Laura Jeanne Kelly (born January 24, 1950) is an American actress is an American politician who has been the 48th governor of Kansas since 2019.
She was a member of the Democratic Party and served in the Kansas Senate from 2005 to 2019. In 2018, Kelly was elected governor, defeating Republican nominee Kris Kobach. In 2022, she was narrowly defeated by Republican nominee Derek Schmidt.
Kelly was born in New York City into a military family that relocated frequently and was stationed abroad. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Bradley University in Illinois and a Master of Science in therapeutic recreation from Indiana University.
Laura Kelly children Molly Daughety and Kathleen Daughety
Kelly has been married to Ted Daughety, a pulmonary and sleep disorders expert, since 1979. In 1986, they relocated to Topeka. Kathleen and Molly Daughety are their two adult daughters. Unfortunately, there is not much information with regard to the Politician’s two daughters.
Kelly was elected to the Kansas Senate in November 2004 to represent northern Topeka, later serving as Minority Whip. From 2005 until her inauguration as governor in 2019, she was a member of the Ways and Means Committee, the Joint Committee on Home and Community-Based Services and KanCare Oversight, and the Public Health and Welfare Committee.
Kelly pondered running for Kansas’ 2nd congressional district in late 2009. During the 2011-12 legislative sessions, she was the Kansas Senate’s Assistant Minority Leader.
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