Cindy Holscher

Cindy Holscher
Official portrait, 2026
Member of the Kansas Senate
from the 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 11, 2021
Preceded byJim Denning
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 16th district
In office
January 9, 2017 – January 11, 2021
Preceded byAmanda Grosserode
Succeeded byLinda Featherston
Personal details
BornCynthia Blumhorst
(1969-04-26) April 26, 1969
Slater, Missouri, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
Greg Holscher
​
(m. 1992)​
Children3
EducationUniversity of Missouri (BA)
WebsiteState Senate website
Campaign website

Cynthia L. Holscher (née Blumhorst, born April 26, 1969)[1][2] is an American politician who served in the Kansas House of Representatives from the 16th district from 2017 to 2020,[3][4] and was elected to represent the 8th district for the Kansas Senate starting in 2021.[5] She is a member of the Democratic Party and is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 Kansas gubernatorial election.[6][7]

Early life and education

Holscher was raised on a small farm near Slater, Missouri. Her father was a construction worker, a farmer, and a member of Heavy Construction Laborers Local #663; her mother worked as a school custodian and operated a small business doing residential wallpapering. Holscher attended Slater High School, where she participated in 4-H, FFA, and debate before graduating in 1987. She went on to attend the University of Missouri–Columbia, graduating in 1992 with degrees in journalism and political science. She is a first-generation college graduate.[1][8][9][10][11]

Career

Professional career

Holscher's early career included positions at The Add Sheet from 1993 to 1994 and R.H. Donnelley from 1994 to 2006. She subsequently worked at Sprint for 12 years, where she held a position as a mid-level manager. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holscher began working as a substitute teacher in Johnson County schools during periods outside of the legislative session.[1][10][9][11][12]

Political career

In 2016, Holscher ran for election to represent District 16 in the Kansas House of Representatives, and defeated Republican incumbent Amanda Grosserode. She won re-election in 2018.[5]

Holscher was elected to represent district 8 in the Kansas Senate on November 3, 2020, defeating Republican state Representative James Todd in a competitive race.[5]

On June 12, 2025, Holscher became the first Democrat to announce a bid for the governor of Kansas in the 2026 Kansas gubernatorial election.[13][14] On May 14, 2026, she announced that Wichita state representative Kelechi Ohaebosim would be her running mate.[15][16]

Holscher focused her 2026 gubernatorial campaign on cost of living and public education.[14] She supports cannabis legalization, including for both medical and recreational uses.[17] Holscher states that tax revenues from cannabis legalization could be put towards public schooling[18] and that Kansas farmers could profit from cultivating cannabis.[19] She seeks a statewide moratorium on data centers.[20] Holscher is critical of Donald Trump's tariffs and their impact on farmers.[19] Holscher supports Medicaid expansion in Kansas.[21][22]

Electoral record

2016 general election: Kansas House of Representatives, District 16[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cindy Holscher 6,847 55.71%
Republican Amanda Grosserode 5,443 44.29%
2018 general election: Kansas House of Representatives, District 16[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cindy Holscher 6,810 58.9%
Republican Susan Huff 4,751 41.1%
2020 general election: Kansas Senate, District 8[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cindy Holscher 23,686 54.4%
Republican James Todd 19,883 45.6%
2024 general election: Kansas Senate, District 8[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cindy Holscher 24,795 61.1%
Republican Benee' Hudson 15,758 38.9%

Personal life

Holscher married Greg Holscher in September 1992.[23] They have three children together.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Cindy Holscher's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Honored to join my sister, Cindy Holscher (third from left), as she took the oath of office for her second term as a Kansas state senator. | Glenn Blumhorst". www.linkedin.com.
  3. ↑ "Representative Cindy Holscher". Kslegislature.org. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ Tim Carpenter (August 10, 2017). "Kansas Democrat shares ideas after spurning run for governor". Cjonline.com. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cindy Holscher". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  6. ↑ Smith, Mitch (August 5, 2026), "Cindy Holscher Wins Kansas Democratic Primary for Governor", The New York Times, ISSN 0362-4331, retrieved August 6, 2026
  7. ↑ Harvel, Jack (January 15, 2026). "Likely Democratic voters polled on who they'd vote for for governor". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  8. ↑ "About Cindy Holscher". Cindy Holscher for Kansas. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Cindy Holscher". Kansas Farm Bureau. June 15, 2026. Archived from the original on June 25, 2026. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Senator Cindy Holscher". Kansas Senate Democrats. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Kansas State Sen. Cindy Holscher". LegiStorm. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  12. ↑ Carpenter, Tim (June 25, 2026). "Kansas Democratic gubernatorial candidate's union membership sparks political finger-pointing". HPPR. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  13. ↑ Jason Altadidd (June 12, 2025). "Cindy Holscher is first major Kansas Democrat to declare for 2026 governor race". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Smith, Sherman (June 12, 2025). "Democrat steps forward in race for Kansas governor, focuses on schools and 'kitchen table' issues". Kansas Reflector.
  15. ↑ Tim Carpenter (May 14, 2026). "Cindy Holscher announces running mate for 2026 governor race". Kansas Reflector. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  16. ↑ Carpenter, Tim (May 14, 2026). "Democratic ticket in Kansas governor's race pairs legislators from Johnson, Sedgwick counties". Kansas Reflector.
  17. ↑ "What the Kansas governor candidates say about the prospect of legalizing marijuana". KCTV5. July 16, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  18. ↑ "What the candidates for Kansas governor said about their plans for public school funding". KCTV5. July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  19. 1 2 "How the candidates for Kansas governor say they plan to help farmers". KCTV5. July 15, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  20. ↑ Timothy Cama, E&E Politico, August 5, 2026 "Data center foes win big in Tuesday’s primaries - Winners this week either want to crack down on new data centers or enact a moratorium" https://www.eenews.net/articles/data-center-foes-win-big-in-tuesdays-primaries/
  21. ↑ "What Kansas gubernatorial candidates will do to address the rural healthcare crisis". KCTV5. July 15, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026. Cindy Holscher: Certainly. I do see a pathway for it. And I will tell you, actually, I worked with a bipartisan group back in 2017. We got Medicaid expansion passed then. Then-Governor Brownback vetoed it. I believe we fell just a couple of votes short of overriding that. But since that time period, extremist leadership has blocked us from moving it forward.
  22. ↑ "What the Kansas gubernatorial candidates said about their plan to address the economy". KCTV5. July 15, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  23. ↑ @cindyforkansas; (September 5, 2025). "Today is our wedding anniversary! I'm so grateful for a life full of love, adventure, & our beautiful children with my husband Greg. He's my partner, my other half, and I'm lucky to love him ❤️ Donate $33 today at cindyforkansas.com to help us celebrate 33 years of marriage!". Retrieved June 28, 2026 – via Instagram.
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