This Libertarian candidate is getting a lot of buzz
Running for Mayor of Wichita, the largest city in Kansas, Lily Wu, a Libertarian candidate, has been in the news a great deal this week. This is because Wichita’s Mayoral election was held August 1 and Wu received more votes than any other candidate, receiving 30 percent of the vote (11,763 votes). She will be advancing to the general election along with incumbent Mayor Brandon Whipple, a Democrat. Whipple received 24 percent of the vote (9,253 votes), almost having lost to Bryan Frye, a two-term City Council member representing District 5 in northwest Wichita who received 23 percent of the vote (8,855 votes).
About 15 percent of voters came out for this election, which was up from 10 percent in 2019.
What was really interesting about Wu doing so well is the different reactions Kansans had to this news. Democrats and people on the left were painting her as a far-right puppet. Republicans were fairly quiet, but there was indication that some were happy. And Libertarians seemed to have mixed feelings despite Wu running as a Libertarian.
Davis Hammet of Loud Light, an organization that informs Kansans of what’s going on in Kansas politics from a left-wing perspective, tweeted the following:
A few other people on the left also tweeted their thoughts on the situation.
Republicans seemed to be the most quiet about this news. President of the Kansas Black Republican Council (KBRC) Michael Austin did retweet Hammet’s tweet with three letters.
Libertarians, however, were all over the place. Americans for Prosperity Kansas, a conservative-Libertarian political advocacy group congratulated Wu on her success.
On the Facebook page Kansas Libertarian Action, there was a whole discussion on what everyone was thinking with mixed reviews.
The general election will take place on November 7, 2023, allowing the city of Wichita to decide to either continue on with incumbent Mayor Whipple or take a chance on Wu.
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Ian Brannan
Ian Brannan is an independent journalist who founded The Kansas Constitutional in April 2022. His work focuses on issues including abortion, Convention of States, drug policy, education, government, LGBT issues, media, and more. He is also the co-host of the Remember COVID podcast.
