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Joy Koesten

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Joy Koesten
Image of Joy Koesten
Prior offices
Kansas House of Representatives District 28

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Southwest Missouri State University, 1978

Graduate

The University of Kansas, 1998

Ph.D

The University of Kansas, 2002

Personal
Birthplace
Springfield, Mo.
Religion
Jewish
Profession
Educator
Contact

Joy Koesten (Democratic Party) was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing District 28. She assumed office on January 9, 2017. She left office on January 13, 2019.

Koesten (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Kansas State Senate to represent District 11. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Koesten completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

On December 14, 2018, Koesten announced she was switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party.[1]

Biography

Joy Koesten was born in Springfield, Missouri. She earned a bachelor's degree from Southwest Missouri State University in 1978. She earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1998 and 2002, respectively. Koesten's career experience includes working as an educator in higher education. She has been affiliated with the Greater Kansas City Mental Health Coalition, Jackson County CASA, the Kansas Mental Health Coalition, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.[2]

Committee assignments

2017 legislative session

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

Kansas committee assignments, 2017
Corrections and Juvenile Justice
Government, Technology, and Security
Transportation and Public Safety Budget

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

2020

See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Kansas State Senate District 11

Kellie Warren defeated Joy Koesten in the general election for Kansas State Senate District 11 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kellie Warren
Kellie Warren (R)
 
52.7
 
24,846
Image of Joy Koesten
Joy Koesten (D) Candidate Connection
 
47.3
 
22,317

Total votes: 47,163
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas State Senate District 11

Joy Koesten advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas State Senate District 11 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Joy Koesten
Joy Koesten Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
7,316

Total votes: 7,316
Candidate Connection = 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 11

Kellie Warren defeated incumbent John Skubal in the Republican primary for Kansas State Senate District 11 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kellie Warren
Kellie Warren
 
63.9
 
9,131
Image of John Skubal
John Skubal
 
36.1
 
5,154

Total votes: 14,285
Candidate Connection = 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.

2018

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 28

Kellie Warren defeated Brian Clausen in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 28 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kellie Warren
Kellie Warren (R)
 
56.0
 
6,446
Brian Clausen (D)
 
44.0
 
5,064

Total votes: 11,510
Candidate Connection = 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

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28

Brian Clausen advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Brian Clausen
 
100.0
 
1,312

Total votes: 1,312
Candidate Connection = 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 House of Representatives District 28

Kellie Warren defeated incumbent Joy Koesten in the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kellie Warren
Kellie Warren
 
58.4
 
2,176
Image of Joy Koesten
Joy Koesten
 
41.6
 
1,547

Total votes: 3,723
Candidate Connection = 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.

Joy Koesten ran unopposed in the Kansas House of Representatives District 28 general election.[3][4]

Kansas House of Representatives, District 28 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Joy Koesten  (unopposed)
Source: Kansas Secretary of State



Joy Koesten defeated incumbent Jerry Lunn in the Kansas House of Representatives District 28 Republican primary.[5][6]

Kansas House of Representatives, District 28 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Joy Koesten 54.21% 1,591
     Republican Jerry Lunn Incumbent 45.79% 1,344
Total Votes 2,935

Primary election

In the primary elections held on August 2, 2016, six incumbents were defeated in the state Senate, while nine incumbents were defeated in the state House. Outside of the one incumbent Democrat who was defeated in the House, moderates defeated 14 conservative Republican incumbents in the primary. Before the 2016 primary, moderate Republicans had been losing ground in the state legislature since the 2010 election of Gov. Sam Brownback (R), shifting from a more moderate Republican-controlled state legislature to a more conservative one after the 2012 elections. Eighteen Republican incumbents were defeated in the conservative wave in 2012. Jerry Lunn was one of 14 Republican incumbents who were defeated in the 2016 primary.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Joy Koesten completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Koesten's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Dr. Joy Koesten has over 30 years of experience working in business and academia. She and her husband, Stewart, founded Aspyre Wealth Partners in 1996, a successful fee-only financial planning and executive coaching firm where she continues to serve as a consultant. Joy has a doctorate in Communication Studies and has also served on the faculty at Washburn University and on all three campuses of the University of Kansas.

