Scott Schwab | |
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32nd Secretary of State of Kansas | |
Assumed office January 14, 2019 | |
Governor | Laura Kelly |
Preceded by | Kris Kobach |
Speaker pro tempore of the Kansas House of Representatives | |
In office January 9,2017 –January 14,2019 | |
Preceded by | Peggy Mast |
Succeeded by | Blaine Finch |
Member of the KansasHouseofRepresentatives from the 49th district | |
In office January 12,2009 –January 14,2019 | |
Preceded by | Benjamin Hodge |
Succeeded by | Megan Lynn |
In office January 13,2003 –January 8,2007 | |
Preceded by | Dennis Pyle |
Succeeded by | Benjamin Hodge |
Personal details | |
Born | Scott Joseph Schwab July 9,1972 Great Bend,Kansas,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Michele |
Children | 4 (1 deceased) |
Residence | Olathe,Kansas |
Education | Fort Hays State University (BA) |
Scott Joseph Schwab (born July 9,1972 [1] ) is an American politician serving as the 32nd Secretary of State of Kansas. He served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives,representing the 49th district,from 2009 to 2019. He also served as Speaker pro tempore of the Kansas House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. He received national attention when his son,Caleb,was killed in an accident on the Schlitterbahn Kansas City,Kansas water park's Verrückt water slide. In November 2018,he was elected Kansas Secretary of State. [2] [3]
In 1994,Schwab earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fort Hays State University. [4] After college,he worked as an agent for the Kansas Farm Bureau until 1999. He worked in the sales field until 2010,and then became the executive vice president of CompDME. [4]
Schwab began serving as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives in June 2003. In 2004,he won the primary in the Republican district with 69.1% of the vote,against Shannon Giles. [5]
In 2006,he chose to run in the Republican primary for the 3rd congressional district,a seat held at that time by four-term Democratic incumbent,Dennis Moore. Schwab faced banker Chuck Ahner of Overland Park,Thomas Scherer of Merriam and Paul Showen of Shawnee. [6] Ahner won the 3rd District primary with 51.9% to Schwab's 32.5% of the vote. Benjamin B. Hodge won the Republican primary for the District 49 seat with 52.7% of the vote,and succeeded Schwab in the state House. [7]
In 2008,Schwab ran again for his old 49th District seat,was unopposed in the primary,and defeated Democrat Kristi Boone in the general election. [8] [9]
In 2017,Schwab announced that he would be a candidate for Kansas Secretary of State in the 2018 election. He said he was not interested in rolling back voting standards supported by then-incumbent Secretary of State Kris Kobach,but that his experience as House Speaker pro tem and as chair of the elections and insurance committees qualified him for the position. [10]
During his tenure as Secretary of State,Schwab maintained that there was no issue with voter fraud or election security,a position at odds with that of former president Donald Trump. Schwab filed to run for reelection in 2022 [11] and won the GOP nomination, [12] defeating a primary challenge from former Johnson County commissioner Mike Brown by 55% to 45%. [13] He won re-election that November,defeating Democratic nominee Jeanna Repass. [14]
Regarding LGBT issues,Schwab believes being gay is a "lifestyle choice". [15] He is against same-sex marriage and describes himself as pro-life. [16] Schwab opposes legalization of medical marijuana,saying "this would be an attempt to legalize marijuana. It has no benefit for pain management. All it does is make you crave another bag of chips." [17]
After the death of his son at a water park,Schwab supported additional government regulations on the inspection of water parks. [18] [19]
Schwab's 10-year-old son,Caleb,died after being decapitated on August 7,2016 in an accident on the Verrückt water slide at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City waterpark. [20] [21] The family received a reported $20 million settlement. [22] Schwab was criticized for taking advantage of Texas law,which permitted him to receive the $20 million settlement,rather than Kansas law that he,as a state lawmaker,voted for in 2014,which would have capped damages at $300,000. [23] [24]
In March 2018,Schlitterbahn and three current or former employees were indicted by the Kansas Attorney General on charges related to Caleb's death. [25] [26] The charges against the defendants were dismissed due to prosecutorial misconduct with the grand jury. [27] Schwab and his wife,Michele,have three surviving children.
A water park is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools,water slides,splash pads,water playgrounds,and lazy rivers,as well as areas for floating,bathing,swimming,and other barefoot environments. Modern water parks may also be equipped with some type of artificial surfing or bodyboarding environment,such as a wave pool or flowrider.
Schlitterbahn is an American brand of water parks and resorts owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. It was previously a company family owned and operated by the Henry family that was based in New Braunfels,Texas. Schlitterbahn opened its first location,Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort,in 1979. At its peak,the company consisted of five outdoor waterparks,two indoor waterparks,and three resorts.
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Kansas City was a water park in Kansas City,Kansas. It was announced in September 2005 by Schlitterbahn Waterparks and opened on July 15,2009. It was conceived as a 370-acre (150-hectare) and $750 million development including a nearly 40-acre (16-hectare) waterpark,which was Schlitterbahn's fourth waterpark and its first outside Texas.
Lynn Haag Jenkins is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district,in office from 2009 to 2019. She previously served as Kansas State Treasurer from 2003 to 2009,in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2000 and the Kansas Senate from 2000 to 2002. She is a member of the Republican Party.
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.
Dennis D. Pyle is an independent member of the Kansas Senate,representing the 1st district since 2005. He ran for governor of Kansas in the 2022 election.
The Golden Ticket Award for Best New Ride is presented by Amusement Today to the best new attraction in the water park industry. The award was presented for best new attraction in both water parks and amusement parks since its inception in 2005 until 2018.
Keith Esau is a Moderator of the Kansas City Amazon Flex Drivers Group,and a current Amazon Flex Driver,who was once an American politician that served as the Kansas State Representative for the 14th district from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party,his district covers the northern part of Olathe in Johnson County. In 2017,the American Conservative Union gave him a life time rating of 88%.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Kansas on November 4,2014. Primary elections were held on August 5.
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.
Verrückt was a water slide located at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City water park in Kansas City,Kansas,United States. At the height of 168 feet 7 inches (51.38 m),Verrückt became the world's tallest water slide when it opened on July 10,2014,surpassing Kilimanjaro at Aldeia das Águas Park Resort in Brazil. The ride was designed at the park,led by John Schooley with assistance from park co-owner Jeff Henry. It was featured on an episode of Xtreme Waterparks on the Travel Channel in June 2014,shortly before the ride opened. Verrückt permanently closed in 2016 following a fatal incident involving the decapitation of Caleb Schwab,the 10-year-old son of Kansas state legislator Scott Schwab.
The 2020 United States presidential election in Kansas was held on Tuesday,November 3,2020,as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Kansas voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote,pitting the Republican Party's nominee,incumbent President Donald Trump of Florida,and running mate Vice President Mike Pence of Indiana against Democratic Party nominee,former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware,and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris of California. Kansas has six electoral votes in the Electoral College.
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.
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 Secretary of State election was held on November 8,2022,to elect the Secretary of State of Kansas. Incumbent Republican Scott Schwab won re-election to a second term,defeating Democratic candidate Jeanna Repass with 58.4% of the vote.
Mike Brown is an American politician from Kansas who is currently serving as the Chairman of the Kansas Republican Party. In 2022,he challenged incumbent Scott Schwab in Kansas' Secretary of State election.
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The Water Slide is a 2018 documentary short film by Nathan Truesdell.