Jeff Colyer | |
---|---|
47th Governor of Kansas | |
In office January 31, 2018 –January 14, 2019 | |
Lieutenant | Tracey Mann |
Preceded by | Sam Brownback |
Succeeded by | Laura Kelly |
49th Lieutenant Governor of Kansas | |
In office January 10,2011 –January 31,2018 | |
Governor | Sam Brownback |
Preceded by | Troy Findley |
Succeeded by | Tracey Mann |
Member of the Kansas Senate from the 37th district | |
In office January 12,2009 –January 10,2011 | |
Preceded by | Dennis Wilson |
Succeeded by | Raymond Merrick |
Member of the KansasHouseofRepresentatives from the 48th district | |
In office January 8,2007 –January 12,2009 | |
Preceded by | Eric Carter |
Succeeded by | Marvin Kleeb |
Personal details | |
Born | Jeffrey William Colyer June 3,1960 Hays,Kansas,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Ruth Gutierrez |
Children | 3 |
Education | Georgetown University (BS) Clare Hall,Cambridge (MA) University of Kansas (MD) |
Jeffrey William Colyer (born June 3,1960) is an American surgeon and politician who served as the 47th governor of Kansas from January 31,2018,to January 14,2019. A member of the Republican Party,he was the 49th lieutenant governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018. Colyer served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009 and the Kansas Senate from 2009 to 2011. He assumed the governorship when Sam Brownback resigned to become United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Colyer ran for a full term as governor in 2018,but narrowly lost the Republican primary to Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach,who in turn lost the general election to Democratic nominee Laura Kelly.
Colyer was raised in Hays,where his father,James Daniel Colyer (d. 2015), [1] worked as a dentist from 1955 to 1985. [2] [3] He graduated from Thomas More Prep High School in 1978 [4] before enrolling at Georgetown University,where he took pre-med courses and earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1981. After receiving a master's degree in international relations from Clare Hall,Cambridge in 1982,he obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kansas in 1986. [5]
Colyer had residency training in general surgery at the Washington Hospital Center (1986–1988,1989–1991),in plastic surgery at the University of Missouri–Kansas City (1991–1993),and in craniofacial/pediatric plastic surgery at the International Craniofacial Institute in Dallas,Texas (1993–1994). [5]
Colyer was a White House fellow under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush,working in international affairs. [6]
In 1994 Colyer opened his own plastic/craniofacial surgery practice in Overland Park,Kansas and Kansas City,Missouri. [5] He volunteers with the International Medical Corps,providing care in such areas as Kosovo and Sierra Leone;in this capacity,he has performed both trauma and reconstructive surgery as well as training local doctors. [7] Colyer's work as a volunteer surgeon in combat zones has taken him to Afghanistan and Iraq,and to Rwanda during that country's genocide. [8]
In the 2002 U.S. House of Representatives elections,Colyer ran for the Republican nomination in Kansas's 3rd congressional district;he was defeated by Adam Taff,who narrowly lost the general election to incumbent Democrat Dennis Moore. [3]
In 2006,Colyer was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives from the 48th district,receiving 62% in a three-way race. As a freshman legislator,he was selected to serve as chairman of the 2007 Legislative Health Reform Task Force. [6] In 2008 he was elected to the Kansas Senate to represent the 37th district,receiving 63% in another three-way race. According to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, [9] Colyer financed $25,000 of his own campaign.
