KS-03: Democratic star of 2018 takes low-key approach after flipping Kansas district

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas — Sharice Davids became one of the biggest stars of the 2018 midterms when she flipped a House seat in Kansas from red to blue. But when the Democrat passed through a suburban shopping mall here, with an entourage of aides one afternoon this summer, almost no one recognized her.

Davids didn’t seem to mind.

She was shadowing a UPS driver making deliveries, the latest installment of “Sharice’s Shift,” a recurring effort to interact “directly with local workers, businesses and everyday people” that Davids launched after winning her 3rd District seat, which includes Kansas City, Kansas, and its populous suburbs.

Another politician would seize the opportunity to work the room, but Davids didn’t mention that she was a congresswoman, or even give her name. People in the stores she visited were not told in advance she would be there.

It was a curious display of self-effacement for a freshman lawmaker gearing up for what is sure to be one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country next year. But it was right in line with the low-key style Davids has developed in her first few months in office.

Wearing a brown uniform, her distinctive dark hair pulled back under a visor, Davids asked for signatures for deliveries and checked the spelling of names as cameras clicked behind her. If anyone looked confused, she flashed a sheepish grin.

“My first day,” she joked, more than once. When a man waiting to see an optometrist said she looked familiar, she ran out the door while he was still trying to place her.

“This is like ‘Undercover Boss,’” she quipped.

Later, she said it hadn’t occurred to her to tell people who she was. At any rate, it would interfere with the UPS workers she wanted to observe. “I didn’t want to slow down their day,” she said.



https://www.rollcall.com/news/campaigns/democratic-star-2018-takes-low-key-approach-flipping-kansas-district