Kansas House of Representatives District 64 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Kansas, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Kansas House of Representatives District 64 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

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• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 64

Lewis Bloom defeated Patricia Smetana in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 64 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lewis Bloom (R)	77.3	5,721
		Patricia Smetana (D)	22.7	1,676

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,397
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

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.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Lewis Bloom (R)

Kansas agriculture is better represented.

Public officials should be held to the same standard as the everyday people of Kansas.

Cutting burdensome regulations and lowering taxes.

Patricia Smetana (D)

Support immediate tax cuts with reasonable and actionable solutions to aid our farmers, small business owners, and families; while stimulating and attracting business growth and expansion.

Support FULL funding for general & special education, with emphasis on FULL support for our educators, staffing, and retention,

Increase access to healthcare in rural and local communities, support the implementing of programs like Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE); FULLY support expansion of Medicaid. Transportation, nutrition, isolation, and mental health concerns are prevalent for rural older Kansans along with a shortage of retention and staffing within Aging Services. .

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Lewis Bloom (R)

Freedom, Liberties, transparency of our state government, economy, and education.

Patricia Smetana (D)

Education/budgeting

Health & Human Services Children & Families Veterans, Military and Homeland Security

Aging and Long-term care

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Patricia Smetana (D)

Transparency. Integrity. Accountability.

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

Patricia Smetana (D)

I understand my role as State House Representative as multi-functional. Engaging with the people through different level platforms. Most importantly, listening, hearing, and addressing prevalent concerns of the people while supporting specialized committees that can promote positive district growth. My responsibility is to represent the people’s voice through the creation, proposal and voting of bills, amendments, or potential resolutions.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Patricia Smetana (D)

Cohesive, Collaborative and supportive.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Patricia Smetana (D)

Although economic growth, development, retention and taxation would understandably be at the forefront of our concerns, I believe the current concerns of water quality and quantity may present equivalent challenges.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Patricia Smetana (D)

Yes, beneficial but not necessary.

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

Patricia Smetana (D)

The legislation is a body of elected representatives advocating for the people he or she represents. One of the major roles and responsibilities in this position is the creation, proposal and voting of bills, amendments, or potential resolutions. This cannot be accomplished without the assistance, support, expertise, and collaborative insight from others in the legislative body. Building relationships doesn’t guarantee agreement, but it does promote respect, unity, and progression.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Patricia Smetana (D)

Education/budgeting

Children & Families Health & Human Services Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Aging and Long-term care

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Patricia Smetana (D)

Let me get my feet wet in this pond first...but I welcome future opportunities where I can contribute to the health and welfare of the people within Kansas.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Patricia Smetana (D)

I believe compromise is situational as a means to come to a medium with the best intentions for the people not the party.

See also

More about these elections:

• Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2022

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