Senate candidate meets Nickerson community
NICKERSON, Kan. — Kansas Senate candidate Republican Michael Murphy held a meet-and-greet event where he introduced and shared about himself and his platform to members of the Nickerson community on July 16. This took place at the Nickerson Community Center.
Murphy started by introducing himself and sharing about his life.
Murphy is a farmer and rancher with a history of serving on several boards. He and his wife also own a bed and breakfast in western Reno County.
Murphy is a retired pilot from United Airlines and has spent around 47 years with General Aviation. He is an active member of the Kansas Pilots Association.
Murphy was also a freelance contributor to Madison’s and Lanternz online magazines.
Murphy’s wife was the one who prompted him into politics.
“She kept telling me, ‘One day you’re going to get into politics,’ and I said, ‘No, I’m not,’ and she said, ‘Yes you are,’ and now here we are,” Murphy said.
Murphy successfully ran for the Kansas House of Representatives District 114 in 2020 and has served two terms.
He served on committees for water, education, agriculture and legislative modernization
“First year was a lot of learning and following along,” Murphy said. “The second year, I got my feet wet and I was the second legislator in the country to introduce legislation to fight ESG.”
ESG stands for environment, social and governance and is an investing practice that refers to how companies score on responsibility metrics and standards for potential investments.
Murphy introduced a Consumer Protection bill to combat ESG investment in 2021. An action he said he received strong opposition from big business interests.
In 2022, he introduced a comprehensive bill to protect Kansas businesses, banks and retirees. Despite facing the same opposition as last time, the final bill was allowed to become law without Governor Laura Kelly’s signature.
Murphy’s senate platform includes passing more protections for Kansans.
Murphy yielded other results during his time as a representative.
In 2021 he introduced and saw through a bill that made it possible for high school seniors to obtain a technical certificate so they can enter the workforce.
During his time as the 114’s representative, he passed an amendment that guaranteed reduced drug pricing for the next two years.
If elected to the Kansas Senate, Murphy said he would make that amendment permanent.
Should he win the senate seat, Murphy will focus on tax relief, especially property tax.
His plan is in the beginning process but he said the intention is to replace income and property taxes.
Also present were both of Murphy’s potential successors for the 114, Republican candidates Kevin D. Schwertfeger and Steve Schweizer.
Schwertfeger is a farmer from south of Turon and is a Crop Consultant and Agronomist for area farmers in Reno, Pratt, Kingman, Stafford, and Barton Counties.
“I got involved in politics years ago because I felt the pro-life cause was a worthy cause, and we need to stand uo for those who cannot stand up for themselves,” Schwertfeger said.
Schwertfeger’s past in politics includes serving as the former president of Reno County Republican Party, over two decades as a precinct person, a former and current Republican delegate to the Kansas first congressional district, or the Big First, and a forming voting delegate to the Kansas Republican Party.
“We don’t want to water down our principles,” Schwertfeger said. “We need to remain Republicans that stand for something.”
Schwertfeger said he would be a voice for farmers. He said the government needs to quit mandating excessive regulations regarding emission controls on farmers, with the side effect being increased costs to producers while decreasing profits.
Schwertfeger’s platform also includes addressing water issues in the 114.
Steve Schweizer introduced himself as a lifelong western Reno County resident and fourth-generation farmer.
“I never really had a desire for politics,” Schweizer said.
Schweizer addressed taxes on his platform, saying that Kansas has the twelfth highest rate of taxes in the nation.
Water is another issue he will address should he win the 114 seat.
He said water and energy were managed better under the previous presidential administration, and that means putting someone in Topeka to watch out for how the administration impacts Kansans.
“That means protecting them from the federal jobs that's trying to encroach on their livelihood,” Schweizer said.
He called the 30x30 initiative, which is a worldwide initiative for governments to designate 30% of Earth's land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030, a threat to landowners and their livelihood.
Schweizer is supportive of more term limits, but he said that current longstanding Washington legislators reflect their constituency well.
He said he has voted for term limits in the past.
“The term limits that concern me the most are, and it affects the state of Kansas and Topeka as well, is how some of those legislators have enriched themselves with their positions while they are there. Money has a huge influence on so many people.”
Schweizer said that he and his opponent, Schwertfeger, are in the same spot.
“If we don’t step up with our conservative values, how is there going to be real change,” he said. “If we just sit back and let somebody do this who does not have the same conservative values, they might get sucked into that same belt and we’ll be worse ten years later than we are.”
When asked to that end if he supports giving term limits to government bureaucratic workers, Schweizer said he did and also supports being able to terminate their employment more freely.
The primary election is on Aug. 6.
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