Susan Wagle (born September 27, 1953) is an American politician who served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members ...

, representing the 30th district from 2001 to 2021. She was elected Kansas Senate President in 2013 and was reelected in 2017. She is the first woman to hold this position.

Early life

Wagle was born on September 27, 1953, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 1979, she graduated with a B.A. from

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

. Wagle taught special education in Wichita public schools from 1979 to 1982 before becoming a businesswoman.

Political career

Kansas House of Representatives (1991–2001)

In 1990, Wagle was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives. Four years later she was elected by her colleagues to the position of Speaker Pro Tem, the first female in Kansas to hold that position. Wagle served in the House from 1991 to 2001. During her first term in the House, she worked with

Barbara Lawrence Barbara Jo Lawrence (February 24, 1930 – November 13, 2013) was an American model, actress, and real estate agent. Early years Born to Morris and Bernice ( Eaton) Lawrence in Carnegie, Oklahoma, Barbara Jo moved with her mother to Kansas C ...

on legislation to lower

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inhe ...

es. The bills did not pass.

Kansas Senate (2001–2021)

Wagle was elected to the Kansas Senate from the 30th Senate District in 2000, taking office in 2001. In 2003, Wagle drew national attention when she attempted to have a human sexuality class at the University of Kansas defunded due to the professor's alleged display of pornographic material. Then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius "vetoed a budget proviso to withhold more than $3 million from KU if the class materials were found to be obscene, but signed a second one directing universities to draft policies on the use of explicit sexual materials". Wagle was elected senate president on December 3, 2012, winning 23–9 over then-Senator Steve Abrams of Arkansas City. Wagle's win was a victory of the conservative wing of the Kansas Senate over the Senate's moderate wing. She is the first female Kansas senate president,Susan Wagle, GOP leader of Kansas Senate, launches bid to replace Pat Roberts in 2020
''

Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and is the largest newspaper in Wichita and the surrounding area. History Origins In 1870, ''The Vidette'' was the fi ...

'', Bryan Lowry, July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019. and the first senate president from Wichita. She was re-elected to the post in 2016, defeating Ty Masterson by a vote of 23–7, becoming only the fourth senate president in Kansas history to serve a second term. In July 2018, Wagle supported Kris Kobach in a Republican gubernatorial primary, saying that he was the "strongest candidate". The endorsement was sent out by Wagle's staff spokeswoman on a state computer, thus violating Kansas ethics rules. Wagle once "halted a controversial bill that would have enabled public and private employees to refuse service to same-sex couples on religious grounds". On May 29, 2019, nine protesters had been singing and chanting in the Senate chamber. When they refused to stop, the Senate suspended its work; Wagle ordered that the Senate gallery be cleared. Following Wagle's request, the protesters were detained and taken to another room. The

's Jonathan Shorman reported that journalists were "'prevented from witnessing the arrests'". Calling Wagle's action "unprecedented" and "intolerable", the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government filed a complaint with Attorney General

Derek Schmidt Derek Larkin Schmidt (born January 23, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who has been the Kansas Attorney General since 2011. A Republican, Schmidt was first elected to office serving in the Kansas Senate, where he represented the 15 ...

. Wagle countered, "' no time was the press denied access to Senate proceedings. My staff was simply following instructions during a time of recess to ensure the safety of everyone in the chamber'". Attorney General

later determined the Senate was within its authority to clear the gallery and that an investigation did not indicate any business was conducted while members of the press were absent. In February 2020, Wagle sought to block the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid to 150,000 Kansans, by linking it to an anti-abortion amendment to the state's constitution. Wagle routed all 11 House-passed bills on the Senate's debate calendar as well as returning two Senate health care bills back to committee, declaring that no House-passed bill on any subject would clear a Senate committee until the abortion measure is placed on the ballot. For her action, she was rebuked by the number two member of the senate, Majority Leader Jim Denning, a Kansas City-area Republican. He had worked with Governor Kelly to craft the bipartisan Medicaid expansion plan. He said Wagle's tactics were crafted "without my input" nor did they reflect his plans, continuing, "Her statements are obstructive and not how we should be governing." At the end of the Spring 2020 legislative session, Wagle held the senate in session for 24 straight hours, passing bills to curtail Governor

Laura Kelly Laura Jeanne Kelly (born January 24, 1950)"Laura Kelly,"
''Kansapedia,''

's ability to exercise emergency powers during the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

pandemic and blocking an attempt to pass the expansion of Medicaid. The legality of the legislature's actions was disputed.

