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House Minority Leader Vic Miller, D-Topeka, speaks during a Nov. 14 press conference advocating for property tax relief bills. (Credit: Bryan Richardson)
House Minority Leader Vic Miller, D-Topeka, is planning to leave the House to return to the Kansas Senate after filing to run for Senate District 19.
He served three terms in the House decades ago, from 1979 until 1985, then returned after a 30-year hiatus and won his 58th District seat in 2016. After Gov. Laura Kelly’s victory in 2018, Miller was selected by local Democrats to fill her 18th District seat in the Senate.
Miller returned again to the House in 2021 after winning the 58th District again and ran unopposed in 2022.
Now, Miller filed Tuesday to run next year in Senate District 19. The seat is currently held by Sen. Rick Kloos, R-Berryton, but Kloos filed Nov. 1 to run for the 3rd Senate District. No other candidates have yet filed in the 19th.
On Wednesday afternoon, Miller pointed to his roots in the area and said he’s represented much of the district before during his time as Shawnee County Commissioner and municipal court judge in Topeka.
He received an endorsement from former lawmaker Anthony Hensley, who held the 19th District for 28 years.
“I served alongside Vic in both the House and Senate and know him to be an effective spokesman for those he represents,” Henseley said in a statement. “The respect he commands in the Legislature is proven by his Democratic House colleagues having entrusted him to be the House Democratic Leader.”
The district changed drastically after the Legislature approved new boundaries in 2022. Currently, it encompasses much of the rural area south of Topeka. But under the new map, Senate District 19 will hold the capital city’s eastern half, some of north Lawrence and the area along I-70 between the two towns.
With Miller electing to not run again in the House, Democrats in the chamber will eventually need to pick a new minority leader. Last year, the caucus narrowly picked Miller over Rep. Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa, as the chamber’s top Democrat.
Brett Stover is a Statehouse reporter at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter @BrettStoverKS.
Twitter: @StateAffairsKS
Facebook: @stateaffairsks
LinkedIn: @stateaffairspro
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