INTERVIEW IS EDITED FOR CLARITY
NEUFELD: What led you to your current position in the state Senate?
CORSON: Yeah. So, it really was 2019. Our first son, Isaac, was born. So my wife, Jenna, and I have two boys. We have Isaac, who's six, and Aiden, who's two, and I was watching what was going on with the legislature, and I felt like there was just so much focus on these very divisive culture war issues that really affect so few Kansans. And there was just hardly any conversation at all in the legislature about the issues that my wife and I were really focused on, and the kind of things that when we talked to other families with young kids, they were really focused on. You know, challenges around trying to buy your first home, the kind of public schools that'll be available as our kids get older, the cost of childcare. All of those things I think were just so important to both my wife and to the families we were talking to, but if you turned on the Kansas Legislature, there was just no discussion of that. So I ran to bring a real focus on the issues that Kansas families are facing, and to really focus the legislature on those core kitchen table issues that I think, really, state government should be focused on.
NEUFELD: What work have you accomplished then in your time in the Senate regarding some of those issues?
CORSON: So I've been really proud of some of the work that I've done working across the aisle to keep more money in Kansans pockets. I’m a senior member of the Senate Tax Committee and worked across the aisle to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries. That saves an average Kansas family of four over $500 a year. And at the time we eliminated that tax, Kansas had one of the highest sales taxes on groceries of any state in the country. Similarly, I worked across the aisle to eliminate the state income tax on Social Security. At the time that we were doing that, we were one of only nine states that were still taxing Social Security. It saves an average Kansas senior over $1,500 a year and provides a little bit more security for them. So I think those things- we've been able to reduce property taxes across the board, we were able to freeze property taxes for certain fixed-income seniors, but certainly there's still a lot of work to do to make Kansas a more affordable place, and that's going to be my focus as governor.
NEUFELD: What about your experience in the state Senate made you think that you should run for governor?
CORSON: So in the state Senate, I've been one of the most moderate, bipartisan, and effective state senators. You know, I recently worked with one of the most conservative state senators in our chamber to eliminate the state sales tax for 100% disabled veterans as a way of thanking them for their service. So I think I have the ability to work across the aisle. I think I have a kind of approach that seeks common ground, and I think I have a real skill to be able to bring people together to try to solve some of these big challenges facing Kansas that you and I have discussed.
NEUFELD: Was there anything else, aside from that, that really pushed you to run?
CORSON: You know, my wife, Jenna, and I think a lot about our two boys, Isaac and Aiden, and the kind of Kansas that they'll grow up in. We often talk about how we really have two goals for them that I think are the same two goals that most Kansas families share, which is we want them to be able to accomplish whatever it is they decide to do when they grow up, but we don't want them to feel like they need to leave Kansas to do it. I'm really running for governor to try to create a Kansas where more young people will want to build their life here one day. And I was also of course honored when Governor Kelly, who's somebody whose public service I greatly admire, was supportive and encouraged me to run and again, felt like I had the right temperament, demeanor and skill set to bring people together, to move this state forward on some of these issues and to really build upon the progress that we've made under her leadership.
NEUFELD: Gotcha. What would your other main goals be if elected?
CORSON: So, several big goals. The first thing that I want to do as governor is I want to make sure that we sign into law a new school finance formula that makes sure that our schools across the state have the resources they need for our kids to be successful. That includes making sure that districts have enough money to increase teacher pay. That includes ending the crisis in special education, which hasn't been fully funded since 2011. That formula expires at the end of 2026. I have also announced my working families agenda, which is my plan to make Kansas the most affordable state in the country, to have a middle class quality of life. And as soon as I'm sworn in in January, I want to work with the legislature to get that agenda implemented into law to keep more money in people's pockets. I also want to continue the work we've done under Governor Kelly and Lieutenant Governor Toland in bringing more jobs and businesses into Kansas. And, we actually spent time today at the Community Health Center here in Pittsburg, and I want to make sure that we make health care more affordable and more accessible for Kansans.
NEUFELD: You said that you're someone who's moderate and bipartisan. What does that mean in terms of how you would conduct business if elected as governor?
CORSON: Yeah. I think that folks, as I've traveled the state, folks are really, I think, tired of a lot of the rancor, the division, and the personal attacks, and the kind of partisanship that we've seen, especially in Washington D.C., that really has stopped us from coming together and accomplishing our goals and solving big problems. So for me, working together means working with members of both parties, because certainly no one party has all of the good ideas. I'm really honored that in the Kansas Senate, I’ve built really good relationships with colleagues in both parties. And so to me, it looks like getting colleagues of both parties together, and trying to hear from them about different approaches to some of these complicated issues that our state faces. And ultimately, it's about finding common ground and coming up with solutions that move our state forward together.
NEUFELD: And you mentioned how you've been endorsed by Governor Kelly. I know that's something she's talked about before, how she's very middle of the road. So would you approach anything- do you bring a different approach to what she's already done for the state?
CORSON: You know, I think I have a unique perspective to bring as a young parent. I certainly think that there is just a sort of a way of looking at some of these issues around, whether it's public education, technology in schools, child care- I mean, that is something that, you know, my wife and I are living. It's not something that, you know, we need to read a study about. We both work full-time. For the past six years, we've been paying for child care for our two boys. At the same time, we've been paying our student loans, we've been paying our mortgage, paying two car payments, all things that are completely common to so many working families across Kansas. And I think it's just really important to have a governor who has that perspective of what so many families across our state are going through, and I think that that's going to be important in building on the progress that we have made under Governor Kelly's leadership.
NEUFELD: Is there anything else you'd like to add that I haven't asked about?
CORSON: No, you did a great job.
NEUFELD: All right, then, that's all the questions I have. Thank you so much.
CORSON: Awesome. Thank you.
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