COLUMBIA, Mo. — Replacing Rep. Chris Kelly in the 45th District will be Kip Kendrick, a young Democrat who is always laughing and very passionate about Columbia’s issues. Not having to run a traditional campaign against a Republican opponents has opened Kendrick up to being able to learn the district’s legislative priorities, as opposed to setting priorities himself in order to get votes.
“I’m still campaigning and learning the issues, probably more so than if I were running a tough campaign because I am taking that time every day to have meetings to learn what issues are important [to Columbians] and to figure out what legislative priorities I want to set,” Kendrick told the Missouri Times.
In addition to listening sessions with business leaders, Kendrick is still canvassing and has seen people be more willing to engage now that he is not asking for yard sign locations or support because of his lack of opposition.
“It’s important to get out there and make the connections so that people know who is going to represent them and also I’ve had more candid responses from people now that I’m not asking anything from them,” Kendrick said. “It breaks down this barrier.”
Kendrick has worked in social services and higher education, as well as on a city commission in Columbia. He’s served as president of his neighborhood association for 7 years, as well as assisting on local campaigns.
Legislatively, Kendrick hopes to see Medicaid expansion brought up this next session.
“We’re sending our tax dollars to other states that have expanded Medicaid and people are missing out,” he said.
Despite Medicaid being a somewhat partisan issue, Kendrick applauds Rep. Kelly as a great mentor for bipartisanship. Kendrick shadowed Kelly several times over this last session.
“It is important for a Democrat in a superminority to learn to work well across the aisle,” Kendrick said.
Outside of his budding political career, Kendrick enjoys traveling. He spent 6 months in Australia doing volunteer work during his first year of college. He says Batman may be his favorite superhero because of his mortality and Harry S. Truman may be the president he admires most because of Truman’s Missouri roots and national accomplishments. Kendrick attended high school in Monroe City – near Hannibal – where he played offensive center and defensive lineman. He laughs at how much smaller he is today as opposed to in high school.
Kendrick plans to continue to canvass and meet more and more community leaders in the 45th through the election to find out how he can best serve the district in Jefferson City.
Featured Image: Kendrick with Rep. Chris Kelly over this past session.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.