Thirty years later, Rep. Derek Schmidt is back on the Hill

Thirty years later, Rep. Derek Schmidt is back on the Hill

The first time Rep. Derek Schmidt ran for governor, he was in high school. “I was governor of the 1985 American Legion Boys’ State of Kansas,” he said. “That was my first big race.” It wasn’t his last. In 2022 he challenged Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, after clashing with her over pandemic policies and more during his time as the state’s attorney general.  He lost that contest by just over 2 points, but it wasn’t long before he was headed…