Abbie Hodgson, KU graduate student, will seek Paul Davis’ seat in the Kansas House
David Hudnall
Hodgson is first to throw her hat in the ring for Davis’ seat. Given that their governor is slashing education budgets to unconstitutionally low levels, Kansans could probably use some elected officials who value the educational system. Enter Abbie Hodgson, a 31-year-old currently finishing her doctorate in political communication at the University of Kansas, and the first to announce her...
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The Pitch
Given that their governor is slashing education budgets to unconstitutionally low levels, Kansans could probably use some elected officials who value the educational system. Enter Abbie Hodgson, a 31-year-old currently finishing her doctorate in political communication at the University of Kansas, and the first to announce her candidacy for Paul Davis’ seat in the 46th District in the Kansas House of Representatives. (Davis will challenge Gov. Brownback next year.)

“My top priority is education,” Hodgson tells The Pitch. “It’s one of the foremost responsibilities of the state, and I don’t think we’ve been adequately funding it – from pre-K all the way up through to post-secondary.”

In addition to studying and teaching in KU’s communications department, Hodgson also runs a political consulting firm, Prairie Fire Consulting. “I’ve been working in politics for 10 years now, and thinking about how I could get more involved,” she says. “With Paul’s announcement, it seemed like perfect timing to go for it and move from the role of adviser to candidate to hopefully legislator.”

No other candidates for the seat – a solidly Democratic one, situated in the heart of Lawrence – have yet emerged, though the filing deadline is not until June 2014.