LK
Laura Kelly
DemocratGovernor of Kansas| Age | 76 (b. 1950-01-24) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2019-01-01 (~7 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Catholic (Roman Catholic) |
| Education | B.S. in Psychology, Bradley University (1971); M.S. in Therapeutic Recreation, Indiana University Bloomington |
| Prior occupation | Recreation therapist; executive director of the Kansas Recreation and Park Association (1988-2004) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | New York City, New York |
| Marital status | Divorced — Ted Daughety (married 1979, divorced 2024) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Topeka, Kansas |
Pending research: languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2018 |
| Previous offices | Kansas State Senate, 18th District (2005-2019) |
| Leadership | Governor of Kansas (48th, 2019-present) · Kansas Senate Minority Whip · Kansas Senate Assistant Minority Leader · Ranking minority member, Kansas Senate Ways and Means Committee · Ranking minority member, Kansas Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee |
| Ideology | Centrist/pragmatic Democrat who governs a heavily Republican state; has repeatedly vetoed GOP tax-cut bills and championed bipartisan budget and Medicaid-expansion efforts. |
| Signature legislation | Elimination of the Kansas state sales tax on groceries ('Axe the Food Tax', signed 2022) · Repeated efforts to expand Medicaid (HAWK Act / KanCare expansion proposals) · Executive order protecting LGBT state employees from discrimination · Elimination of the state income tax on Social Security benefits |
Financial
No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.