Koesten's research over the years focused on family communication, interpersonal communication, and health. She has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. As a founding member of the Greater Kansas City Mental Health Coalition, Koesten served as an advocate for individuals and families who are challenged with mental health and addiction disorders. She has also served on the board of Jackson County CASA; whose mission is to be the child's voice in court. CASA recruits, trains, and supports lay volunteers to act as advocates on behalf of the best interest of abused and neglected children.

Most recently, Koesten served for two years as a Kansas State Representative (District 28). She served on three committees: Corrections & Juvenile Justice, Government Technology & Security, and the Transportation & Public Safety Budget committee. Koesten also served as co-chair of the Mental Health Caucus, as a founding member of the Early Childhood Caucus, and as a member of the Women's Caucus.

  • The biggest issue we face as a state is certainly rebuilding the economy, but closely tied to that is ensuring every Kansan has access to affordable health care (including mental health care) and funding our public schools. Without a ready workforce, we can't rebuild the economy. And, you can't have a ready workforce without access to health care and robust education. There is only one way to move the state forward and that is to build a coalition of elected leaders who are willing to work together. There are many ways we could strengthen relationships with elected leaders in other counties to achieve common goals. I would begin working on building these relationships on day one.
  • The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted what we have known for years, access to affordable health care is critical to the well-being of every Kansan. Medicaid expansion would have strengthened our ability to manage this public health crisis and save lives; there is still time to move that forward. Our family knows firsthand that there is no health without mental health, so strengthening and integrating our mental health system into our health care system is critical to ensure the whole health of every Kansan.
  • As an educator, I believe that democratic freedom requires education. Our world is changing faster than in any other time in history. Today we create more unique information in one year than we did over the course of the last 5,000 years. The amount of technical information created now DOUBLES every 72 hours. Learning to access and stay abreast of information is the only way we prepare students to join a competitive and ever-evolving global workforce. As Senator I will support legislation that: invests in a world-class public education system at all education levels, invests in teachers who are experts in their field, and fosters collaboration with business partners and civic leaders for real-world training.
Funding and access to mental health and addiction treatment services.

Women's reproductive health.
My parents, who continue to amaze me with their sheer determination to persevere even in the most difficult times. They never give up, they just find new ways to adapt to the challenges they face.
Too many to discuss - I'm a rhetorical scholar by profession, so I've read many books with a wide variety of viewpoints about leadership and how leaders communicate in tough times and in good times. But, the overarching theme is that leadership isn't for the faint of heart. That said, I'm particularly fond of "Hamilton" right now.
The willingness to listen to all stakeholders, especially those you were elected to represent and to vote accordingly. Even if it means being attacked by outside interest groups.
Data driven, collaborator and responsive listener who believes in good public policy. For over 20 years, I've taught learners of all ages the importance of building strong interpersonal relationships and organizing coalitions to achieve common goals. Recently retired from my academic career, I want to employ those same skills at the state level as Senator for District 11.
A better future for our grandchildren. One that provides them with a healthy planet and good paying jobs, access to health care and opportunities to learn new skills throughout their lifetime. In short, I want what all of us want - the ability to raise our families in safe, healthy communities with opportunities for economic stability and prosperity for all.
President John Kennedy's assassination is the first historical event that I recall, I was 9 years old and we had just purchased our first black and white television.
My very first job was cleaning motel rooms for $1.25/hour - I was 14 years old and worked during the summer months.
Oddly - The Good Earth, but Pearl Buck. It's the only book I read cover to cover, twice in one sitting.
The biggest struggle was navigating our mental health system when our daughter faced a mental health crisis. It was a 10-year battle to find get an accurate diagnosis and find suitable treatment program, in another state. We were incredibly lucky though, our daughter survived. But it shouldn't have been this difficult for her or for her family. We should have been able understand her struggle sooner. We should have been able to talk more freely with friends and family about what we were going through. And, we should have been able to find adequate treatment right here at home much sooner. It's why I continue to be a strong advocate for funding and expanding treatment options.
Currently, both chambers are led by far-right extremists. So, there is no real difference between the two in terms of actually getting the work of the people accomplished.
It might be beneficial, but it's certainly not necessary. In fact, few elected at the state level have such experience.
For eight years the Brownback administration starved our agencies and put people in charge who did enormous damage. The 2017 Legislature took the necessary first steps in restoring fiscal stability to Kansas and now with Governor Kelly at the helm we are on a course of recovery. Unfortunately, we are now facing an economic downturn caused by a global pandemic. Even though the Governor led with caution since taking office in anticipation of a downturn, the next few years will be incredibly challenging. As Senator, I will advocate for protecting investments in education, infrastructure, and other critical services even during these challenging times.
The ideal relationship would at its core should be collaborative, fostering the development of strong relationships that lead to common sense solutions for the problems we face as a state. That doesn't mean there shouldn't be disagreements, only that both branches of government should be focused on solving problems and providing oversight.
Absolutely! Throughout my career I have prided myself on building coalitions, even with people who had different ideas and worldviews. Building those relationships takes time and effort, but there is no other way to achieve bi-partisan, common sense solutions that serve all Kansans. While I can't control the behavior of others, I will do my best to develop relationships that ensure legislators work together to find common ground.
We need to end the practice of gerrymandering so that every elected official is accountable to the people they represent. This means we need a nonpartisan approach to drawing fair maps that end gerrymandering.
Agriculture and Natural Resources

