Kansas Democratic women’s club evaluates U.S. Senate candidate who put ‘fetal personhood’ into bill

Sen. Patrick Schmidt talks to the Capital Area Democratic Women club about abortion policy and political rivals on his campaign for the U.S. Senate Democratic nomination. (Photo by Baya Burgess/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — Democrats questioned U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Schmidt’s position on abortion Wednesday at a Capital Area Democratic Women meeting in Topeka.

Schmidt, a Democratic state senator from Topeka and the meeting’s guest speaker, defended an amendment he made last year to legislation establishing “fetal personhood” by allowing child support orders for pregnancy-related costs from the date of conception. He said he was trying to sabotage the bill.

“If you watched the YouTube video from that day in session last year, the Republicans start scurrying about because they realize exactly what I’m doing, and they don’t want it to pass,” he said.

Fetal personhood can establish human rights and protections to unborn fetuses and embryos, which could challenge future pro-choice legislation. Schmidt’s amendment allows all pregnant parents to claim an unborn child on their tax return.

The bill advanced on a 30-9 party-line vote, with all present Republicans in favor of the amended bill. His provision was removed from the bill before it became law.

Vic Miller, a former state House representative and minority leader who lost the state Senate seat to Schmidt in the 2024 Democratic primary, pointed out Republicans voted for the amendment but Democrats did not.

“We weren’t able to get it stopped, but there was nothing that passed on that bill as a result of my actions that changed the outcome for women’s health care in Kansas,” Schmidt said.

Stacey Cooper, a Democrat from Topeka, disapproved of Schmidt leaving his state Senate seat before serving a full term.

“You came and talked to me on my porch and we sat for like 30 minutes,” she said. “I specifically asked if you were going to run and stay in Kansas if you won, or if you were going to then turn around and run for U.S., and you said you wouldn’t do that.”

Schmidt said his greatest concern is with the Iran War and election security under the Trump administration.

“As bad as you think it is with this war, it is worse,” he said. “And what you’re seeing right now, where this administration is trying to claim voter fraud in California, they don’t give a damn about voter fraud in California. They are trying to lay the predicate to mess with this election and every election moving forward.”

Schmidt is one of 11 Democratic candidates running for the nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall.

Schmidt criticized one of his primary opponents, Adam Hamilton, for his handling of sexual abuse 20 years ago at a camp run by the church Hamilton leads. Schmidt made accusations about Hamilton at a  May 27 news conference, some of which could not be verified in court documents.

“It will drag down every Democrat running in Kansas. That’s my concern,” he said Wednesday after slamming thick binders of court documents on a table.

Schmidt also criticized Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican campaigning for governor with President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

“Ty Masterson has a quarter-million-dollar-a-year no-show job at Wichita State University,” he said. “The United States Navy pays me $20,000 a year to be a reservist, and I have to freaking fly to Washington, D.C., for three days a month, at least. It’s not worth the $20,000.”

“You get reimbursed, though,” said Claudia Elkins, who said she is also a retired Navy reservist.

“I almost break even,” Schmidt said in response. “It’s a pleasure to serve.”