Kansas House Democrat chosen to complete term of former Wichita senator

Kansas Rep. Silas Miller, a Wichita Democrat, will replace retiring Sen. Mary Ware, also of Wichita. During a precinct election on Thursday, Miller won a majority of votes in a contest against Tom Witt, the former executive director of Kansas Equality. This image of Miller is from February 2023. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — Two-term Rep. Silas Miller was selected by the Sedgwick County Democratic Party to fill a vacancy in the Kansas Senate created by the resignation of Sen. Mary Ware.

Miller, elected to the House in 2022 and reelected without opposition in 2024, prevailed in a vote Thursday among Senate precinct committee members. He defeated Tom Witt, a former executive director of Equality Kansas who retired from Statehouse lobbying in 2022, on a vote of 16-5.

Miller said he appreciated Ware as a political colleague and that he would have “big shoes to fill” while completing her unexpired term in the 25th District.

“Silas Miller is a forward-thinking leader who brings a wealth of life and legislative experience to the table,” said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Johnson County Democrat. “We’re grateful that he has decided to step into the Senate chamber in this new capacity.”

Miller serves on the House education, election and insurance committees. He’s been the ranking Democrat on the House Federal and State Affairs Committee. In 2024, Miller proposed an unsuccessful amendment to a bill that would have removed cannabis from a list of illegal drugs in Kansas.

Ware, a retail store owner, announced her decision to resign Nov. 13. In 2018, she replaced Sen. Lynn Rogers in a precinct committee election. Rogers had stepped down after elected lieutenant governor on a ticket with Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Ware was elected to a full term in the Senate during 2020 and reelected 2024. Last November, she carried the district with 57% of the vote against Republican Keenen Smith. She served on tax, commerce and agriculture committees in the Senate.

“While my time in the Senate is at an end, I will remain an involved private citizen and an advocate for the people of Wichita in this next era of my life,” Ware said.

Kristi Kirk, chair of the Sedgwick County Democratic Party, said Ware was known for her involvement with the community and as a unifying force in the Democratic Party.

“Mary could always be counted on to support not only her constituents, but was a champion for creating a full and safe future for Kansas children since joining the Senate,” Kirk said.