While in the state Senate,Colyer co-sponsored an amendment to require Senate consent for Supreme Court appointments [10] and an amendment to create a budget stabilization fund. Colyer received a rating of 75 on conservative issues from the Kansas Chapter of Americans for Prosperity. [11]
On June 1,2010,U.S. senator Sam Brownback announced that Colyer would be his running mate in his bid to become governor of Kansas. Brownback and Colyer were elected on November 2,2010,and assumed office in January 2011. Colyer resigned his state senate seat on January 10,2011,prior to taking the oath of office as lieutenant governor. [12]
In October 2013 Kansas state representative Paul Davis,the Democratic minority leader of the Kansas House of Representatives,announced he would challenge Brownback in the 2014 Kansas gubernatorial election. [13] In July 2014 more than 100 Kansas Republican officials endorsed Davis. These Kansas Republicans said their concern was related to deep cuts in education and other government services as well as tax cuts that had left the state with a large deficit. [14]
In late September 2014 Colyer's chief of staff,Tim Keck,unearthed and publicized a 1998 police report that noted that Davis,26 and unmarried at the time,had been briefly detained during a raid on a strip club. Davis was found to have no involvement in the cause for the raid and quickly allowed to leave. [15] Responding to criticism of Keck's involvement in the campaign,Brownback spokesman Paul Milburn said that it was legal to use taxpayer-paid staff to campaign. Media law experts were amazed after learning that Montgomery County's sheriff had released non-public investigative files from 1998 with just a records request. [16] Brownback and Colyer were reelected,defeating Davis by a 3.69% margin. [17] [18] [19]
Numerous judges had rejected challenges to the natural-born citizenship of Barack Obama since before he was elected president in 2008,but Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach persistently demanded proof of citizenship before allowing Obama's name to appear on the 2012 Kansas presidential ballot. [20] In September 2012,Kobach,with the support of both other State Objections Board members,Colyer and Kansas attorney general Derek Schmidt,requested additional evidence that Obama was born in the United States. [21] CNN reported that "the Kansas ballot measure is one of several examples of the birther movement's still-persistent presence." [22] The New York Times noted that the Kansas authorities' actions "reignited long-running conspiracy theories that the president was not born in the United States". [23] According to the Topeka Capital-Journal ,the three said they did not have sufficient evidence as to whether Obama was eligible to appear on the Kansas ballot as a candidate for the 2012 presidential election. They stated a need to review his birth certificate and other documents from Hawaii,Arizona,and Mississippi before they could respond to a complaint alleging that the president was not a "natural born citizen". "Given the cursory response from President Obama,the Board is merely attempting to obtain additional information before making a decision," said Kobach's spokesperson. [24]
As lieutenant governor,Colyer led the Kansas Medicaid transformation,which has saved Kansans $2 billion since 2013 while increasing services. KanCare has led to a 23% reduction in in-patient hospital stays,a 24% increase in members using a primary care physician and a 10% increase in outpatient,non-emergency treatment. [25]
Colyer "and others in the Brownback administration were investigated and cleared by a federal grand jury as part of an inquiry into loans made in 2013 and 2014 to [Governor Brownback's] re-election campaign". [8]
On July 26,2017,President Donald Trump nominated Brownback to be U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom in Washington,D.C. [26] [27] [28] Brownback resigned the governorship on January 31,2018,to be sworn in as ambassador,making Colyer governor. [29]
On January 31,2018,Colyer was sworn in as the 47th governor of Kansas. [30] As his first order of business,he signed an executive order requiring all employees and interns working for executive branch agencies in Kansas to undergo yearly sexual harassment training. [31] It was the first mandatory sexual harassment training policy put in place by a governor.
As lieutenant governor and governor,Colyer supported laws restricting abortion. [32] [33] Colyer denounced court decisions striking down those laws as unconstitutional; [32] After the Kansas Supreme Court struck down a state anti-abortion law as a violation of the state constitution,Colyer proposed a state constitutional amendment to overturn the ruling. [33]
In May 2018 Colyer issued an executive order establishing a "ban the box" policy for state jobs;the order prevented Kansas state agencies from asking applicants about their criminal history during the initial phase of the hiring process. [34]
During his tenure Colyer signed several transparency bills into law. One law helped police body camera video [35] become more accessible after an officer-involved shooting. Another required the Kansas Department for Children and Families [36] to release more information following the death of a child in the state's custody or after reports of abuse. Colyer also signed bipartisan legislation expanding rules for lobbyists. [37] Under the new law anyone trying to influence an executive branch official on contracts must register as a lobbyist.
