2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Kansas. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election.

2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas

← 2010 November 6, 2012 (2012-11-06) 2014 →
All 4 Kansas seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party Third party   Party Republican Democratic Libertarian Last election 4 0 0 Seats won 4 0 0 Seat change Popular vote 740,981 195,505 121,253 Percentage 70.05% 18.48% 11.46% Swing 6.84% 14.43% 8.18%
District results County results Republican   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90–100% Democratic   40–50%   50–60%

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas, 2012[1]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Republican	740,981	70.05%	4	-
	Democratic	195,505	18.48%	0	-
	Libertarian	121,253	11.46%	0	-
Totals		1,057,739	100.00%	4	—

Redistricting

The 2010 United States census reflected a shift of population "primarily from rural western and northern Kansas to urban and suburban areas in the eastern part of the state."^[2]

In spite of Republican political control of the governor's office, the state senate, the state house, and the entire U.S. Congressional delegation, redistricting had to be decided by a federal court.^[3] To decide the case, a three-judge panel was appointed by Mary Beck Briscoe, the chief judge of the Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit: Briscoe appointed herself, along with two judges from the District Court for Kansas: Chief District Judge Kathryn Hoefer Vratil, and District Judge John Watson Lungstrum.^[2]

According to the Court:^[2]

While legislators publicly demurred that they had done the best they could, the impasse resulted from a bitter ideological feud—largely over new Senate districts. The feud primarily pitted GOP moderates against their more conservative GOP colleagues. Failing consensus, the process degenerated into blatant efforts to gerrymander various districts for ideological political advantage and to serve the political ambitions of various legislators.

Once redistricting was finalized in federal court, primary elections were held on August 7, 2012.^[4]

District 1

See also: Kansas's 1st congressional district

The redrawn 1st district will continue to encompass all or parts of 62 counties in western and central Kansas, and also taking in a sliver of the Flint Hills region. The district will now also include Pottawatomie and Riley counties, including Manhattan and Kansas State University, but will no longer include Barber, Comanche, Edwards, Kiowa, Pratt, and Stafford counties, and parts of Greenwood, Marshall, Nemaha, and Pawnee counties.^[5]

Republican Tim Huelskamp, who had represented the 1st district since 2011, ran for re-election.^[6] He ran without challengers from any party.^[7]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tim Huelskamp, incumbent U.S. representative

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tim Huelskamp (incumbent)	79,633	100.0
Total votes			79,633	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Tim Huelskamp (R)

Organizations

• Campaign for Working Families^[8]
• Kansas Farm Bureau^[9]
• National Right to Life Committee^[10]
• NRA Political Victory Fund^[11]
• United States Chamber of Commerce^[12]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[13]	Safe R	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg[14]	Safe R	November 2, 2012
Roll Call[15]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[16]	Safe R	November 5, 2012
NY Times[17]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
RCP[18]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
The Hill[19]	Safe R	November 4, 2012

Results

Kansas' 1st congressional district, 2012^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tim Huelskamp (incumbent)	211,337	100.0
Total votes			211,337	100.0
	Republican hold

District 2

See also: Kansas's 2nd congressional district

The redrawn 2nd district will continue to encompass Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Doniphan, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Neosho, Osage, Shawnee, Wilson, and Woodson, and parts of Douglas, Miami, and Nemaha counties. The district will now also include Montgomery County, parts of Marshall County, and the remainder of Douglas and Nemaha counties, but will no longer include Pottawatomie, Riley, and parts of Miami counties.^[5] The district lost Kansas State University to the first district, but gained the state's other major college, the University of Kansas.

Republican Lynn Jenkins, who had represented the 2nd district since 2009,ran for re-election.^[6]

Dennis Hawver ran as the Libertarian nominee.^[21]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Lynn Jenkins, incumbent U.S. representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tobias Schlingensiepen, pastor and police chaplain^[22][23]

Eliminated in primary

• Scott Barnhart, farmer and Lawrence attorney^[24]
• Bob Eye, attorney^[25]

Primary results

Democratic primary results^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tobias Schlingensiepen	11,747	39.5
	Democratic	Bob Eye	10,353	34.8
	Democratic	Scott Barnhart	7,627	25.6
Total votes			29,727	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Lynn Jenkins (R)

U.S. representatives

• Dave Camp, U.S. representative from Michigan's 4th congressional district (1991–present)^[27]
• Tom Cole, U.S. representative from Oklahoma's 4th congressional district (2003–present)
• Scott DesJarlais, U.S. representative from Tennessee's 4th congressional district (2011–present)
• Doc Hastings, U.S. representative from Washington's 4th congressional district (1995–present)
• Jeb Hensarling, U.S. representative from Texas's 5th congressional district (2003–present)
• Patrick McHenry, U.S. representative from North Carolina's 10th congressional district (2005–present)

