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Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer Continues Preparation To Take Governor's Seat

Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer speaks at Lee Aerospace in Wichita on Monday.
Brian Grimmett
/
KMUW
Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer speaks at Lee Aerospace in Wichita on Monday.

Kansas Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer got a little taste of what it’s like to be governor on Monday when he presented Wichita’s Lee Aerospace with the Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award.

Before presenting the award, Colyer toured Lee Aerospace, stopping occasionally to shake hands and take photos with employees.

Colyer is set to take over for Gov. Sam Brownback when and if the U.S. Senate votes to confirm Brownback as ambassador at large for international religious freedom. It’s been almost four months since President Trump nominated Brownback for the position, and the uncertainty of when a change might happen has some lawmakers concerned as they head towards next year’s legislative session.

Meanwhile, Colyer says he’s just going to keep doing the best he can until it happens.

“You just got to wait," he says. "That’s my job. We step up if we need to step up.”

Colyer says he expects the Senate will confirm Brownback sometime before Christmas.

--Follow Brian Grimmett on Twitter @briangrimmett.

To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.

Copyright 2017 KMUW | NPR for Wichita

Brian Grimmett comes to KMUW after taking a year break from journalism, but he’s excited to jump back in to the fray. Previously, Brian spent almost five years working at KUER 90.1 FM in Salt Lake City. He worked his way up, starting as an intern and sticking around long enough until they relented and gave him a full-time job. At KUER, Brian covered a wide range of topics, but mainly focused on covering the Utah state legislature.