David Lowden, a 59-year-old Wichita Republican, is running for District Magistrate Judge in Kansas' 18th Judicial District, Position 1. The seat is on the Nov. 3 general election ballot to fill the rest of an unexpired term.
Lowden won the Republican primary with 24,112 votes out of 35,619 cast, defeating Wichita lawyer Lacy Gilmour, according to the Wichita Eagle.
Lowden said he is running because he has been a prosecutor and public servant for 34 years and believes he has more to offer the community, according to his response to a KMUW voter guide questionnaire. He said his character, leadership, intellect and work ethic would make him "a positive addition to the 18th Judicial District."
Candidate information
- Age: 59
- Residence: Wichita
- Party: Republican
- Family: Wife, Nikki; three adult children; three grandsons
- Education: bachelor of science in business administration, University of Kansas, 1989; law degree, University of Kansas, 1992
- Previous run: Lost the Division 17 judge seat in 2018
Experience and public service
Lowden spent the bulk of his legal career at the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office in the 18th Judicial District. He started as an assistant district attorney in the appeals division in 1992, according to the Wichita Eagle. He served as a senior assistant district attorney in the appeals division and later in the juvenile division. He went on to lead the office's post-conviction unit.
His appellate work included the death penalty cases of Wichita murderers Jonathan and Reginald Carr. He stayed on the case. Lowden said he continued working on the Carr appeals even after leaving the DA's office because "I knew the case better than anybody," according to the Eagle.
Lowden has served as deputy county attorney at the Riley County Attorney's Office since 2020, according to BallotReady.
On the issues
Court system challenges: Lowden pointed to several problems facing the courts in his response to the Eagle's candidate questionnaire. Those include overwhelming amounts of body camera footage and digital evidence, crushing public defender workloads and shortages of court reporters, attorneys and judges. "There's just not enough attorneys to do all the work in a timely fashion," Lowden said.
Candidacy rationale: Lowden said his experience prosecuting cases ranging from traffic offenses to death penalty cases, combined with his life experiences, would allow him to bring a different perspective to the courts. He said that perspective would benefit both attorneys and the public, according to his KMUW questionnaire response.
Candidate issue responses are drawn from questionnaires published by the Wichita Eagle and KMUW. Responses reflect the candidate's own statements.
