Know your vote. Take a look at your sample ballot now!

Linda Featherston

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Linda Featherston
Image of Linda Featherston

Democratic Party

Kansas House of Representatives District 16
Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Compensation

Base salary

$86.66/session day

Per diem

$166/day

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Topeka High School

Bachelor's

Kansas State University, 1993

Graduate

Kansas State University, 1997

Personal
Birthplace
Topeka, Kan.
Religion
Catholic
Profession
Teacher/Business Owner
Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Linda Featherston (Democratic Party) is a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing District 16. She assumed office on January 11, 2021. Her current term ends on January 11, 2027.

Featherston (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Kansas House of Representatives to represent District 16. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Featherston completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Linda Featherston was born in Topeka, Kansas. She earned a high school diploma from Topeka High School. Featherston earned a bachelor's and master's degree from Kansas State University in 1993 and 1997, respectively. Her career experience includes working as an independent piano teacher and owning and operating an independent piano studio. Featherston is affiliated with the Kansas City Music Teachers Association, Kansas Music Teachers Association, and Greater Kansas Women's Political Caucus.[1][2][3]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at:[email protected].

2023-2024

Featherston was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Featherston was assigned to the following committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2024

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

Incumbent Linda Featherston won election in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Linda Featherston
Linda Featherston (D) Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
8,742

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,742
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

Incumbent Linda Featherston advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Linda Featherston
Linda Featherston Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
1,374

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,374
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Featherston received the following endorsements.

  • Stand Up Blue Valley

2022

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

Incumbent Linda Featherston defeated Ed Roitz in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Linda Featherston
Linda Featherston (D)
 
54.2
 
5,970
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Ed Roitz (R)
 
45.8
 
5,039

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 11,009
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

Incumbent Linda Featherston advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Linda Featherston
Linda Featherston
 
100.0
 
3,840

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,840
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

Ed Roitz advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Ed Roitz
 
100.0
 
4,363

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 4,363
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

Linda Featherston defeated Rashard Young in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Linda Featherston
Linda Featherston (D) Candidate Connection
 
50.2
 
7,130
Image of Rashard Young
Rashard Young (R) Candidate Connection
 
49.8
 
7,063

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 14,193
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

Linda Featherston advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Linda Featherston
Linda Featherston Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
2,614

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,614
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16

Rashard Young advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 16 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rashard Young
Rashard Young Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
3,241

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,241
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Linda Featherston completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Featherston's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Linda is a lifelong Kansan, residing in Johnson county since 1999. A child of retired Kansas state employees, Linda attended Kansas public schools from kindergarten through graduate school. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education and a Master of Music in Music History. She and her husband, Bill, chose to educate their own children through Kansas public schools as well. She is proud to be the mother of a teacher and a recent law school graduate.

While owning and operating a successful independent piano studio since 1992, Linda has also been an active volunteer within her profession and in her community including: Kansas Music Teachers Association, Kansas City Music Teachers Association, Sunset Community Garden, Be SMART, Moms Demand Action, Girl Scouts, Shawnee Mission School District, and her church.

