THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

For six years, Gov. Sam Brownback carried out a signature philosophy of cutting taxes and shrinking government across Kansas, a state dominated by his fellow Republicans.

But on Tuesday night, the state’s Republican-held Legislature overrode Mr. Brownback’s veto of a bill that would undo some of the tax cuts he pushed. The state Senate and House moved swiftly, narrowly voting only hours apart to turn back Mr. Brownback’s rejection of a tax increase aimed at raising about $1.2 billion over two years.

It was a remarkable rejection of the state’s tax-cutting approach after years of mounting uncertainty and unhappiness in Kansas over whether the tax cuts were working. That led to all-out revolt by Republican lawmakers who had grown increasingly frustrated over limits on the state’s spending on education and over state budget shortfalls.

For Mr. Brownback, a onetime presidential candidate who has grown increasingly isolated in Kansas, it was a devastating blow — a final rejection by some of his allies for his centerpiece doctrine.

The governor’s supporters in the Legislature were “very sad and defeated,” she said, and the legislators who voted to override Mr. Brownback felt they had no choice but to raise taxes. Ms. Sykes was among those voting to override.

“The governor is a true believer,” she said. “Being governor was all about his tax plan. And he really believed it was the right step. But as many of us have seen, it was not. We had to take a vote to say no and say, ‘This is not the right direction.’ I don’t know how the governor doesn’t see that.”

When she reads messages from constituents in her suburban Kansas City district, she said, they sound a similar, pleading note. ”Email after email after email I get from constituents,” she said, “say, ‘Please, let’s stop this experiment.’”

Jim Ward, the Democratic leader in the Kansas House of Representatives, said there was “great relief and excitement” among lawmakers.

// posted by montag @ 1:37 PM