Big losses in November fuel a Kansas Republican Party changeover in February

The GOP chose Mike Brown, a fiery conservative from Johnson County, as the new head of the state party.
TOPEKA, Kansas — Spurred on by frustrations over losing high-profile races to Democrats, Kansas Republicans on Saturday picked an aggressive conservative to lead the party into the 2024 election cycle.

Party officials elected Mike Brown, a former Johnson County commissioner, to party chair during the Republican state convention. He beat out Helen Van Etten, a longtime party activist and former national committeewoman with the backing of the state’s most prominently elected Republicans, to replace outgoing chair Mike Kuckelman.

Brown portrayed himself as a forceful outsider taking on the Republican Party’s establishment. He lobbied for the leadership post saying the party needed a change after recent losses in the governor and 3rd Congressional District races to Democrats Laura Kelly and Sharice Davids.