It appears that there will be at least a three person race for the Republican nomination for the 24th District of the Kansas Senate that encompasses the Salina area. The incumbent, a Salina City Commissioner, and a Saline County Commissioner are all vying for the position.

At a legislative update session Saturday morning Senator Tom Arpke said that he has filed for re-election. Afterwards, Saline County Commissioner John Price told KSAL News that he has filed to run for the seat. Earlier in the week Salina City Commissioner Randall Hardy announced via social media that he was “headed down to City/County to file as a Republican for the Kansas Senate seat held by Arpke.”

Price said that the reason he is running is simple, saying “people want a change from the city, to the county, to the state, clear to the president.”

The 65-year-old Price plans to retire, and said that if elected he would be dedicated full-time to the senate job. Among other things he thinks that the tax cuts for small businesses and LLCs championed by Governor Brownback need to be rescinded, and he has concerns about how votes are counted, and their accuracy, in Kansas.

Saline County Clerk Don Merriman has also filed for the state Senate seat, as a Democrat.

The deadline to file to run is June 1st.