TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) One of the Kansas Legislatures most conservative members and strongest abortion opponents is retiring next month.
Republican state Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook of Shawnee announced Friday that she will step down Jan. 16, just days after lawmakers open their next annual session. She said in her announcement that new leadership is sometimes required to promote time-honored conservative principles.
Pilcher-Cook, a 65-year-old computer software engineer, was first elected to the Senate in 2008 and re-elected in 2012 and 2016. She also served in the House in 2001-02 and again in 2005-06.
