Van Wagoner files for Kansas Senate seat

Lauren Van Wagoner of rural Hoyt has filed for the Kansas Senate District 1 seat in the Nov. 8, 2016 election. The seat is currently held by Republican Dennis Pyle of Hiawatha.

In a press release, Van Wagoner, a Democrat, said she is passionate about Kansas and improving its current state.

“I am prepared to fight for every Kansan in the district with their concerns and issues,” she said. “I put public education, the budget, those who have disabilities and veterans at the top of my list of items to address once I am elected.”

Van Wagoner and her husband, Colby, have been married for nine years. They have three children, one of who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Van Wagoner is a stay-at-home mom. She previously served as the coordinator for a 4-H after school program in Utah.

Van Wagoner is the daughter of a 32-year retired veteran who served in multiple branches of the military and was deployed many times in support of many different missions.

“We moved to Kansas three years ago,” she said. “Once here, I knew this was home, and I have set my sights on making positive changes.”

Van Wagoner is the cofounder of the Jackson County Parents’ Empowerment Group, a group dedicated to supporting parents of special needs children. She is also involved in Amy’s Angels Ending Domestic Violence, which is a non-profit group that organizes an annual domestic violence awareness candlelight vigil in Holton and advocates for positive changes within the county.

She is active in the local school district and is a member of the Royal Valley Site Council, as well as the booster club.

Van Wagoner joined Game on for Kansas Schools in March 2015 and walked 60 miles in three days for public education.

“It was a life changing event, and I knew then that I wanted to be the voice for Kansans,” she said.

The first district senator represents most of Jackson, Pottawatomie Nemaha, Brown, Doniphan, Atchison and a portion of Marshall counties.