Commerce
Education
Judiciary
Public Health and Welfare

Utilities
There are many: Gov. Laura Kelly (former Senator), Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers (former Senator), Rep Don Hineman (former majority leader), and Rep Cindy Holscher.
Over the years, I've heard many stories from families who have a loved one struggling with mental health or addiction disorders. These are particularly difficult conversations when the end result was death by suicide. It is why I continue to be such a staunch advocate in this arena.

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

Koesten's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[7]

Responsible budget

  • Excerpt: "It is time for leaders capable of delivering a responsible budget. Kansans expect a budget which generates enough recurring revenue to support the public resources we rely upon and builds adequate reserves for our state."

Education

  • Excerpt: "At the local level, our school board and administrators work diligently and responsibly to best allocate a dwindling stream of revenue from Topeka and our teachers have borne the burden of these cuts in an effort to shield students from the impact. We are weathering the crisis but this path is not sustainable."

Local control

  • Excerpt: "Taking control from local officials and centralizing it in Topeka is bad for Kansas."

Campaign finance summary


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.


Joy Koesten campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2020Kansas State Senate District 11Lost general$206,981 N/A**
2018Kansas House of Representatives District 28Lost primary$60,260 N/A**
2016Kansas House of Representatives, District 28Won $51,609 N/A**
Grand total$318,850 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** 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.







2019

In 2019, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through May 29.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education."
Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2018


2017



See also


External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
Jerry Lunn (R)
Kansas House of Representatives District 28
2017-2019
Succeeded by
Kellie Warren


Current members of the Kansas State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Ty Masterson
Majority Leader:Chase Blasi
Minority Leader:Dinah Sykes
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Mary Ware (D)
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
Tory Blew (R)
District 34
District 35
TJ Rose (R)
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
Republican Party (31)
Democratic Party (9)



Current members of the Kansas House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Daniel Hawkins
Majority Leader:Chris Croft
Minority Leader:Brandon Woodard
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
Ron Bryce (R)
District 12
Doug Blex (R)
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Rui Xu (D)
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
Vacant
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
Mike Amyx (D)
District 46
District 47
District 48
Dan Osman (D)
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
Mike King (R)
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
District 82
District 83
District 84
Ford Carr (D)
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
District 100
District 101
District 102
District 103
District 104
District 105
Jill Ward (R)
District 106
District 107
Dawn Wolf (R)
District 108
District 109
District 110
District 111
District 112
District 113
District 114
District 115
District 116
District 117
Adam Turk (R)
District 118
District 119
District 120
District 121
District 122
District 123
Bob Lewis (R)
District 124
District 125
Republican Party (87)
Democratic Party (37)
Vacancies (1)