Lt. Governor candidacy (2006)

Jim Barnett, who served in the Kansas state Senate from 2001–2009, ran in the

2006 Kansas gubernatorial election The 2006 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who sported high approval ratings ran for re-election to serve a second and final term. Governor Sebelius was unopposed for t ...

with Wagle as his running mate. They won a crowded Republican primary by almost 10% of the votes. Although a large majority of Kansans are Republicans, their ticket received only 40.44% of the votes in the general election, losing to incumbents, Governor

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebeli ...

and Lieutenant Governor

Mark Parkinson Mark Vincent Parkinson (born June 24, 1957) is an American businessman and former politician serving as head of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). He served as the 47th lieutenant governor ...

. During the campaign, Barnett opposed the eligibility for long-term Kansas resident non-citizen immigrants, graduates of Kansas schools, to qualify for in-state tuition. However, Wagle had voted to allow such qualifications. Kris Kobach and the anti-immigration organization,

Federation for American Immigration Reform The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a non profit, anti-immigration organization in the United States. The group publishes position papers, organizes events, and runs campaigns in order to advocate for changes in U.S. immig ...

(FAIR), sued on behalf of out-of-state citizen students who were allegedly suffering from discrimination, to end the waiver., in a lawsuit against the state of Kansas, challenging a state law which grants in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. The suit was dismissed for lack of

legal standing Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

for the plaintiffs. Barnett ran for governor again in 2018., but lost the primary.

Ambassadorship pursuit

In 2018, when Wagle sought an appointment to a diplomatic post she listed Wichita native Phil Ruffin, a business partner of President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

, as a reference just days after she voted for a bill beneficial to Ruffin’s business interests in Kansas. Wagle sought an ambassadorship to Ireland, Belize, or Belgium, or other State Department positions. She made her aspirations known in a May 7, 2018 email to a campaign operative shortly after the legislative session ended. Wagle's pitch for such an ambassadorial post came weeks after Wichita Republican congressman

Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served under President Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United State ...

received U.S. Senate approval as

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

in April 2018. Wagle's campaign spokesman said Pompeo did not have a role in promoting her candidacy to the White House: "While she does not recall speaking to Secretary Pompeo about her interest in serving in the Administration, she did reach out to the President's team and some of their mutual friends, including Phil Ruffin, in this process."

U.S. Senate campaign (2020)

In January 2019, Wagle formed an exploratory committee to assess entering the 2020 race for the Republican nomination for

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, to fill the seat of the retiring

Pat Roberts Charles Patrick Roberts (born April 20, 1936) is a retired American politician and journalist who served as a United States senator from Kansas from 1997 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Roberts served 8 terms in the U.S. House of Rep ...

. In July 2019, she formally entered the race, and former

Kansas Secretary of State The secretary of state of Kansas is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kansas. The current secretary of state is the former speaker ''pro tempore'' of the Kansas House of Representatives, Scott Schwab, who was sworn in on Ja ...

Kris Kobach had already done so. Wagle criticized Kobach's role in a controversial, privately-financed scheme to build a southern border wall to impede the unlawful entry of migrants to the United States. Wagle expressed support for the construction of a federally designed, bid and funded

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the sup ...

, but added, "We don’t need some rogue organization going out and building the wall." Wichita and Las Vegas billionaire and casino business partner of

, Phil Ruffin, has been supportive of Wagle's U.S. Senate campaign. In April 2020, Mike Kuckelman, the chair of the Kansas Republican Party, urged Wagle and several other candidates to drop out of the U.S. Senate race, to prevent Kris Kobach from winning the GOP nomination. She had about $515,000 in unexpended campaign funds. Wagle persistently polled in the single digits in 2020. In a statement, Wagle said she withdrew her candidacy before the candidate filing deadline , in favor of party unity, her work in the Kansas Legislature addressing the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic crisis, and to spend time with her family after the recent death of her daughter who had 4 young children and had relapsed with Multiple Myeloma.

