Yesterday, Gov. Mark Parkinson appointed Kansas Securities Commissioner Chris Biggs to the position of secretary of state — an action that could assist the Kansas Democrats in retaining the office. Biggs was appointed after Republican Ron Thornburgh left his position early to take a job in the private sector.

Because of the timing, Biggs will have the ability not only to oversee the 2010 election cycle, but he will also serve on the state’s three-member canvassing board. After an election, members of the canvassing board verify the results.

This year’s canvassing board will consist of Biggs, Parkinson and Attorney General Steve Six. Each of these positions is held by a Democratic appointee, instead of elected officials.

Biggs will also have the ability to make the decision of whether to retain Brian D. Newby to his position as Johnson County election commissioner or to replace Newby with his own appointment. The remaining three election commissioners will not be up for re-appointment until after 2010.

Amanda Adkins, chair of the Kansas Republican Party, pointed out that the Biggs appointment will leave Kansas with the majority of the statewide positions being held by appointees instead of elected officials.

“I think that this appointment continues a troubling trend among Democrats at both the federal and state level,” Adkins told Kansas Liberty. “At the federal level, Nancy Pelosi is leading the charge to push through a health-care measure without proper debate. At the state level, this recent decision on the part of Mark Parkinson brings us to five individuals who were appointed, not elected, by the people of Kansas.”

Adkins said the appointment will further motivate Kansas Republicans to show up at the polls to ensure their voice is heard in the 2010 election cycle.

“Republicans are fired up because we believe people, not the bureaucracy, should be empowered on these important decisions,” Adkins said.

Charlotte Esau, executive director of the Kansas Republican Assembly, said she was surprised that Parkinson would appoint Biggs, since both Biggs and Kansas Sen. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, have been campaigning for the secretary of state position.

“I was surprised he picked one over the other rather than going with someone who wasn’t going to run,” Esau told Kansas Liberty.

Esau said she would not expect the appointment to have too great of an effect on the secretary of state election outcome unless Biggs mismanages the office before the election.

The Biggs appointment does not appear to have provided much deterrence for the four remaining secretary of state candidates. Steineger is the only other Democrat in the race while Shawnee County Election Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley, Kris Kobach and JR Claeys are the three Republican candidates campaigning for the position.

“He is going to have to run just like anybody else,” Ensley told Kansas Liberty. “Certainly everybody will be watching what he does in this very important office.”

Weeks before announcing his resignation, Thornburgh endorsed Ensley as his choice for a replacement to the position.

Claeys said he believed the voters in the state would be more interested in electing a person with business experience instead of a “politician using the office as a stepping-stone” or someone who was appointed.

“I will rely on my business background — as well as my extensive experience monitoring international elections — to make it easier for businesses to create jobs and build prosperity while keeping our vote safe and secure,” Claeys said.

Steineger said he didn’t expect the appointment to change much for the secretary of state campaign.

“I entered the campaign for secretary of state a long time ago assuming there would be a competitive primary in the general election and I have planned accordingly,” Steineger told Kansas Liberty. “This appointment doesn’t really change my plan at all. I do think it gives him some advantage, but I have felt I was ahead of the game anyway.”

Upon his appointment, Biggs made comments to the press that his main focus would be on voter apathy, and that he didn’t have much concern with voter fraud. This statement did not sit well with candidate Kobach, who has built his campaign around his desire to address voter fraud in the state.

“I don’t think he was a good choice,” Kobach said. “If I were Parkinson, I would have picked a Republican who was not running for office in 2010. That would have been in the best interest for Kansas.”

Kobach said he had serious concerns that Biggs would be joining the two other appointees in serving on the state’s canvassing board, and that this appointment adds to the list of Democratic officials who were not elected through the will of the people.

“We have the large issue of five of the six statewide offices being appointed Democrats in a state that most would regard as a red state,” Kobach said. “Parkinson could have tried to reflect the will of the people a little better in this appointment.”

Kobach also said he thought it was unfortunate Biggs would have the ability to make an appointment of his own when Newby’s term is up.

“I am concerned about his judgment in making that appointment,” Kobach said. “We have had close elections that were under the oversight of Commissioner Newby, and it is highly likely with so many swing districts in Johnson County that we will have close elections this year.”

—Holly Smith

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Previously on Kansas Liberty:

Unelected SOS to make crucial appointment

Kansas has serious decline in elected officials

Thornburgh resigns, leaving position primed for a Democrat appointee

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