Cindy Holscher

Cindy Holscher

Democratic Party

Candidate, Governor of Kansas

Kansas State Senate District 8

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Jim Denning

Prior offices

Kansas House of Representatives District 16

Successor: Linda Featherston

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Compensation

Base salary

$86.66/session day

Per diem

$166/day

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Next election

November 3, 2026

Personal

Birthplace

Slater, Mo.

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Cindy Holscher (Democratic Party) is a member of the Kansas State Senate, representing District 8. She assumed office on January 11, 2021. Her current term ends on January 8, 2029.

Holscher (Democratic Party) is running for election for Governor of Kansas. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Biography

Cindy Holscher was born in Slater, Missouri, and lives in Overland Park, Kansas. Holscher graduated from Slater High School in 1987. She earned degrees in journalism, marketing, and political science from the University of Missouri in 1992. Holscher's career experience includes working with R.H. Donnelley, The Add Sheet, and Sprint.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Holscher was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee
• Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee
• Senate Interstate Cooperation Committee
• Public Health and Welfare Committee
• Child Welfare System Oversight Committee
• Pensions, Investments and Benefits Committee

2021-2022

Holscher was assigned to the following committees:

• Pensions, Investments and Benefits Committee
• Commerce Committee
• Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee
• Senate Interstate Cooperation Committee
• Public Health and Welfare Committee

2019-2020

Holscher was assigned to the following committees:

• Health and Human Services Committee
• House Interstate Cooperation Committee
• Rural Revitalization Committee (decommissioned)
• K-12 Education Budget Committee

2017 legislative session

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

Kansas committee assignments, 2017
• Health and Human Services
• Interstate Cooperation
• Water and Environment

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

2026

See also: Kansas gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Governor of Kansas

The following candidates are running in the general election for Governor of Kansas on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Ethan Corson (D)
		Cindy Holscher (D)
		Doug Billings (R)
	Submit photo	Joy Eakins (R)
		Ty Masterson (R)
		Charlotte O'Hara (R)
		Stacy Rogers (R)
		Vicki Schmidt (R)
		Scott Schwab (R)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Kansas State Senate District 8

Incumbent Cindy Holscher defeated Benee' Hudson in the general election for Kansas State Senate District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Holscher (D)	61.1	24,795
		Benee' Hudson (R)	38.9	15,758

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 40,553
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas State Senate District 8

Incumbent Cindy Holscher advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas State Senate District 8 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Holscher	100.0	5,050

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,050
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas State Senate District 8

Benee' Hudson advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas State Senate District 8 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Benee' Hudson	100.0	4,195

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,195
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Holscher received the following endorsements.

• Stand Up Blue Valley

2020

Kansas State Senate

See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Kansas State Senate District 8

Cindy Holscher defeated James Todd in the general election for Kansas State Senate District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Holscher (D)	54.4	23,686
		James Todd (R)	45.6	19,883

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,569
= 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 8

Cindy Holscher advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas State Senate District 8 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Holscher	100.0	7,614

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,614
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas State Senate District 8

James Todd advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas State Senate District 8 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Todd	100.0	9,944

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,944
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Kansas House of Representatives

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2020

Cindy Holscher did not file to run for re-election.

2018

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

Incumbent Cindy Holscher defeated Susan Huff in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on November 6, 2018.

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Holscher (D)	58.9	6,810
	Submit photo	Susan Huff (R)	41.1	4,751

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,561
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Incumbent Cindy Holscher advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on August 7, 2018.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Holscher	100.0	2,144

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,144
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Susan Huff advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on August 7, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Susan Huff	100.0	2,770

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,770
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Kansas House of Representatives were held 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.

Cindy Holscher defeated incumbent Amanda Grosserode in the Kansas House of Representatives District 16 general election.

Kansas House of Representatives, District 16 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Cindy Holscher	55.71%	6,847
	Republican	Amanda Grosserode Incumbent	44.29%	5,443
Total Votes				12,290
Source: Kansas Secretary of State

Cindy Holscher ran unopposed in the Kansas House of Representatives District 16 Democratic primary.

Kansas House of Representatives, District 16 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Cindy Holscher  (unopposed)

Incumbent Amanda Grosserode ran unopposed in the Kansas House of Representatives District 16 Republican primary.

Kansas House of Representatives, District 16 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Amanda Grosserode Incumbent (unopposed)

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cindy Holscher has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Cindy Holscher asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Cindy Holscher, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

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You can ask Cindy Holscher to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@cindyforkansas.com.

2024

Cindy Holscher did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Cindy Holscher did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cindy Holscher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Holscher's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1). Fully fund education 2). Lower the sales tax on food 3). Expand Medicaid to aid our struggling healthcare system in Kansas

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Criminal justice and minority issues.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Be accessible, transparent and willing to listen to constituents.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Building relationships with other legislators is essential to getting problems solved. As a co-founder of the Women's bipartisan caucus in Kansas, we have illustrated that progress is made when we join together and work in a civil manner

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2016

Holscher's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“	1. Fund public education – now and in the future 2. Reverse the biggest tax increase in state history – which the current Legislature and Brownback passed to pay for letting 300,000 business taxpayers off the hook. 3. Restore responsible fiscal policy – instead of paying today’s expenses with money reserved for roads and children’s programs 4. End extremism – and apply measured and open practices	”
—Cindy Holscher

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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Cindy Holscher campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Kansas State Senate District 8	Won general	$159,590	$0
2020	Kansas State Senate District 8	Won general	$209,526	N/A**
2018	Kansas House of Representatives District 16	Won general	$75,348	N/A**
2016	Kansas House of Representatives, District 16	Won	$53,674	N/A**
Grand total			$498,138	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 from this year may not be complete
** 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.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 8 to April 30. Americans for Prosperity-Kansas Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy. 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." 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.

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.

Endorsements

2016

In 2016, Holscher's endorsements included the following:

• Mainstream Coalition PAC
• Kansas Families for Education
• Stand Up Blue Valley
• Kansas National Education Association
• Tom Burroughs, Kansas State Representative
• Kansas Sierra Club

See also

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Jim Denning (R)	Kansas State Senate District 8 2021-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Kansas House of Representatives District 16 2017-2021	Succeeded by Linda Featherston (D)

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