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Kansas lawmaker disciplined by GOP leader becomes Democrat

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas lawmaker who was stripped of a committee leadership post after endorsing Democratic Gov.-elect Laura Kelly’s campaign has switched to the Democratic Party.

Sen. Barbara Bollier
CREDIT MADELINE FOX / KANSAS NEWS SERVIC

State Sen. Barbara Bollier of Mission Hills said Wednesday that the Republican Party no longer represents her values. Bollier said she had been a registered Republican for nearly 43 years.

Her move makes the Senate’s partisan split 29-10, with one independent.

In July, Senate President Susan Wagle removed Bollier as vice chairwoman of the Senate health committee after Bollier endorsed Kelly and a Democratic congressional candidate.

But Bollier said a key moment for her came in June when the Kansas GOP adopted a platform with what she sees as an anti-transgender provision. It declares, “We believe God created two genders, male and female.”

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