Sunday, September 2, 2012

State Sen. Jean Schodorf has announced she is leaving the Republican Party after she was unseated by a conservative Wichita City Council member in the primary.

Schodorf said Saturday that there's no room in the party for "people who actually think in moderation."

Michael O'Donnell defeated Schodorf, a veteran moderate Republican and the Kansas Senate Education Committee's chairwoman.

Schodorf has held the seat since 2001 and served 12 years on the Wichita school board. But O'Donnell had the backing of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. He also benefited from independent advertising by the anti-tax, small-government group Americans for Prosperity.

Schodorf says she plans to change her voter registration in the near future. She plans to become a Democrat or an independent.