Metsker of Overland Park will be sworn in as county election commissioner on Monday morning. He replaces Brian Newby, who left the post in November to become executive director of the federal Election Assistance Commission.
He served as JoCo GOP chair for an unusually long seven-plus years. One reason he did is because the well-respected Metsker, a former state rep himself, was able to work with both factions of the GOP — the moderates and conservatives — better than almost anybody.
That's proven critical to Republicans, who dominate Johnson County in much the same way they dominate the state.
Metsker's loss will be felt as the party seeks to steer clear of August primaries.
As far as the election commissioner position, few people will argue with Secretary of State Kris Kobach's pick.