HUTCHINSON, Kan.–Retired Heartland Credit Union CEO Garth Strand said he plans to run for the Kansas House of Representatives in 2020.
Strand, who retired earlier this year after 36 years in credit unions, plans to run as a Democrat and to challenge the seat currently held by Republican Paul Waggoner, according to HutchNews.com. Waggoner is in his first term, and said he plans to seek reelection in representing Kansas’ 104th District, which includes north Hutchinson neighborhoods, the city of Buhler, and rural areas in northeast Reno County.
The most recent data show the district had 8,965 registered voters who were Republicans; 3,421 Democrats; 4,234 unaffiliated voters, and 122 Libertarians, according to the Reno County Clerk’s office, HutchNews.com reported.
Strand filed by petition to get his name on the August 2020 ballot in the Democratic primary, collecting over 100 signatures, he said. The filing became official last week, the news outlet stated.
Grew Up on Farm
Strand, 65, grew up on a farm near Burdick in western Kansas and is a lifelong Democrat, as were his parents, he told HutchNews.com. On some issues, he said, he is going to appear as a Republican and on others he will appear as a Democrat.
“Most of the time I will be somewhere in the middle, trying to find the best solutions and the truth, no matter what the issue is,” Strand said in a phone interview with HutchNews.com. “Good representation should be about finding the best solution for the people you represent and party politics in just not part of that, generally…I am not a politician and I will represent a refreshing choice for voters.”