ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Many people are throwing their hats in the ring for various political offices, including for governor of Kansas.
One of those on the ballot for the office is Ethan Corson, who recently made a visit to Liberal to talk with community members. As Corson tells it, politics was not always among his aspirations.
“I'd never run for office before. I was not someone who'd been on Student Council or those types of groups – growing up, I was probably the one least likely to run for office someday,” Corson said. “When our first son was born in 2019, my wife and I were following the Legislature's work, and I felt there wasn't really enough conversation happening about the issues that were affecting so many Kansas families. We'd just bought our first home, we were dealing with the costs of childcare, we wanted to make sure there were good schools for him to go to when he reached that age, and the Legislature was focusing on issues I didn't feel were moving the state forward. I ran for the Kansas Senate in 2020 and got elected, got re-elected in 2024, and I've had a real focus on what I call the 'kitchen-table' issues facing Kansans. I've been a moderate, bipartisan and effective senator – I've worked with people from both parties to get things done that have helped benefit Kansans across the state. I'm also a senior member of the Sentate Tax Committee and I've worked with people in both parties to help eliminate the sales tax on groceries and taxes on Social Security. I've also worked with people in both parties to, effective in 2026, eliminate sales taxes on 100-percent disabled veterans as a way of thanking them for their service, and we've been working to expand a program that would essentially be a property tax freeze for fixed-income seniors to make sure they can stay in their homes and not be subject to large property tax increases. That's why I ran for the Senate, and the reason I'm running for governor is somewhat similar to all of that – I feel like I have a unique ability to work across the aisle to bring people together and come up with solutions that will help move Kansas forward.”
As governor, Corson said the future is important to focus on.
“It's not about moving the state to the right or left, it's about being able to move the state forward, and I think I have the unique ability to do that. My wife, Jenna, and I have two boys, and one of the things we talk about all the time is how we want them to be able to accomplish whatever they want to professionally while remaining in Kansas to do so,” Corson said. “We want our boys to grow up here and have careers and homes and families here – Kansas is losing too many young people, and I think that's a conversation parents across the state are having, it's not just in one region or another. I want to help make Kansas a place where our young people will want to stay and build a life. There are a lot of challenges on that front, and something that really motivated me to get into the race was a poll I saw that showed how this is the first period of U.S. history when young people feel like they'll be worse off than their parents, and it's also the first time when those parents actually agree with that sentiment. My wife and I have talked a lot about how that's not the Kansas we want to leave our children and other young people across the state.”
Wanting to work for all Kansans, Corson said, was a major catalyst for him deciding to run for the state’s highest office.
“Governors have the unique ability to get things done and deliver results. Washington, DC is a mess right now, and that's not an environment that's appealing to me. As governor, one really has the unique ability to, as an executive, do good work for the people of that state,” Corson said. “Kansas has been so good to me and my family, and I want to give back in that capacity, and governors have that ability unlike any other political office. My goal as governor is to help every Kansan be able to fulfill their potential, that's what we want to strive for. I also have much more of an executive skill set than a legislative skill set, and being in a more executive role suits my strengths more – I've led and managed multiple organizations, and I think those are the skills that will help should I be elected.”
If elected governor, Corson said there are a few particular priorities he would like to focus on while in office.
“First off, there's a real crisis around costs and affordability – Kansas has always been a place where we might not have mountains or beaches or landmarks like that, but it's always been a place where, for a relatively affordable cost of living, one could have a middle class life in terms of owning a home, retiring with dignity, sending children to public schools, vacations, etc.,” Corson said. “As I've traveled the state, I feel more strongly than ever we're moving away from that, and that's part of why I was on the committee to eliminate the sales tax on groceries and Social Security and the other work I mentioned earlier. There's still a lot of work to do on that front, and one of the things I'm focused on is the need for more middle-income housing in the state and building more housing to help address that, because that's a way we can really bring down the costs of housing and make home ownership more of a reality. I've talked to so many younger people who feel like they're never going to be able to own a home – between mortgage rates and insurance costs and the down payment and then the overall costs of the home itself, they feel like that's out of reach, so I feel like we need to work on making home ownership a reality for more Kansans. I also want to have a child tax credit for young families who are dealing with the costs of childcare and things like that – 17 states have such a tax credit, and Kansas is not one of them, so that's a way to help put some money in the pockets of working Kansans. I also want to expand that property tax freeze for senior citizens so they're shielded from those big increases in property taxes. “
Corson said he also wants to continue seeing economic development.
“Another major issue I want to focus on is creating more jobs and bringing more businesses into the state – I mentioned earlier how there are many young people leaving the state, and I think part of reversing that trend is to make sure we're creating the jobs and career opportunities that will be attractive to those young people so they will stay,” Corson said. “I have a lot of experience with that having worked in two senior positions with the U.S. Department of Commerce, and I've also worked on attracting foreign investments into the U.S., like with the Panasonic plant. We also have to focus on helping small businesses and farmers ship their merchandise around the world and improving access to markets, and having that skill set is important for the next governor. I'm the only gubernatorial candidate who has real economic development experience, which I think is really critical, and I'm also a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and work on helping attract businesses to Kansas.”
Corson said more focus also needs to happen on the state’s education system.
“Especially in rural areas, the public schools are really the beating heart of those communities, so we need to do everything we can to support them. Something I'm really proud of is how, every year I've been in the Kansas Senate, we've fully funded our public schools, but I think we need to push that goal of making sure the schools are not only fully funded, but making those public schools the best in the U.S.,” Corson said. “I want to make Kansas the most affordable state to live in and I want to make Kansas home to the very best public schools in the U.S. I went to public schools all the way through my college graduation, and my mother worked in the public library, so there is just no way I could have the life I do without the public school system, and I feel so indebted to all the teachers and coaches who invested in me. I also plan on having multiple people from Western Kansas in my administration because, rightfully so, people from this area feel like they're rather ignored, and I want to make sure we're making this region a key part of every decision made should I be elected to the office, whether it's to do with water, transportation, job growth, etc. I want to be a governor for ALL Kansans in all 105 counties, and that starts with being on the ground and listening to these community leaders.”
So far, Corson said being on the campaign trail has been a good experience, and he hopes that continues.
“It's really opportunities like these smaller town hall meetings that really let me hear from the people and what the challenges are and what opportunities there are. I feel that especially about these Southwest Kansas communities since I'm a graduate of Garden City Community College and having lived there for a period of time,” Corson said. “I came as a relatively immature young person and it was really the people in Southwest Kansas who taught me about discipline, hard work, the importance of education and helped shape me into who I am today. I don't think I'd be running for governor if it wasn't for the people in this region who helped me along the way. It's really important for me to be on the ground in these communities and really hear firsthand from the people what they need from their elected officials.”
