During their State of the State speeches, past Govs. Kathleen Sebelius and Bill Graves always looked as if they’d rather be anywhere else. But Gov. Mark Parkinson, a former debater at Wichita Heights High School and Wichita State University, drew strong speaker points for Monday’s 30-minute speech, which he delivered without the usual teleprompter. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, said it may have been the best State of the State address of his 34 years in the Legislature. Added Washburn University political science professor Bob Beatty: “We’ve discovered he’s a great orator. I’ve never seen a politician deliver a speech of that length without using at least notes.”
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