Linda was first elected in 2020. She serves on the Agriculture, Education, Local Government, and Water Committees. She is proud to have passed legislation allowing judges to issue longer orders of protection for survivors of abuse and human trafficking. She was the driving force behind expanding access to diagnostic mammograms and other diagnostic breast imaging I 2024.
  • I will work to fully fund public schools, including special education, and to support our teachers.
  • I will continue to advocate for bringing Kansans' tax dollars home by expanding Medicaid.
  • I will work to pass common sense budgets and tax policies that benefit all Kansans while maintaining a stable budget.
Public education, public safety, Medicaid expansion, and children's issues.
Honesty, thoughtfulness, and transparency
My experience as a small business owner and teacher has honed my listening and communication skills. Additionally, I am an avid reader and consumer of the news. It is in my nature to try to see both sides of an issue and thoughtfully consider those sides.
The first historical event I recall is my mom taking my sister and I to see President Ford's motorcade pass through Topeka.
My first jobs included: babysitting, keeping score for softball and basketball, and working at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. I held the first three for a few years each. I worked at the library for eight years during high school, college and afterwards.
Out greatest challenge in the Kansas Legislature is the extremist leadership. They do not represent the values of the vast majority of Kansans, yet they control the legislative agenda. I firmly believe that if we can break the supermajority in 2024, everyone would be forced to take one big step towards the middle which is where most Kansans are ideologically.
Absolutely! The more legislators communicate with and get to know each other, the more we can find common ground. This common ground is where solid legislative policy is made.
Some of the most impactful stories I've heard included: a mother who was afraid to take her children to public events due to Kansas' weak gun laws, a husband who was afraid he wouldn't be able to save his wife's life if she experienced pregnancy complications, and a breast cancer survivor who was advocating for expanded access to diagnostic imaging after her life was saved by a sonogram.
I plan to re-introduce legislation shifting the cost of diagnostic mammograms and other breast imaging for all Kansans in the 2025 session. I also plan to re-introduce legislation requiring that weapons be securely stored.
Education First Shawnee Mission, Equality Kansas, Freedom to Learn, Game on for Kansas Schools, Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council, KC Biz PAC, Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas National Education Association, MainPAC, Stand Up Blue Valley, among others.
Education, Education Budget, Agriculture, Local Government, Water, Federal and State Affairs,
Elected officials must be accountable to the public in both their votes and their use of taxpayer dollars.

Since I was first elected, I have issued a weekly newsletter during the legislative session that details every vote I take in committee and on the House floor. I work hard to explain to legislation in laymen's terms so that my constituents understand the bills.

I have been a consistent advocate of keeping public dollars in public schools, as opposed to sending public dollars to unaccountable private schools.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Linda Featherston did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Candidate Connection

Linda Featherston completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Featherston's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Linda is a lifelong Kansan, residing in Johnson County for the past 21 years. A child retired Kansas state employees, Linda attended Kansas public schools from kindergarten through graduate schools. She and her husband, Bill, chose to educate their own two children through Kansas public schools as well.

While owning and operating a successful independent piano studio for twenty-seven years, Linda also finds time to volunteer within her profession and across her community. She currently serves on the boards of the Kansas Music Teachers Association and the Kansas City Music Teachers Association. Linda served as president of KMTA for three years and has served as treasurer for KCMTA for nine years. She actively volunteers in the WIC garden, at her church, and for Moms Demand Action.

Linda led a Girl Scout troop for 10 years and volunteered in the Shawnee Mission Schools for fourteen years. During this time, she had the opportunity to serve Harvesters, Hope Chest Food Pantry and the Ronald McDonald House.

While she may be new to candidacy herself, Linda is no political novice. She was a key volunteer on Rep. Cindy Holscher's successful campaigns, and has canvassed the 16th House District numerous times.

  • I will work to fully fund our public schools and support our teachers.
  • I will continue to advocate for Medicaid expansion in Kansas. Kansas has lost over $4 billion by not expanding Medicaid, and we cannot afford to lose anymore.
  • I will work to pass common sense budgets. We simply cannot be drug back to the Brownback tax disaster.
I am most passionate about our public schools, Medicaid expansion and children's issues.
The most important characteristic in an elected official is integrity. Constituents need to be able to trust their representatives to advocate for policies that best serve their district. Another important characteristic is a desire to serve others. Serving in public office should be rooted in a spirit of community service.
My job as a musician and teacher helps me to be a skilled listener and communicator. I assess nearly all of my students' work by listening. I work with students of all ages and abilities and must find a way to reach each one individually. I've worked with hundreds of parents over the years and have found ways to communicate effectively with them about their child's progress, my expectations and their concerns. The legislature could certainly use people with excellent listening and communication skills.
The first historical event I remember is when President Ford came to Topeka. My mom took my sister and I to see the motorcade process through town.
My first real job was shelving books at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. I held that job for six years while I was in high school and college, and moved to a position in technical services for two years after graduating from college. As an avid reader, working at the library was a dream job for me.
State legislators should be well versed in the issues that impact their constituents. I believe my experience as a lifelong Kansan, small business owner and teacher will give me a unique perspective into the issues that face everyday Kansans.
It is absolutely essential to build relationships with other legislators. We all bring unique perspectives and experiences to the state house. By working with others, we can find solutions to the issues facing Kansas that benefit everyone.
I favor a fair redistricting that ends political manipulation and gerrymandering. Politicians shouldn't pick their voters, voters should pick their representatives.
I would enjoy serving on the K-12 education committee, the committee on federal and state affairs, the arts and cultural resources committee, and the transportation committee.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Linda Featherston campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Kansas House of Representatives District 16Won general$14,377 $0
2022Kansas House of Representatives District 16Won general$57,976 $0
2020Kansas House of Representatives District 16Won general$67,889 N/A**
Grand total$140,242 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Kansas

