Grayson Coffield and Luke Torrez
Below is a transcript of Questions asked of Governor Sam Houson and Lt. Governor Shawn Sullivan and their respective answers.
Q: What made you want to run for Governor?
A: There were quite a few factors. One of the reasons I did Boys State was because my father did it . . . . I kind of wanted to get out of my comfort zone, to go for something big.
Q: What’s your plan to certify a budget before a government shutdown?
A: So there are a lot of avenues we can go down to solve the deficit, and prevent a shutdown. One has passed through the senate, and I’m not sure about the [House of Representatives]
Q: Would you be willing to compromise plans to improve the quality of the state?
A: I don’t think you could say that any plan was entirely one sided . . . . especially given the diverse viewpoints and philosophies, it’s not only important to compromise, it’s essential.
Q: How do we know you won’t just accept what the advisers say?
A: I ran based on my own ideas, my own philosophies. Especially in the senate I have already pursued my own ideas, even though I was with people who had other opinions. Obviously I will listen to the advice of everyone [at Boys State], but it is also important to have a leader who stands for what he believes.
Q: What do you want us to appreciate about your judgment?
A: I don’t want you to appreciate my judgment. I want you to appreciate my actions.
Q: How will you appeal to a diverse cabinet, and how do you plan to include everyone?
A: I talked about [in my speech], setting general things that will help everyone in Kansas. We talked about oil and gas, and agriculture, and there are ways to help them individually. However, there are also ways to generally help both of them. Things like a statewide highway.
Q: Your opponent, Hayden Slough, put great stress on transparency, even going as far to say that he would “post the budget on the walls.” How will you live up to this transparency?A: I’m pretty sure you can find the budget on the Kansas Boys State website, but if you can’t, sure. I will print it out and post it on the wall . . . . If anyone wants to know anything about the policies and actions we are taking, we will tell them.