Labor unions

• National Association of Letter Carriers^[28]

Organizations

• Kansas Farm Bureau^[9]
• Maggie's List^[29]
• National Right to Life Committee^[10]
• NRA Political Victory Fund^[11]
• United States Chamber of Commerce^[12]

Tobias Schlingensiepen (D)

U.S. representatives

• Martha Keys, U.S. representative from Kansas's 2nd congressional district (1975–1979)^[30]
• William R. Roy, U.S. representative from Kansas's 2nd congressional district (1971–1975)^[31]

Statewide officials

• Robert Harder, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation (1967–1987)^[32]

State legislators

• Marti Crow, former state representative^[33]

Labor unions

• AFL-CIO^[34]

Newspapers

• The Kansas City Star^[35][36]

Individuals

• Bob Eye, attorney and candidate for this seat in 2012^[37]
• John Frieden, attorney and nominee for this seat in 1996^[38]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report	Safe R	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg[14]	Safe R	November 2, 2012
Roll Call[15]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[16]	Safe R	November 5, 2012
NY Times[17]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
RCP[18]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
The Hill[19]	Safe R	November 4, 2012

Results

Kansas' 2nd congressional district, 2012^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lynn Jenkins (incumbent)	167,463	57.0
	Democratic	Tobias Schlingensiepen	113,735	38.7
	Libertarian	Dennis Hawver	12,520	4.3
Total votes			293,718	100.0
	Republican hold

External links

• Lynn Jenkins campaign website
• Tobias Schlingensiepen campaign website
• Jenkins, Schlingensiepen spar in 2nd District forum, The Topeka Capital-Journal, September 30, 2012

District 3

See also: Kansas's 3rd congressional district

The redrawn 3rd district will continue to encompass Johnson and Wyandotte counties. The district will now also include the northeastern part of Miami County, but will no longer include the eastern part of Douglas County.^[5]

Republican Kevin Yoder, who had represented the 3rd district since 2011, ran for re-election.^[6] Joel Balam, a college professor, ran as the Libertarian nominee. Even though he lost, Balam's 31.5% set a new record for the highest percentage a Libertarian candidate ever received in any U.S. House election, mostly because Yoder had no Democratic opponent running against him.^[39][40]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Kevin Yoder, incumbent U.S. representative

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kevin Yoder (incumbent)	50,270	100.0
Total votes			50,270	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Kevin Yoder (R)

Organizations

• Kansas Farm Bureau^[9]
• National Right to Life Committee^[10]
• NRA Political Victory Fund^[11]
• United States Chamber of Commerce^[12]

Newspapers

• The Kansas City Star^[36]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report	Safe R	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg[14]	Safe R	November 2, 2012
Roll Call[15]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[16]	Safe R	November 5, 2012
NY Times[17]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
RCP[18]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
The Hill[19]	Safe R	November 4, 2012

Results

Kansas' 3rd congressional district, 2012^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kevin Yoder (incumbent)	201,087	68.5
	Libertarian	Joel Balam	92,675	31.5
Total votes			293,762	100.0
	Republican hold

District 4

See also: Kansas's 4th congressional district

The redrawn 4th district will continue to encompass Butler, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Sedgwick, and Sumner counties, as well as the southern part of Greenwood county. The district will now also include Barber, Comanche, Edwards, Kiowa, Pratt, and Stafford counties, the remainder of Greenwood County, and the southwestern part of Pawnee County, but will no longer include Montgomery County.^[5]

Republican Mike Pompeo, who had represented the 4th district since 2011, ran for re-election.^[6] Thomas Jefferson, a computer technician formerly known as Jack Talbert, ran as the Libertarian nominee.^[41]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Mike Pompeo, incumbent U.S. representative

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Pompeo (incumbent)	60,195	100.0
Total votes			60,195	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Robert Tillman, retired court officer and candidate for this seat in 2010

Eliminated in primary

• Esau Freeman, painter^[25]

Primary results

Democratic primary results^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert Tillman	11,224	70.8
	Democratic	Esau Freeman	4,618	29.1
Total votes			15,842	100.0

General election

Endorsements

Mike Pompeo (R)

Organizations

• Campaign for Working Families^[8]
• Kansas Farm Bureau^[9]
• National Right to Life Committee^[10]
• NRA Political Victory Fund^[11]
• United States Chamber of Commerce^[12]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report	Safe R	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg[14]	Safe R	November 2, 2012
Roll Call[15]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[16]	Safe R	November 5, 2012
NY Times[17]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
RCP[18]	Safe R	November 4, 2012
The Hill[19]	Safe R	November 4, 2012

Results

Kansas' 4th congressional district, 2012^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Pompeo (incumbent)	161,094	62.2
	Democratic	Robert Tillman	81,770	31.6
	Libertarian	Thomas Jefferson	16,058	6.2
Total votes			258,922	100.0
	Republican hold