After Republicans settle on their candidate to run for the Kansas Senate 12th District’s seat, they’ll contend with a former Republican on the Democratic side.
Denise Cassells, Mound City, is seeking to represent Allen and all or parts of five other counties in Eastern Kansas.
Cassells filed Monday in the aftermath of last week’s repositioning of political boundaries within the state by a panel of federal judges. She had originally filed for the 4th District House seat, but withdrew from that race after learning of the new boundaries.
A confessed political junkie since childhood, Cassells voted as a Republican for 16 years. In 2000, she registered as an independent before registering as a Democrat in 2004. She’s been active in state politics for 20-plus years.
“It was George W. Bush’s run for a second term that convinced me to run as a Democrat,” Cassells told the Register in a telephone interview.
Cassells, 46, spent 22 years in small business management. She currently manages Cassells Construction, along with her husband, Craig. She also develops computer software.
Cassells plans to graduate next year with a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Kansas. She previously spent five years working as a newspaper reporter, covering city council, county commission and school board meetings in Linn County. She and her husband have two daughters.
Within the community, Cassells is a member of the Mound City Planning and Zoning Board and the Miami County Continuing Education Center Board, which assists students and adults in earning a high school diploma and job skills. In 2010, she established a special fund to raise money for the Linn County all-volunteer fire department.
In a press release, Cassells stated: “The people of the 12th Senate District deserve an advocate in Topeka. Given the opportunity, I will fight for public schools, job creation, and a fair tax system.
“Over the last two years, the largest cut to public education in Kansas history was implemented and the most regressive tax plan in the nation was signed into law,” she continued. “This tax bill is bad for Kansas and will leave communities in my district responsible for higher property taxes or steeper cuts to education and services that will result from lost revenue. These services keep our towns alive and vibrant, which is why I’d like to go to Topeka and fight to keep our district on solid ground.”
Former State Rep. George Teagarden is serving on Cassell’s campaign as treasurer.
The 12th Senate District encompasses all of Allen, Anderson, Franklin and Linn counties, northern Bourbon County and southern Miami County.
Republicans will choose between John Coen and Caryn Tyson in the GOP primary Aug. 7 to determine Cassells’ opponent in November.
