Tyson ousts Palmer in District 4 contest

Former District 4 State Rep. Shirley Palmer monitors early election figures during a Democratic watch party Tuesday night at Fort Scott High School. Palmer was joined by several supporters at the party, including Clint Walker (right), the Democratic challenger for the District 1 Bourbon County Commission seat that was won by his Republican challenger Allen Warren. Palmer lost her seat to challenger Republican Caryn Tyson. (Jason E. Silvers/Tribune)

A longtime local legislator was defeated by a wide margin while another state representative race was "too close to call," according to unofficial election numbers released late Tuesday.

In the District 4 Kansas House of Representatives race, retired educator Shirley Palmer, D-Fort Scott, who has represented the district since 2007, lost her seat to her challenger, Caryn Tyson, R-Parker.

Palmer, who had gathered with several of her supporters for a Democratic watch party at Fort Scott High School, said late Tuesday she now looks forward to "spending more time with my family," and doesn't plan to venture into the political realm again.

"Of course, I'm disappointed, but I want to extend my best wishes to Caryn and I hope she chooses to represent the values of the district," Palmer said. "This is probably it for me. I've had a nice experience and I've met some wonderful people."

Palmer added she didn't agree with her opponent's campaign tactics.

"If the type of campaigning my opponent does wins, then I don't want to be a part of that," Palmer said. "I'm a legislator, not a politician. ... I ran an honest, truthful campaign."

Tyson, a business woman, said late Tuesday she was "happy" after learning of her victory.

"I'm happy about it. I'm humbled by it," she said. "I think the voters sent a message. We had a lot of great people working on our campaign."

Tyson said her first order of business in the position will be to "get the lay of the land" in Topeka. She said she also plans to do what she can to help the constituents of the district.

"I think the dynamics of Topeka will change after this election," she said.

As of press time, Tyson led Palmer 2,031 votes to 1,660 votes in Bourbon County, and 1,637 votes to 809 votes in Linn County.

The District 2 House of Representatives race was tight late Tuesday, with incumbent Bob Grant, D-Cherokee, leading Fort Scott Community College instructor Jeff Locke of Arma 3,288 votes to 2,644 votes. This was with 30 of 38 precincts reporting, according to the Kansas Secretary of State's website. The district includes Cherokee County, but those results were unavailable Tuesday night.

Grant is a small business owner who has held the District 2 seat for a total of 17 years.

"It's the will of the people, that's what it is," Locke said when reached late Tuesday. "If I win, it's the grace of God. If I lose, I didn't really lose, because look at all the people who showed up and made it close. ... Right now, it's too close to call."

Grant did not respond to attempts to reach him for comment late Tuesday.

As of press time, Grant trailed Locke 720 votes to 339 votes in Bourbon County, while Grant led his opponent 2,920 votes to 1,909 votes in Crawford County. Larry Monaghan, a Libertarian candidate from Arcadia, had 147 votes.