, covering the southeast corner of Johnson County, generally from 143rd Street south to the county line and between State Line and Pflumm Road.
• House District 28, covering portions of Leawood and Overland Park, generally running from 123rd to 151st streets, between Mission and Nall.

Who is running?

House District 27

• Democrat David Benson, a retired public schools superintendent
• Incumbent Republican Rep. Sean Tarwater

House District 28

• Democrat Ace Allen, a retired oncologist
• Incumbent Republican Rep. Carl Turner

How to watch the Post’s forum

The Post livestreamed Wednesday’s event on our Facebook page, and a recording of the forum is embedded below.

Following the embedded video are the questions each candidate answered during the forum.

Timestamps are included in bold at the end of each question to help you navigate through the forum video if you’d like to jump around.

Questions and timestamps

1. Opening statements [1:45]
2. Biggest priority for your district: We’re hosting forums for dozens of statehouse districts. What is the biggest challenge or priority facing the residents in your district? [7:10]
3. Abortion: Will candidates pursue measures that would put new restrictions or rules on abortion in Kansas, if elected? Are you satisfied with the current laws and restrictions on abortion in the state? Would you seek to expand access? Or further limit the procedure in any way? [13:30]

   

4. Abortion (follow up): Readers want to know your moral or personal convictions on abortion. Some cite the need to protect the rights of the unborn, while other readers emphasize the importance of reproductive rights of women. Where do you fall on this issue — on this spectrum — personally? [20:45]
5. Taxes: Earlier this summer, lawmakers passed and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a tax cut package that slashes roughly $2.4 billion in property and income taxes over the next three years. The law reduces state income tax brackets from three tiers to two and eliminates the state tax on Social Security benefits, among other things. Do you think the most recent tax cut bill provides enough relief for Kansans? Why or why not? If elected, would you seek more tax cuts and, if so, what would that look like? [24:00]

   

6. Taxes and spending (follow up): One reader in the audience specifically wants to know if you support cutting taxes what, in turn, would you cut in spending? Or respond to some readers who say with big reserves in the Kansas budget right now, isn’t this the time to offer more tax relief to Kansans? [29:55]
7. Guns: Are there any measures you would support putting limits on gun purchases or possession in Kansas? [35:30]

   

8. School vouchers: A question from the audience, “Where do you stand on school vouchers? Do you support them? Why or why not?” [40:55]
9. Elections: Many readers asked a version of this question sent to us by email, “I would like to know their stand on voter fraud and do they believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump?” [47:35]

   

10. Closing statements [51:53]