Colyer also increased funding to public schools by $500 million over five years. [38] The investment came in response to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that schools had not been properly funded for several years. The money was intended to help rural and low-income school districts as well as increase teacher salaries. As governor,Colyer also approved more money for the Kansas National Guard to help National Guard Members with tuition assistance [39] in order to increase the number of National Guard members.
Colyer also signed into law the Adoption Protection Act,which allows religious adoption groups to refuse to offer adoptions to gay couples. [40]
Following his defeat in the 2018 Republican primary,Colyer left office with Kansas having a $900 million budget surplus. [41]
Colyer sought a full term as governor in the 2018 gubernatorial election. [42] During the campaign Colyer was supported by former U.S. Senate majority leader and 1996 Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole,the NRA Political Victory Fund,and the Kansas Farm Bureau. [43] [44] [45] [46] One day before the election,his main Republican primary opponent,Secretary of State Kris Kobach,was endorsed by both Donald Trump and state Senate president Susan Wagle. Following the August 7 primary,Kobach narrowly led Colyer by a margin of 191 votes. [47] By August 9,his lead stood at 121 votes,but discrepancies in some counties needed resolution and provisional and absentee ballots may not have been counted in some counties. [48] [49] [50] After more votes were counted,Colyer conceded to Kobach on August 14, [51] becoming the first incumbent governor to lose a primary election since Hawaii governor Neil Abercrombie in 2014 election,who lost the Democratic primary to David Ige. [52] [53]
Kobach lost the general election to the Democratic nominee,State Senator Laura Kelly,by five points. [54] [55]
In February 2020,HHS Secretary Alex Azar appointed Colyer to chair the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health (NACRHHS). [56] [57]
Colyer campaigned for the Republican nomination in the 2022 gubernatorial election,but withdrew from the race in August 2021,after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. [58] [59]
Colyer has been married to Ruth Gutierrez since 1991. They have three daughters. [60]
On August 30,2021,Colyer announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer,a disease that both his father and grandfather had been afflicted with. He said he had started treatment and was "confident for a full recovery." [59]
Kansas House of Representatives District 48 Republican Primary Election,2006 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Jeff Colyer | 1,455 | 63.9 |
Republican | Sherrelyn Smith | 595 | 26.1 |
Republican | Jeff Ippel | 224 | 9.8 |
Kansas House of Representatives District 48 Election,2006 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Jeff Colyer | 6,805 | 61.7 |
Democratic | Pam Ippel | 3,975 | 36.0 |
Libertarian | Lorianne Fisher Koneczny | 243 | 2.2 |
Kansas State Senate District 37 Republican Primary Election,2008 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Jeff Colyer | 5,202 | 69.4 |
Republican | Steve Baru | 2,285 | 30.5 |
Kansas State Senate District 37 Election,2008 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
Republican | Jeff Colyer | 27,311 | 63.4 |
Democratic | Bond Faulwell | 13,249 | 30.7 |
Libertarian | Rob Hodgkinson | 2,464 | 5.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Sam Brownback –Jeff Colyer | 530,760 | 63.28 | |
Democratic | Tom Holland –Kelly Kultala | 270,166 | 32.21 | |
Libertarian | Andrew Gray –Stacey Davis | 22,460 | 2.68 | |
Reform | Ken Cannon –Dan Faubion | 15,397 | 1.84 | |
Total votes | 838,790 | 100.0 | ||
Republican gain from Democratic |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Sam Brownback –Jeff Colyer | 433,196 | 49.82 | |
Democratic | Paul Davis –Jill Docking | 401,100 | 46.13 | |
Libertarian | Keen A. Umbehr –Josh Umbehr | 35,206 | 4.05 | |
Total votes | 869,502 | 100.00 |
Kris William Kobach is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the attorney general of Kansas since 2023. He previously served as the 31st secretary of state of Kansas from 2011 to 2019.