Other political involvement

Wagle served as a delegate to the

1996 Republican National Convention The 1996 Republican National Convention convened at the San Diego Convention Center (SDCC) in San Diego, California, from August 12 to August 15, 1996. The convention nominated former Senator Bob Dole from Kansas, for president and former Repres ...

. She served as National Chairman of the

American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments in the United State ...

(ALEC) in 2006. As of 2019, she was a member of ALEC's Board of Directors.

Political positions

Abortion

While Wagle identified as pro-choice as a young adult, the experience of pregnancy led her to change her stance. She is considered a staunchly pro-life legislator. In 2003, Wagle "successfully pushed a bill to require abortion clinics to provide information on human development to women considering an abortion". In 2015, Wagle sponsored a bill known as the Kansas Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act. It would have prohibited a person from performing, or attempting to perform, a dismemberment abortion unless it was necessary to preserve the life of the mother. The law was found unconstitutional by the

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as the st ...

. Wagle opposed the confirmation of

David Toland David C. Toland (born May 27, 1977) is an American politician and businessman concurrently serving as the 52nd lieutenant governor of Kansas and Kansas secretary of commerce. Early life and education A seventh-generation Kansas native, Toland w ...

as Kansas Secretary of Commerce in 2019. As director of a local non-profit, Tolan had obtained a grant from a charitable fund posthumously named after

George Tiller George Richard Tiller (August 8, 1941 – May 31, 2009) was an American physician from Wichita, Kansas. He gained national attention as the medical director of Women's Health Care Services, which was one of only three abortion clinics nationwide ...

, an assassinated physician who had performed abortions. The grant funding did not relate to abortion; however, Wagle's spokesperson, Shannon Golden, called the relationship with the Tiller fund "concerning". Toland was later confirmed. In 2020, Wagle linked unblocking passage of a bill to expand Medicare in Kansas to passage of a constitutional amendment that prohibited abortion.Wagle, eyeing diplomatic post, enlisted Trump friend after vote to aid his gaming interests
''

'', Jonathan Shorman and Bryan Lowry, February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.

Gambling

Despite Wagle and her husband owning bingo halls, she generally opposed gambling expansion in Kansas. She has received contributions from gambling interest including $1,000 to her 2018 state Senate race from Phil Ruffin. Ruffin also contributed $5,000 more, the maximum allowable in federal campaigns, to her 2020 primary for the U.S. Senate. Asked about the contributions by a

McClatchy The McClatchy Company, commonly referred to as simply McClatchy, is an American publishing company incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law and based in Sacramento, California. It operates 29 daily newspapers in fourteen states and ...

newspaper reporter, Ruffin became angry and ended the call.

Redistricting

In October 2020, a video surfaced in which Wagle encouraged Republican donors to help elect a supermajority in the state legislature in advance of redistricting. Like most states, the Kansas legislature draws the congressional and legislative maps. In an attempt to give her party an advantage, Kansas Governor

Laura Kelly Laura Jeanne Kelly (born January 24, 1950)"Laura Kelly,"
''Kansapedia,''

asked the state legislature to form an independent redistricting commission.

Government accountability

In 2018, Wagle cosponsored legislation with Kansas Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley that worked to bring more transparency to state contracts. The bill required lobbyist registration for anyone attempting to influence officials in state agencies or the executive branch over a state contract. Prior to the enactment of this legislation, lobbying efforts were only required to be disclosed if such efforts were directed toward the legislative branch. Wagle stated the need for this legislation arose due to a lack of transparency within the administration of Republican former Governor

Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Fr ...

. As Commerce Committee Chairwoman, Wagle began an investigation into the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) in 2011. The KBA was founded under former Governor

with the goal of spurring growth in the bioscience sector. The KBA had an independent board that approved spending. Wagle called for an investigation due to excessive spending on salaries, benefits, travel, and entertainment. Wagle noticed a stark difference between the state's 12-year investment and its final return. The state had invested $240 million into the KBA. The legislature and Governor

intended to fill budget holes left by massive tax cuts benefitting the wealthiest Kansans by selling the KBA for $25 million and slashing budgets for highways, schools and Medicare. The sale of the authority netted only $14 million. Wagle called for an audit and review for the abuse of taxpayer dollars which ultimately led to the shutdown of KBA for findings of misspent funds.Gov. Brownback’s proposed budget fix includes sweeps from transportation, children’s programs
'' Kansas City Star'', Bryan Lowry, January 13, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2019. The legislature passed a $1.2 billion tax increase and overrode Brownback's veto of the measure. Wagle cast the deciding vote to override but did not comment on her vote.

