Lawrence.com

John Wilson is literally a fresh face on the Kansas political scene. This 24-year-old KU alum looks more like a clean-shaven grad student than the usual stuffed suits and liver spots you'd find moldering in the halls of Topeka. Given his youth and relative inexperience, few expected Wilson to make much of a dent when he threw his hat in the ring as the Democratic candidate against Tom Sloan, who's represented Lawrence and the 45th district in the state House for 14 years.

Yet Wilson actually managed to out-raise his Republican opponent in campaign donations during the last filing quarter. Granted, Sloan still has tens of thousands of dollars more in the bank, but the enthusiasm generated by Wilson's campaign has stirred things up a bit. Wilson joined us to discuss his improbable campaign.

lawrence.com: You graduated with a Fine Arts degree in Design. Being a Fine Arts grad, can you assure the voters of the 45th that you're not secretly a goateed communist Manchurian candidate?

Wilson: Most of the voters will know when they see me on their door step I'm not a goatee wearing Manchurian candidate. It takes me weeks to grow facial hair. But I've bolstered my design work with community service and civic engagement.

Upon graduating, you went to work for Bill Clinton's foundation in New York. Can we assume, then, that you want to drag our country back to 8 years of peace and prosperity as under the Clinton Administration?

The beauty of working at the Clinton Foundation is that it's truly non-partisan. It's a non-profit organization, and I was thankful to be insulated from the political rancor and just focus on helping people's lives, from climate change to sustainable business in Africa. But you're right that President Clinton was a visionary man who did a lot of good for the country while he was in office, and has continued to do good since leaving office.

Do you think that experience, or lack thereof, is a valid topic of debate in this campaign? Unless you're talking about Sarah Palin, of course-that's completely off the table.

I don't think my age is an issue. It hasn't been while I've been knocking on people's doors for the last several months. If anything, I see my age as an advantage. We are facing problems right now in this state that not only immediately impact us-I'm talking about health care, job creation, and the environment-they also have the potential to impact people my age and younger. Why sit around and wait to inherit those problems when we can do something more preventative?

What policies would you promote regarding the environment and the state economy? Wouldn't we be best served by building more coal fired power plants and shipping most of the energy out of state?

Kansas is the third windiest state in the country, and there's a lot of talk about wind development in Kansas. The problem is that there hasn't been a lot of action in turning that potential into concrete development. We need a sustainable, forward-thinking energy policy that diversifies the mix we have. We're over-reliant on traditional fuels like coal. We need to focus on efficiency of those existing fuels, then move on to renewable energy. We could create thousands of jobs and allow people to live and work in the communities that they grew up in. To me, it's common sense, and recent polls show that most Kansans favor aggressive development of wind energy.

Why would the 45th be better represented by you than Tom Sloan?

It's an excellent question, and I should preface it with respect for Tom Sloan's 14 years in office-he's done some good work for the people of Kansas. It isn't until recently that I feel he's become less of a public servant and more of a politician. His recent votes on coal and conceal-and-carry didn't sit right with me. My question is, in the 14 years he's been in office, how has Kansas' energy policy changed for the better? He's really proud of his work on energy, but nothing has changed. States all around us are developing renewable portfolio standards, net metering policies and inviting wind turbine manufacturers to their state-what's happened here in those 14 years? Just because you clock into work, it doesn't necessarily mean you're working.

Sloan has about 80 gajillion more dollars on hand than you do. Are you foolhardy or insane?

First of all, I'm proud of the amount of money we've raised. For a political newcomer, I'm so thankful for the people that have helped me get to where I am. I don't think I'm foolhardy. Someone who's been in office for 14 years is bound to have a large war chest, but as we've seen in recent political campaigns, money isn't everything. If you have the right message and are doing the legwork of knocking on doors, that can really make up for the gap in money.

Any weirdo campaign tactics to close that gap, like skywriting or Google bombing?

Fuel costs prevent me from using skywriting. For me, the strategy is pretty basic and fits the template for local politics-knock on every single person's door, whether they're Democrat, Republican or unaffiliated. It's believing in what you're telling people. I believe Kansas can create thousands of jobs with a new energy economy. I believe we can fully fund education in a way that really supports teachers and students. I believe we can address healthcare in a really meaningful way. I found while I've been knocking on doors that people feel that way, too.

Is Barack Obama going to help you down-ticket?

I think it's possible. To me, it seems like the Democrats have been the only ones talking about healthcare, the middle class, job creation, and a clean energy future. I'm so thankful to be a part of that ticket. If people favor Barack Obama, then they'll also see Nancy Boyda, Jim Slattery, Marci Francisco, Tom Holland, John Wilson, and the whole slate of Democratic candidates here are supportive of these values and issues. I feel Kansas is at a crossroads, and we need to think hard about who we want to choose. I'm bringing forth common sense policies that are intended to improve people's lives and not impede them. We need to create policies that enrich people's lives to the point where they can raise their families in a healthy community with great paying jobs. I'm going to listen to your ideas and concerns. That will be my job in Topeka, and I'll do that to the best of my ability. »