Kansas state senator (District 8, Overland Park); Senate Minority Whip

Cindy Holscher, an Overland Park Democrat, served in the Kansas House from 2017 to 2020 and has been in the Kansas Senate since 2021, where she is Minority Whip¹. She won the August 4, 2026 Democratic primary for governor with 48.7 percent of the vote and is on the November 3 ballot with running mate KC Ohaebosim²³. She worked for Sprint before public office and her three children attended Johnson County public schools².

Where they stand 19 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• Minimum wageRaise it to around $15high

  Official action · high confidence

  • Her campaign site says she will fight to raise the Kansas minimum wage to $16 statewide and let higher-cost cities and counties set higher ones. (2026) source
  • Named sponsor of SB 471, which would raise the Kansas minimum wage to $16 an hour, and of SB 218, a minimum wage increase. (2026) source
• Paid leaveRequire employers nationwide to offer a basic number of paid sick dayshigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • Her campaign site says she will fight so that people who miss work because they are sick do not go without pay. (2026) source
  • Named sponsor of SB 216, the Kansas Paid Sick Time Act, which sets accrual and use of paid sick time for employees. (2025) source
• HealthcareKeep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • On KCTV5 she said she sees a path to Medicaid expansion and recalled working with a bipartisan group in 2017 that passed expansion before Gov. Brownback vetoed it. (2026-07-15) source
  • Her campaign site says that as governor she will expand Medicaid, ban insurers from denying care a doctor prescribed and speed up insurer approvals. (2026) source
• Safety net programsExpand help for childcare, housing and paid family leavemedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Her campaign site says she aims to make school lunch free for every student. (2026) source
  • Her campaign site says she is determined to make Medicaid available to more low- and moderate-income Kansans. (2026) source
  • Named sponsor of SB 123, which would pay for school meals with state general funds. (2025) source
• MarijuanaLegalize and regulate it like alcoholmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • On KCTV5 she said she first pushed for medical marijuana but now says Kansas should do medical and recreational, citing revenue for schools. (2026-07-16) source
  • Her campaign site says legalizing cannabis in Kansas would raise money for schools and public services and bring Kansas in line with 22 other states. (2026) source
  • Named sponsor of SB 484, which would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the controlled substances act. (2025) source
• School choiceNo, keep public money in traditional public schoolsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her campaign site says she has consistently blocked extremist efforts to cut public school funding and expand private school vouchers. (2026) source
  • Voted no on SB 87 (2025), which widened the low-income scholarship tax credit (Senate 24 to 16). (2025-02-19) source
  • Voted no on HB 2468 (2026), which would join the federal scholarship tax credit (Senate 27 to 13). (2026-03-10) source
• RedistrictingIndependent commissions draw maps, with a national ban on partisan gerrymanderingmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Her priorities page (copy from August 2, 2026) says Kansas should create an independent panel for redistricting and prohibit mid-decade redistricting. (2026-08-02) source
  • Sponsor of SCR 1618 (2026), a constitutional amendment setting apportionment criteria and barring mid-decade redistricting except by court order; it keeps the Legislature drawing maps. (2026) source
• Term limitsYes, but longer limits that still allow long service, such as 12 years per chambermedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Sole sponsor of SB 143, which would bar anyone with 16 or more combined years in the Legislature from being elected, with limited extensions. (2025) source
  • Her priorities page (copy from August 2, 2026) says she believes in enacting term limits. (2026-08-02) source
• Death penaltyAbolish it and use life without parole insteadmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Named sponsor of SB 211, which would abolish the death penalty in Kansas and create the crime of aggravated murder. (2023) source
• Qualified immunityNo, end it for police so officers or departments can be sued for rights violationsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Lead sponsor of SB 486, which creates a state cause of action against officials who violate constitutional rights and says good faith and "not clearly established" law are not defenses. (2026) source
• Kids onlineRequire app stores and platforms to verify age and get parental consentmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 372, the App Store Accountability Act requiring age verification and parental consent for minors (Senate 34 to 6). (2026-02-18) source
• Childcare and pre-KHelp through tax credits, employer incentives, and parent choicemedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 521, which gives income tax credits for employee child care costs and employer contributions that expand child care (Senate 34 to 6). (2026-03-19) source
• AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)low

  Said · low confidence

  • On KCTV5 she said Kansans spoke loudly in 2022 to preserve access to reproductive health care, that she would uphold that and that she would veto bills that take away those rights. (2026-07-17) source
  • She told Kansas Reflector she opposed the 2022 amendment on abortion and that reproductive health care would be eliminated if her opponent became governor. (2026-10-05) source
  • Voted no on HB 2313, the born-alive infants protection act (Senate 31 to 9). (2023-04-26) source
• E-Verify mandateKeep it voluntary and go after employers who knowingly hire illegallylow

  Official action · low confidence

  • First-named sponsor of SCR 1614, a non-binding resolution urging Congress to double fines for immigration law violations and ICE to prosecute employers who hire undocumented workers. (2025) source
• Drug pricesFocus on competition, generics, and price transparency instead of price settinglow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 360 and SB 20 (2026), which register and regulate pharmacy benefit managers (Senate 32 to 8). (2026-03-24) source
• Policing and crimeFund police and add reforms like body cameras and use-of-force limitslow

  Official action · low confidence

  • Sponsor of SB 469, the Safe and Transparent Arrest Act, which requires each Kansas law enforcement agency to adopt a written policy on facial coverings and bars officers from concealing their faces on duty except as authorized by law. (2025) source
• Election rulesEasier access: automatic registration and mail voting for anyonelow

  Official action · low confidence

  • One of three named sponsors (with Sen. Jeff Pittman and Sen. Ethan Corson) of SB 197 (2023), which would let voters register on election day. (2023) source
  • Voted no on SB 4 (2025), which ended the mail ballot grace period (Senate 30 to 10). (2025-03-25) source
• Gender care for minorsNo single answer fitsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted no on SB 26 (2023) and SB 63 (2025), bills restricting gender transition care for minors. (2025-01-29) source
• Transgender athletesNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on HB 2238 (2023), which set female school teams by biological sex (Senate 28 to 12). (2023-04-05) source

No public position found on: Business regulation, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Mandatory minimums, Student loans, AI regulation, School vaccines, Nuclear power, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.