Kansas House Democrats exit election committee meeting after accusing chair of antisemitism

Leavenworth Republican Rep. Pat Proctor, left, rejects Kansas House Democrats' claim the GOP candidate for secretary of state made antisemitic comments about George Soros, a survivor of Nazi occupation in Hungary who became an American businessman and philanthropist. This Feb. 12, 2026, image is of Proctor and Rep. Paul Waggoner, R-Hutchinson. In the dispute, Waggoner came to Proctor's defense. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — Three Democrats walked out of a Kansas House committee last week, adding physical emphasis to vocal objections against Rep. Pat Proctor’s commentary, including alleged antisemitic statements about a philanthropist whose family survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary.

Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican seeking the GOP nomination for Kansas secretary of state, defended his critique of businessman George Soros and rejected assertions by Democratic Reps. Heather Meyer of Overland Park and Alexis Simmons of Topeka that his statements were prejudicial against Jewish people.

The icy exchange came during consideration of bills that could terminate mail-in advance voting statewide, move all elections to even years, require new reporting by candidates of small donations and block use of public funds to promote state constitutional amendments or local ballot measures.

It culminated with Meyer, Simmons and Rep. Brooklynne Mosley of Lawrence packing up their belongings and exiting the committee room at the Capitol.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever had members walk out of my committee,” Proctor said before adjourning. “I only had one more meeting to do it. So, I’m glad we were able to get that done before I was done as chair.”

The ruckus began with criticism of Proctor’s maneuvering to send a cluster of bills to the full House before the window closed on the 2026 session. Democrats objected to Proctor’s decision to advance a four-bill bundle and move ahead with legislation that never had a meaningful public hearing.

“We had an informational hearing today in which you were the only proponent,” said Rep. Kirk Haskins, a Topeka Democrat. “We’re just going to blindly add it because we can?”

 

Attack on George Soros

Proctor was dismissive of the idea a bill with a single advocate — himself — was unworthy. He brought up George Soros, an American businessman who survived the Nazi occupation of Budapest, emigrated to London as a teenager and later moved to New York. Over a 30-year period, Soros donated an estimated $8 billion to education, public health and human rights causes.

“I was amused by the gasping and clutching of pearls with one news agency sponsored by George Soros that was aghast that we had a hearing with no proponents,” Proctor said. “Apparently it’s only a travesty of justice when it occurs in the elections committee.”

Meyer, the first Democrat to depart the meeting, replied: “We should refrain in committee and in our daily lives from trying to assume that people are funded by sources and using antisemitic language and dog whistles to do so.”

“I don’t remember making any antisemitic comment,” Proctor said, “but it is a fact that the —”

Meyer: “The George Soros part —”

Proctor hammered the desk with a gavel: “We will have one member speaking at a time, and right now the chair has the mic.”

Proctor had been complaining about Kansas Reflector, a nonprofit news outlet started in 2020 to cover the Legislature, politics and policy in Kansas. It’s part of States Newsroom‘s 501(c)(3) consortium of statehouse news bureaus. Kansas Reflector has neither directly nor indirectly received Soros funding.

“It’s an egregious abuse of your position to defend any antisemitic commentary,” said Simmons, the second Democrat to leave. “The George Soros commentary is well-documented to be heavily associated with antisemitic rhetoric. You are entitled to your opinion, chair’s prerogative, sir, but it’s wrong.”

Mosley, the third Democrat to walk out, told Proctor: “I just want to say that you’ve been highly inappropriate.”

Proctor: “Right now, we’re on the bill. Not your opinion of me as chair.”

Rep. Paul Waggoner, a Hutchinson Republican and vice chair of the committee, defended Proctor.

“Some of the kerfuffle that has resulted, I find just totally bizarre and political grandstanding to be honest,” he said.

In an interview, Simmons said Proctor had used his chairmanship of the committee to advance his campaign to become the state’s top elections official.

“His campaign is built on stoking conspiratorial fears, whether they’re rooted in xenophobia or antisemitism,” she said. “And, because he’s using his chairmanship to amplify his campaign, those sick beliefs spill over into our legislation.”

She said Proctor wasn’t “a stupid man, and it’s embarrassing for his constituents that he pretends to be. He knew exactly what he was saying with his antisemitic dog whistle and his defensive, immediate explanation proves it.”

 

The bill scramble

In the end, the committee approved Senate Bill 394 devoted to verification of signatures on mail-in ballots. The bill included a provision that would repeal all advance voting statutes in Kansas if a state or federal court declared SB 394 unconstitutional.

Clay Barker, general counsel to Secretary of State Scott Schwab, said the Legislature began work on tightening signature verification methods after Republican Kris Kobach defeated Jeff Colyer in the 2018 primary for governor. In that race, he said, evidence emerged that counties were taking different approaches to verification of signatures on mail-in ballots. The inconsistency raised due process concerns, he said.

“We’re playing chicken with people with disabilities’ right to vote,” said Mike Burgess, director of policy and outreach at the Disability Rights Center of Kansas and an opponent of the bill.

Proctor’s committee also endorsed Senate Bill 395, forcing candidates for office or organizations involved in constitutional amendments to report donations of less than $50 to the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission. He said the information could help investigate whether large sums of money were broken into small donations and attached to individuals, sometimes unwittingly, to evade disclosure requirements.

The committee placed Senate Bill 451, related to how candidates reported services of campaign subcontractors, into SB 395. This bundle was expanded with House Bill 2451, which prohibited public employees from using tax dollars to inform voters about ballot initiatives or constitutional amendments. It included House Bill 2450 to affirm candidates could accept donations for a general election during a primary campaign.

The committee gutted Senate Bill 231 and inserted House Bill 2452, which limits elections to even-numbered years. That bill previously died in the House, but Proctor wanted another bite at the apple.