Susan Wagle is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Kansas Senate,representing the 30th district from 2001 to 2021. She was elected Kansas Senate President in 2013 and was reelected in 2017. She is the first woman to hold this position.
Tracey Robert Mann is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative from Kansas's 1st congressional district since 2021. The district,popularly known as "the Big First," includes parts of 63 counties in central and western Kansas and is the seventh-largest district in the nation that does not cover an entire state.
Derek Larkin Schmidt is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Kansas Attorney General from 2011 to 2023. A Republican,Schmidt was first elected to office serving in the Kansas Senate,where he represented the 15th district from 2001 to 2011,and served as Agriculture Committee chairman and Senate majority leader. Schmidt became the state attorney general in 2011,after he defeated incumbent Democrat Stephen Six.
Laura Jeanne Kelly is an American politician serving since 2019 as the 48th governor of Kansas. A member of the Democratic Party,she represented the 18th district in the Kansas Senate from 2005 to 2019. Kelly was elected governor in 2018,defeating Republican nominee Kris Kobach. She was reelected in 2022,narrowly defeating Republican nominee Derek Schmidt by a 2.21% margin.
The 2014 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4,2014,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas,concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2014 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 4,2014,to elect the governor of Kansas,concurrently with the election of Kansas' Class II U.S. Senate seat,as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Barbara Goolsbee Bollier is an American physician and politician. From 2017 to 2021,she was a member of the Kansas Senate representing the 7th district,which includes Mission Hills,Kansas in Johnson County. Bollier is a member of the Democratic Party,after having left the Republican Party in 2018. Bollier was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States Senate election in Kansas,losing in the general election to Republican congressman Roger Marshall.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Kansas on November 4,2014. Primary elections were held on August 5.
Gregory John Orman is an American politician,businessman,and entrepreneur. He ran as an independent to represent Kansas in the United States Senate in the 2014 election,earning 42.5 percent of the vote and losing to incumbent U.S. Senator Pat Roberts.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 3,2020,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas,concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 6,2018,to elect the next governor of Kansas. Incumbent Republican governor Sam Brownback was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term.
Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place in many U.S. states,the District of Columbia,and five U.S. territories from February 3 to August 11,2020,to elect most of the 2,550 delegates to send to the Republican National Convention. Delegates to the national convention in other states were elected by the respective state party organizations. The delegates to the national convention voted on the first ballot to select Donald Trump as the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in the 2020 election,and selected Mike Pence as the vice-presidential nominee.
Steven Charles Watkins Jr. is an American politician and former military officer. He served as the U.S. representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 2019 to 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party,and was succeeded by Jake LaTurner. He earned degrees from the United States Military Academy at West Point,Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.),and Harvard.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas were held on November 3,2020,to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Kansas,one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
The 2022 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022,to elect the governor of Kansas,with primary elections taking place on August 2,2022. Governor Laura Kelly ran for re-election to a second term,facing Republican State Attorney General Derek Schmidt in the general election. Kelly defeated Schmidt by a margin of roughly 2.2 percentage points.
A general election was held in the state of Kansas on November 6,2018. Primary elections were held on August 7,2018.
The 2022 Kansas Attorney General election took place on November 8,2022,to elect the Attorney General of Kansas. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced he would retire to run for governor. The Republican nominee was former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach,and the Democratic nominee was former police officer,prosecutor,and state securities regulator,Chris Mann. Kobach narrowly won,taking 50.80% of the general election vote to Mann's 49.20%.
The 2024 Kansas Republican presidential primary was held on March 19,2024,as part of the Republican Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election. 39 delegates to the 2024 Republican National Convention were allocated on a selection basis. The contest was held alongside primaries in Arizona,Florida,Illinois,and Ohio.
In a startling rebuke to the governor, more than 100 Kansas Republican officials endorsed Davis on Tuesday, a rarity in statewide races and a wakeup call for Brownback, an arch conservative on economic and social issues and a former U.S. senator. The defectors said they are as concerned about cuts in education and other government services as well as the tax cuts that have left the state with a major hole in its budget.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)