The chairman of the state Democratic Party has resigned after efforts to revamp the party’s message for Kansas, where Republicans hold big majorities.
Recently, Kansas Democratic Party Chairman Larry Meeker had been using the phrase “red state Democrats,” arguing that Kansas Democrats are different from Democrats in traditionally blue states.
He said there was room in the party for people with different views about abortion and same-sex marriage. But Democratic activists pushed back, saying Meeker was abandoning some of the party’s core principals.
The executive director of the state Democratic Party, Kerry Gooch, did not respond to a request for comment, but issued a statement saying he respects Meeker’s decision to “put the priorities of the party first.”
