Kelly Kultala
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 6 min
Kelly Kultala (b. August 16, 1958) was a 2014 Democratic candidate seeking election to the U.S. House to represent the 3rd Congressional District of Kansas.[1] She lost to incumbent Kevin Yoder (R) in the general election on november 4, 2014.[2] She won the nomination in the Democratic primary on August 5, 2014.[3]
She is a former Democratic member of the Kansas State Senate, representing District 5 from 2009 to 2013. She also served as the 5th District Commissioner for the Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City from 2001 to 2005. Kultala ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2010, and was defeated by Jeff Colyer. Kultala was also defeated in the 2012 election.
Kelly is the Director of Community Outreach for Youthville, one of Kansas’ largest child advocacy organizations.
Kultala earned her degree from the University of Kansas.[4]
Campaign themes[edit]
Kultala's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[4]
Education
- Excerpt: "I will continue working tirelessly to fully restore funding to our local classrooms."
State Budget
- Excerpt: "I will continue to fight for a state budget that protects early learning programs, reduces waiting lists for Kansans with disabilities, and supports aging programs."
Taxes
- Excerpt: "I will not support policies that give tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthiest Kansans, at the detriment of middle-class Kansans and seniors living on fixed incomes."
Policy Positions[edit]
Sen. Kultala co-sponsored a bill regarding elections and an election commissioner[5] as well as various other senate bills.[6]
Committee assignments[edit]
2011-2012[edit]
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Kultala served on these committees:
- Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight, Vice Chair
- Ethics and Elections
- Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services Oversight
- Local Government, Ranking Minority Member
- Joint Committee on Special Claims against the State
- Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations
- Transportation, Ranking Minority Member
- Utilities, Ranking Minority Member
- Ways and Means
2009-2010[edit]
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Kultala served on these committees:
- Local Government
- Transportation
- Ethics and Elections
- Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services Oversight
- Joint Committee on Special Claims against the State
- Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations
- Ways and Means
Elections[edit]
2014[edit]
Kultala ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Kansas' 3rd District.[1] She won the nomination in the Democratic primary on August 5, 2014.[3] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
| U.S. House, Kansas District 3 General Election, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Kevin Yoder Incumbent |
60% | 134,493 | |
| Democratic | Kelly Kultala | 40% | 89,584 | |
| Total Votes | 224,077 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
| U.S. House, Kansas District 3 Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Kelly Kultala |
68.5% | 14,189 | ||
| Reginald Marselus | 31.5% | 6,524 | ||
| Total Votes | 20,713 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State | ||||
2012[edit]
- See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2012
Kultala ran for election in the 2012 election for Kansas State Senate District 5. Kultala ran unopposed in the August 7 Democratic primary and was defeated by Steve Fitzgerald (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.
Former Democratic Senator Mark Gilstrap ran in the Republican primary in 2012. Kultala defeated Gilstrap in the Democratic primary in 2008, but Gilstrap lost the 2012 Republican primary and was not able to run against Kultala in the 2012 general election.
| Kansas State Senate, District 5, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Steve Fitzgerald |
51.5% | 12,803 | |
| Democratic | Kelly Kultala Incumbent | 48.5% | 12,040 | |
| Total Votes | 24,843 | |||
2010[edit]
Kultala was defeated by Jeff Colyer in the general election on November 2, 2010. Kultala faced Jeff Colyer (R), Stacey Davis (L) and Daniel J. Faubion (R).
2008[edit]
On November 4, 2008, Kultala was elected to the 5th District Seat in the Kansas State Senate, defeating Steve Fitzgerald (R).[7] Kultala raised $81,268 for her campaign, while Fitzgerald raised $127,729.[8]
| Kansas State Senate, District 5 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Kelly Kultala (D)
|
15,184 | 52.3% | ||
| Steve Fitzgerald (R) | 13,838 | 47.6% | ||
Campaign donors[edit]
2014[edit]
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Kultala's reports.[9]
| Kelly Kultala (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[10] | April 15, 2014 | $0 | $71,045 | $(10,245) | $60,800 | ||||
| July Quarterly[11] | July 15, 2014 | $60,800 | $86,063 | $(47,122) | $99,741 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $157,108 | $(57,367) | ||||||||
2008[edit]
In 2008 Kultala collected $81,268 in donations.[12]:
Her four largest contributors were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Kansas Democratic Party | $28,484 |
| Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce | $3,750 |
| Kansans for Lifesaving Cures | $2,000 |
| Carpenters District Council of Kansas City & Vicinity | $2,000 |
Scorecards[edit]
Kansas Economic Freedom Index[edit]
The Kansas Economic Freedom Index is a project of Bob Weeks, creator of the blog Voice For Liberty in Wichita. The purpose of the Index "is to identify Kansas legislators who vote in favor of economic freedom — and those who don’t."[13] Legislators received a rating from 0-100 percent based on their votes on bills promoting economic freedom.
2010[edit]
Kelly Kultala received a rating of 7% on the 2010 Kansas Economic Freedom Index.[14]
Personal[edit]
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Kelly is married to husband, Dan. Together they have three daughters, Taylor, Whitney, Spenser, two sons-in-law Barry and Ryan and two grandchildren, Lane and Claire.[4]
Recent news[edit]
This section links to a Google news search for the term Kelly + Kultala + Kansas + Senate
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
- Official campaign website
- Kansas State Senate Website (dead link)
- Biography from Project Vote Smartgraphy
- Project Vote Smart Legislative Profile
- Kelly Kultala on Vote-KS
- Kelly Kultala on the Kansas Democratic Party website
- Kelly Kultala on Facebook
- Kelly Kultala on Twitter
- Campaign contributions: 2008
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kansas City Star, "Second Democrat to enter race for Congress in Kansas 3rd District," accessed January 22, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "House Election Results," accessed November 12, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Associated Press, "Primary Results 2014," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "kellykutala," Official Campaign Website
- ↑ SB 210 Kansas Legislature (dead link)
- ↑ Kansas Legislature Bill search (dead link)
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2008 General Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed March 29, 2014
- ↑ District 5 Follow the Money, "Kansas 2008 - General Election Results," accessed March 29, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Kelly Kultala 2014 Summary reports," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ Kultala 2008 campaign contributions
- ↑ Kansas Economic Freedom Index, "Homepage," accessed January 13, 2012
- ↑ Kansas Economic Freedom Index, "2010 Kansas Economic Freedom Index," May 18, 2010
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mark S. Gilstrap |
Kansas State Senate District 5 2009–2013 |
Succeeded by Steve Fitzgerald (R) |
EncycloReader
is supported by the 
KSF