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Kansas scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].


2024


2023


2022


2021








See also

2024 Elections

Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
What's on the ballot?
U.S. President
U.S. Congress
U.S. Congress special elections
State executives
State legislatures
State courts
Ballot measures
Municipal government
School boards
Election analysis hub

Government

Seal of Kansas.png
Who represents me?
U.S. Congress
State executives
State legislators
State courts
Ballot measures
Municipal government
School boards

Newsletters

Ballotpedia RSS.jpg
The Daily Brew
The Weekly Brew
The Ballot Bulletin
Checks and Balances
Economy and Society
Hall Pass
Number of the Day
Robe & Gavel


External links

Candidate

Kansas House of Representatives District 16
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
    		•

    Officeholder

    Kansas House of Representatives District 16
  • Website
    		•

    Personal

  • Website
  • Facebook
    		•

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 6, 2020
    2. ↑ Linda for Kansas, "Meet Linda," accessed April 23, 2021
    3. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 8, 2024

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Cindy Holscher (D)     		Kansas House of Representatives District 16
    2021-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -


    Current members of the Kansas House of Representatives
    Leadership
    Speaker of the House:Daniel Hawkins
    Majority Leader:Chris Croft
    Minority Leader:Brandon Woodard
    Representatives
    District 1
    District 2
    District 3
    District 4
    District 5
    District 6
    District 7
    District 8
    District 9
    District 10
    District 11
    Ron Bryce (R)
    District 12
    Doug Blex (R)
    District 13
    District 14
    District 15
    District 16
    District 17
    District 18
    District 19
    District 20
    District 21
    District 22
    District 23
    District 24
    District 25
    Rui Xu (D)
    District 26
    District 27
    District 28
    District 29
    District 30
    District 31
    District 32
    District 33
    District 34
    District 35
    District 36
    District 37
    District 38
    District 39
    District 40
    District 41
    District 42
    District 43
    District 44
    District 45
    Mike Amyx (D)
    District 46
    District 47
    District 48
    Dan Osman (D)
    District 49
    District 50
    District 51
    District 52
    District 53
    District 54
    District 55
    District 56
    District 57
    District 58
    District 59
    District 60
    District 61
    District 62
    District 63
    District 64
    District 65
    District 66
    District 67
    District 68
    District 69
    District 70
    District 71
    District 72
    District 73
    District 74
    Mike King (R)
    District 75
    District 76
    District 77
    District 78
    District 79
    District 80
    District 81
    District 82
    District 83
    District 84
    Ford Carr (D)
    District 85
    District 86
    District 87
    District 88
    District 89
    District 90
    District 91
    District 92
    District 93
    District 94
    District 95
    District 96
    District 97
    District 98
    District 99
    District 100
    District 101
    District 102
    District 103
    District 104
    District 105
    Jill Ward (R)
    District 106
    District 107
    Dawn Wolf (R)
    District 108
    District 109
    District 110
    District 111
    District 112
    District 113
    District 114
    District 115
    District 116
    District 117
    Adam Turk (R)
    District 118
    District 119
    District 120
    District 121
    District 122
    District 123
    Bob Lewis (R)
    District 124
    District 125
    Republican Party (88)
    Democratic Party (37)


    Flag of Kansas
    v • e
    State of Kansas
    Topeka (capital)
    Elections

    What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

    Government

    Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy


    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Linda_Featherston&oldid=10209155"