Molly Baumgardner

Molly Baumgardner

Republican Party

Kansas State Senate District 37

Tenure

2014 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

10

Prior offices

Board of Trustees Johnson County Community College

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Report an officeholder change

Compensation

Base salary

$86.66/session day

Per diem

$166/day

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 3, 2020

Appointed

April 21, 2014

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Molly Baumgardner (Republican Party) is a member of the Kansas State Senate, representing District 37. She assumed office on April 30, 2014. Her current term ends on January 13, 2025.

Baumgardner (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Kansas State Senate to represent District 37. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Baumgardner was appointed to the seat on April 21, 2014, following the resignation of Pat Apple (R), who took a position on the Kansas Corporation Commission.

Biography

Molly Baumgardner, as of February 2020, lives in Louisburg, Kansas. She earned a bachelor of arts in communications from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1981 and a master's degree in management from the University of Saint Mary in 1996. Baumgardner’s career experience includes working as a faculty member and as the Journalism & Media Communications Coordinator with Johnson County Community College.

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Baumgardner was assigned to the following committees:

• Assessment and Taxation Committee
• Senate Education Committee, Chair
• Senate Judiciary Committee
• Public Health and Welfare Committee
• Child Welfare System Oversight
• Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight

2021-2022

Baumgardner was assigned to the following committees:

• Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee
• Assessment and Taxation Committee
• Senate Education Committee, Chair
• Senate Judiciary Committee
• Public Health and Welfare Committee

2019-2020

Baumgardner was assigned to the following committees:

• Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee, Vice Chair
• Commerce Committee
• Senate Education Committee, Chair
• Senate Judiciary Committee
• Public Health and Welfare Committee

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Kansas committee assignments, 2017
• Commerce
• Education, Chair
• Judiciary
• Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Baumgardner served on the following committees:

Kansas committee assignments, 2015
• Commerce
• Corrections and Juvenile Justice
• Education

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2020

See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Kansas State Senate District 37

Incumbent Molly Baumgardner defeated Becca Peck in the general election for Kansas State Senate District 37 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Molly Baumgardner (R)	65.3	30,758
		Becca Peck (D)	34.7	16,319

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 47,077
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas State Senate District 37

Becca Peck advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas State Senate District 37 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Becca Peck	100.0	4,396

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,396
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas State Senate District 37

Incumbent Molly Baumgardner advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas State Senate District 37 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Molly Baumgardner	100.0	12,235

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,235
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2016

See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Kansas State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.

Incumbent Molly Baumgardner defeated Kevin King in the Kansas State Senate District 37 general election.

Kansas State Senate, District 37 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Molly Baumgardner Incumbent	68.07%	24,965
	Democratic	Kevin King	31.93%	11,709
Total Votes				36,674
Source: Kansas Secretary of State

Kevin King ran unopposed in the Kansas State Senate District 37 Democratic primary.

Kansas State Senate, District 37 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Kevin King  (unopposed)

Incumbent Molly Baumgardner ran unopposed in the Kansas State Senate District 37 Republican primary.

Kansas State Senate, District 37 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Molly Baumgardner Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

Elections for two seats in the Kansas State Senate were held in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 2, 2014.

In District 35, Rick Wilborn defeated four others in the Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election for the open seat. In District 37, incumbent Molly Baumgardner defeated Charlotte O'Hara in the Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Molly Baumgardner did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Molly Baumgardner campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2020	Kansas State Senate District 37	Won general	$112,667	N/A**
2016	Kansas State Senate, District 37	Won	$42,091	N/A**
2014	Kansas State Senate, District 37, special election	Won	$41,467	N/A**
Grand total			$196,225	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Kansas

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Kansas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 to April 28. Kansas Family Voice Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education." Wichita Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 23. Kansas Family Voice Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education." MainStream Coalition Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Wichita Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 11 to May 26. Americans for Prosperity-Kansas Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education." MainStream Coalition Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Wichita Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].

In 2020, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 13 to May 21. A special session convened from June 3 to June 4. Kansas AFL-CIO: House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education." MainStream Coalition Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Wichita Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through May 29. Kansas AFL-CIO: House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education." MainStream Coalition Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].

In 2018, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 8 through April 7. Kansas AFL-CIO: House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education." MainStream Coalition Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Wichita Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 through June 26. Kansas AFL-CIO: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education." MainStream Coalition Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Wichita Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].

In 2016, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 1. A special session was held from June 23 to June 24 over education funding. AFT- Kansas Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organization highlights. Kansas AFL-CIO: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education." Mainstream Coalition Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Sierra Club Kansas Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Wichita Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].

In 2015, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 12. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Wichita Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2014

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show].

In 2014, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 30. Kansas Policy Institute Legislators are scored on economic and educational issues. MainStream Coalition Legislators in Johnson, Wyandotte, and Douglas counties are scored on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Wichita Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

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Candidate

Kansas State Senate District 37

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Officeholder

Kansas State Senate District 37

Website

Personal

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Kansas State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Ty Masterson

Majority Leader:Larry Alley

Minority Leader:Dinah Sykes

Senators

District 1

Dennis Pyle (R)

District 2

Marci Francisco (D)

District 3

Tom Holland (D)

District 4

David Haley (D)

District 5

Jeff Pittman (D)

District 6

Pat Pettey (D)

District 7

Ethan Corson (D)

District 8

Cindy Holscher (D)

District 9

Beverly Gossage (R)

District 10

Mike Thompson (R)

District 11

Kellie Warren (R)

District 12

Caryn Tyson (R)

District 13

Tim Shallenburger (R)

District 14

Michael Fagg (R)

District 15

Virgil Peck (R)

District 16

Ty Masterson (R)

District 17

Jeff Longbine (R)

District 18

Kristen O'Shea (R)

District 19

Rick Kloos (R)

District 20

Brenda Dietrich (R)

District 21

Dinah Sykes (D)

District 22

Usha Reddi (D)

District 23

Robert Olson (R)

District 24

J.R. Claeys (R)

District 25

Mary Ware (D)

District 26

Dan Kerschen (R)

District 27

Chase Blasi (R)

District 28

Mike Petersen (R)

District 29

Oletha Faust-Goudeau (D)

District 30

Renee Erickson (R)

District 31

Carolyn McGinn (R)

District 32

Larry Alley (R)

District 33

Alicia Straub (R)

District 34

Mark Steffen (R)

District 35

Rick Wilborn (R)

District 36

Elaine Bowers (R)

District 37

Molly Baumgardner (R)

District 38

Ronald Ryckman (R)

District 39

John Doll (R)

District 40

Rick Billinger (R)

Republican Party (29)

Democratic Party (11)