Medicaid

In February 2020, Wagle sought to block the federally-funded expansion of Medicaid by the Kansas legislature out of concern that it would lead to taxpayer funded abortions in the state. She outlined her reasoning in a guest column published in The Wichita Eagle on February 14, 2020.

COVID-19

In April 2020, Kelly instituted orders to restrict the rapid spread of COVID-19, limiting public gatherings to a maximum of ten individuals. Since the orders would have applied to Easter Sunday masses, the Republican-majority (5–2) Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) reversed her orders as applied to church assemblies.War over Easter: Kansas lawmakers revoke Gov. Kelly’s order limiting church gatherings
''

'', Jonathan Shorman, Amy Renee Leiker and Michael Stavola, April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2020. Wagle opposed Kelly's orders and supported the Republican attempt to block them, saying that "Governor Kelly’s orders display her misplaced priorities."Kansas Supreme Court says executive order banning religious service of more than 10 people stands
''

KMBC KMBC-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside CW affiliate KCWE (channel 29). Both stations share studios on Winchester Avenue in the Ri ...

'', April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020. Of the initial eleven identified sources of contagion in Kansas, three were identified as having come from recent religious gatherings. Forty-four state governors had imposed similar restrictions, with 18 states closing churches completely. As a precedent, Kansas churches had been ordered closed during the 1918–1919 "Spanish Flu" pandemic.Kansas coronavirus update: Gov. Laura Kelly takes fight over church crowds to Supreme Court
''

Capital Journal The ''Capital Journal'' is a newspaper in Pierre, South Dakota, founded in 1881. It serves the South Dakota capital city of Pierre and the surrounding region, including Fort Pierre. As of December 2012, it reported a daily circulation of 10,750 ...

'', Sherman Smith, April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020. Kansas challenged the LCC's decision in court, saying that the council and Republican

state Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney gener ...

had "weakened and confused our emergency response efforts, putting every Kansan at risk." The

reinstated Kelly's orders, saying the LCC's reasoning was "flawed," and it did not have the power to overrule the governor.

Sexual harassment reform

After former Democratic staffer Abbie Hodgson complained about widespread harassment and inappropriate requests from legislators, Wagle said that in five years as senate president, she had never received any such complaints. Subsequently in 2017, Wagle worked to implement changes in sexual harassment policies at the Kansas Capitol. Those changes included mandatory training sessions, anonymous reporting, and protections for interns.

Supreme Court appointment process

Wagle has expressed disagreement with State Supreme Court decisions and has attempted to change the process for nomination and confirmation of justices. In 2013, Wagle voted with 27 of her colleagues for a constitutional amendment that would change the nomination process for Kansas Supreme Court justices from the existing system in which the

Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission The Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission was established in 1958 when Kansas voters approved an amendment to the state's constitution. The commission is tasked with presenting the governor with a slate of three qualified candidates whenever a ...

identifies three candidates, of whom the governor selects one, to the "federal model" where the governor nominates a candidate and the Senate votes to confirm the nominee.

Personal life

Wagle is married to Tom Wagle. The Wagles, who reside in Wichita, have four children, and Susan Wagle has three step-children. As of July 2020, the Wagles had 16 grandchildren. Wagle survived bouts with cancer in 1995, 2003, and 2012. Her son, Paul, survived leukemia during his childhood. In March 2020, Wagle's daughter, Julia Scott, died from multiple myeloma after a four-year battle with the disease.

References

External links

Kansas SenateProject Vote Smart profile
* Follow the Money campaign contributions *
1996199820002002200420062008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagle, Susan 1953 births 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Candidates in the 2006 United States elections Candidates in the 2020 United States Senate elections Living people Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives Politicians from Wichita, Kansas Presidents of the Kansas Senate Republican Party Kansas state senators Wichita State University alumni Women state legislators in Kansas Conservatism in the United States