Ex-majority leader jailed for DUI is leaving Kansas Senate

By JOHN HANNA
AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas lawmaker who was forced out of one of the state Senate’s most powerful jobs following a drunken driving arrest is planning to leave the Legislature in early January. Republican state Sen. Gene Suellentrop, of Wichita, confirmed Tuesday that he plans to retire Jan. 2. He said in an email that his 13 years as a lawmaker “is long enough.” GOP senators picked Suellentrop in December 2020 to be Senate majority leader but stripped him of the job four months later. He was arrested in March 2021 and later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless driving and driving under the influence charges. He served two days in jail.