Kansas Speaks: the Crossroads of Policy and Public Opinion

Discover the intersection of policy and public opinion at the Spring Student Advisory Board Program moderated by SAB Coordinator Allie Haggar featuring a panel of Kansas Speaks Contributor Dr. Alexandra Middlewood, as well as Rep. Christina Haswood and Rep. Nick Hoheisel, two legislative members of the Kansas Future Caucus, representing both Republican and Democrat perspectives. Join us for a discussion on key insights from the 2023 Kansas Speaks public opinion survey, addressing issues such as marijuana legalization, Medicaid expansion, abortion rights, climate change, and more. This event will explore crucial topics affecting young people and the wider community in Kansas, combining data-driven insights from the survey with real-world experiences and legislative perspectives.

Dr. Alexandra Middlewood is the Political Science Department Chair at Wichita State University. Her areas of expertise include public opinion, political behavior, gun politics, and gender. She is a contributing columnist for Insight Kansas, a Policy Fellow at the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University, contributes to the annual Kansas Speaks public opinion survey, and is the former President of the Great Plains Political Science Association. She earned her PhD in Political Science at KU in 2019.

Rep. Christina Haswood (Diné/Navajo) is a State Legislator for the Kansas State House of Representatives House District 10. She is the Ranking Minority Member on the Joint Committee on State and Tribal Relations. She is known for her Native American and public health policy expertise. Christina helped pass Kansas’ first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) bill in 2021 and is an avid champion of reproductive rights. Christina is known for using social media in politics and for building the bench for young Kansans to be involved in state politics.

Rep. Nick Hoheisel is a Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives from the 97th district. Elected in November 2018, he assumed office in 2019. Hoheisel is a native of Wichita, Kansas, and co-chair of the Kansas Future Caucus.