Why GOP Lawmakers Are Fighting Kansas' Republican Governor

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Since assuming office in 2011, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has led what he has called "a real live experiment" in conservative governance, signing into law the largest income tax cut in the state's history in 2012. 

But with large budget shortfalls and deep cuts across many state services and agencies, other lawmakers in the state are beginning to push back against Brownback's agenda. This week, the Republican-controlled legislature reversed Brownback's veto of a bill to undo some of the tax cuts, and raise $1.2 billion over the next two years.

Representative Melissa Rooker has served as a Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives since 2013. She voted for the initial tax increase, and to override the governor's veto. She says that the state is undergoing a shift to the center.