Working Backwards: A Blueprint for Kansas' Future

Back in Time, Huey Lewis and the News

Working Backwards: Starting With the Future in Mind

What if we borrowed a page from visionary planners—the kind who ask not “What’s next?” but “What does success look like, and how do we get there?” That’s the idea behind Working Backwards: a strategy used by everyone from business leaders to community organizers. Rather than starting from where we are and asking what’s possible, we flip the script. We imagine the headline we want to read in the future, then identify the steps needed to make it a reality.

In politics—especially in a state like Kansas, where progress can feel hard-won—it’s an unconventional approach. But it’s also a hopeful one. Instead of reacting to losses or waiting for someone else to lead, we define our own goals and then align people, resources, and energy to achieve them.

The story that follows is built around a bold idea: If Kansas Democrats aimed to flip the State Senate in 2028, what would that press release sound like? It’s a goal that may seem audacious—perhaps even laughable—but real change begins with inspiration, hope, and a clearly articulated vision¹ .

This is just one example. (And to be clear: I’m not an “official” within any political party; this is simply meant to spark conversation between citizens and their government.)

Timeline: Building the Win (2025–2028)

2025: Rebuilding from the Ground Up

After painful losses in 2024 (many by razor-thin margins), Kansas Democrats began to reorganize, not from the top down, but from the grassroots up. Inspired by Contest Every Race-style efforts, small grants flowed to county parties to support hiring part-time organizers and recruiting new board members in overlooked areas.

Town halls sprang up in unconventional venues: rural libraries, feed stores, union halls. These were listening tours, not lectures. The opposite of a town hall, where the conversation is driven by the community instead of the politician. From those conversations, a new narrative began to take shape that centered on everyday Kansans: the parent juggling two jobs while special ed services were gutted; the rancher frustrated by crumbling roads; the nurse watching a local hospital teeter due to Medicaid cuts.

A few surprise wins—such as a Dodge City city commission seat or a progressive-leaning school board chair—proved that with presence and persistence, even red counties could begin to turn purple.

2026: The Underdog Midterms

While national attention faded after 2024, Kansas Democrats stayed focused. Local candidate training intensified. Messaging sharpened—less “vote blue,” more “vote for someone who knows you.” With presidential turnout gone, grassroots organizing became even more crucial.

When the votes were counted, the numbers surprised even party insiders: 10 House seats flipped, including some in suburban Kansas City and fringe-rural Wichita districts. The Republican supermajority in the House cracked. And, against tough odds, the governorship remained in Democratic hands. Voters chose to preserve an executive branch that served as a check on legislative overreach.

2027: The Strategy Year

Rather than resting on 2026’s gains, party leaders declared 2027 the “Year of the Precinct.” Training programs expanded into new counties. Outreach to new and previously disenfranchised voters deepened. Behind the scenes, a key strategic document circulated among organizers: a redistricting countdown.

The 2030 Census felt distant, but the battle for map-making power would be won—or lost—in 2028. Attention turned to Senate districts where the previous margins had been within six points. Field programs began building year-round pipelines for voter contact in those areas.

2028: Breaking the Supermajority

Instead of a scattershot approach, Democrats ran on a unified, Kansas-focused platform:

• Keep hospitals open.

• Fund public schools.

• End rigged redistricting.

Turnout surged among independents, moderates, and especially women under 50—galvanized by threats to reproductive rights and school funding.

Twelve GOP-held Senate seats flipped. Democrats secured 21 seats—the first-ever Democratic majority in the Kansas Senate.

That’s how this press release becomes reality.

Voices from the Grassroots

“It felt lonely to be a blue dot in a sea of red,” joked a Topeka campaign coordinator—echoing the words of a Democratic organizer. But by 2028, that “lonely” feeling was gone. Instead, many Kansans found themselves neighbors in change, meeting weekly at kitchen tables and community centers to share success stories and pick up more momentum. They framed candidates as neighbors, not ideologues.

How to Work Backwards

Working backwards from that jubilant 2028 press release, Kansas Democrats could chart a long-term path grounded in local organizing, rural outreach, and practical, people-first issues. In practice, this means empowering every county party, listening to neighbors far from major media markets, and running on relatable proposals—not national culture-war battles.

It’s not a silver-bullet tactic, but a sustained grassroots campaign: small volunteer teams, coffee shop meetups across the state, and a year-round culture of civic engagement.

“Blue islands in red territory” are possible—as Colorado showed in 2024, when it bucked a national swing and flipped three rural counties. Colorado Democrats succeeded by investing early in rural infrastructure—long before campaign season. The same lesson applies in Kansas.

In Virginia, organizers promote “good neighbor politics” in Appalachian regions, treating rural voters as equals, not outliers. As one Virginia organizer put it, rural communities “know inherently what it means to be a good neighbor.” Democrats there built year-round support networks that allowed candidates to say: “I’m one of you, and I’m here to help.”

Kansas activists can adopt this same approach: attend every county fair, farmers’ market, and school board meeting. Tell personal stories about why Kansas matters to you—and listen more than you speak.

1  History also suggests that the idea of a Democratic-majority state legislature is unbelievably difficult, seeing as how it’s never happened before.

2  This is a fictitious press release.