Senator Marci Francisco Contact information

Marci Francisco, born on April 22, 1950, is an American politician who currently serves as the Kansas State Senator from the 2nd district, a position she has held since 2005. She was born in Prairie Village, Kansas, U.S. and is a member of the Democratic Party. She is married to Joe Bickford and is an alumnus of the University of Kansas, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Architecture degrees.

Before her political career, she served as a city commissioner of Lawrence, Kansas, from 1979 to 1983, and also served as mayor from 1981 to 1983. She was a space analyst at the University of Kansas.

In 2004, she defeated Mark Buhler, the appointed Republican incumbent, with 49% of the vote, versus 43% for Buhler. Jim Mullins of the Reform party finished third, with 7%. In 2008, she defeated Republican Scott Morgan, 21,069 to 12,540 votes. In 2012, her margin was 64.5% over Republican Ron Ellis 35.4%. In 2016, her margin was 66.1% over Republican Meredith Richey’s 33.8%.

Francisco was the Democratic nominee for Kansas State Treasurer in 2018, finishing second, with 42.26% of the vote. She has become one of the state’s leading advocates on women’s issues, the environment, and education. During the 2006 legislative session, Senator Francisco supported passage of a three-year public school finance plan. And in 2008 she helped extend the plan for a fourth year.

As Ranking Member of the Energy, Natural Resources and Environment Interim Committee, Senator Francisco played a key role in crafting environmental legislation. In 2008, she was appointed to the KEEP Advisory Group, an organization tasked with reducing pollution while fostering economic growth. Three years later, in 2011, she was appointed to the 911 Coordinating Council, where she works with emergency operators and state leaders to maintain access to emergency services for phone users, ensuring that local call centers can meet new technology demands from text users and quickly respond to emergency situations.

Francisco is involved in several local organizations as well, including the Headquarters Counseling Center, the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, the East Lawrence and Oread Neighborhood Associations and the University of Kansas Student Housing Association. In April 2008, she was awarded the Helen Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award by the Lawrence-Douglas County League of Women Voters, an organization of which she is also a member.