SUBMITTED
GARDEN CITY — Gubernatorial candidate Greg Orman today announced state Sen. John Doll of Garden City as his running mate on an Independent ticket that will bypass the party primaries and qualify directly for the general election ballot in November.
Doll, 60, was to switch his voter registration from Republican to Independent following a speech to supporters in Garden City Wed. morning, and he’s notified Senate Republican Leadership of his decision to leave the party. Orman formally launched his campaign for governor Jan. 24.
“I’m running with Greg Orman because I believe he is the best possible Governor that Kansas could have,” said Sen. John Doll. “He places the people first, he’s not about party politics and the only master he will serve is the people of the state of Kansas.”
A former two-term city commissioner and mayor of Garden City, Doll spent two decades in Kansas schools as a teacher and coach. In 1961, Doll’s father and grandfather, alongside the Irsik brothers, co-founded Irsik & Doll, a successful grain and cattle operation in western Kansas.
Doll was elected to two terms in the state House serving District 123 and in 2016 won a seat in the state Senate representing District 39, which includes all of 10 counties in the southwest corner of the state. Senate Republican leaders last year named Doll as vice chairman of the committees on Education and Transportation in recognition of his long-standing commitment to those issues.
“John Doll is a true son of southwest Kansas. His dedication to the people and communities he’s served over the last 30 years is a testament to his deep roots there,” said Greg Orman, Independent candidate for governor. “While John and I won’t agree on every issue, we’ll work together to find the best ideas regardless of where they come from to address this state’s most challenging issues.”
As an Independent ticket, Orman and Doll will qualify for the general election ballot by collecting the signatures of 5,000 registered voters by Aug. 6, as required by state law. The campaign will begin that ballot petition process in the next few weeks.
For more information go to ormanforkansas.com or contact the campaign at [email protected].