Lynn Jenkins is leaving Congress, and seven Republicans are running to replace her

U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins’ decision to retire from Congress has put Republicans in danger of losing a seat the party won by more than 28 percentage points in 2016.

Seven GOP candidates are vying for the chance to replace Jenkins. The winner of the primary will go up against well-funded Lawrence Democrat Paul Davis, an attorney and former state lawmaker who narrowly lost the 2014 race for governor.

Davis raised more than $1.5 million for the race as of June, while the GOP candidates have struggled to keep pace and in many cases have relied on hefty personal loans to fund their campaigns.

President Donald Trump won the district, which includes Lawrence and Topeka, by double digits in 2016, but Davis won it as a candidate for governor in 2014.

The Republican candidates have largely embraced Trump’s agenda and borrowed his rhetoric, which could be key in turning out voters in November.

Vernon Fields

Vernon Fields, 61, says his experience as a registered nurse, criminologist, veteran and city council member sets him apart from the other candidates.

The Basehor City Council member has degrees from Emily Griffith Technical College, Community College of Denver, Winona State University, University of Phoenix and Capella University.

Like his opponents, Fields believes in strong border security. He also said he wants to expand nationwide discussions on issues of climate change.

“I believe climate change is real and mankind could impact changes to our environment,” Fields said. “I have lived long enough to recall how our air quality in many of our major cities have changed, meaning less smog, less pollution and more breathable conditions.”

Current regulations may have gone too far, he said, but experts needed to be consulted regarding what the correct measures would be.

Steve Fitzgerald

State Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, 73, says the next speaker of the House needs to focus on rapidly implementing President Trump’s agenda.

The state senator from Leavenworth has degrees from the University of Saint Martin, the University of Central Michigan and the Command and General Staff College.

Fitzgerald advocates for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the use of “any energy source if it is unsubsidized, dependable, and can produce cheaper electricity.”

Regarding immigration, Fitzgerald said all illegal immigrants should be deported. However, he would grant leniency to DACA recipients.

“We bear some responsibility for DACA recipients because we did not enforce our laws and they were too young to have knowingly broken our laws,” he said.

Kevin Jones

State Rep. Kevin Jones says a border wall would be one of his main priorities if he were elected to Congress.

Jones, 43, is from Wellsville, Kan., and has degrees from the University of Kansas and Southwestern Christian University in Oklahoma.

Jones says a border wall is necessary to “halt the flow of illegal aliens, drugs and gangs at the southern border.”

He is against providing a path to citizenship for any illegal immigrants, including DACA recipients.

Outside of immigration, he favors reduced regulation in other sectors and advocates for a competitive health care market and minimal environmental regulations.

Of climate change, Jones said: “Basic conservation practices, to be good stewards of natural resources, would be a more productive focus than perpetrating a mythical crisis to advance a political agenda.”

Doug Mays

Mays, a former Kansas House speaker, did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Dennis Pyle

State Sen. Dennis Pyle promises that his record has always matched his rhetoric.

He claims that he has opposed every tax increase during his time in office.

Pyle , 57, is a graduate of Grace Bible College in Hiawatha, Kan.

He advocates for the elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency, the deportation of illegal immigrants and the complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

“The government should have very limited, if any, involvement in something the private sector can easily take care of,” Pyle said in regards to health care.

He described current policies on the topic as “bloated government bureaucracy.”

Caryn Tyson

State Sen. Caryn Tyson, 55, describes herself as the “no bull” candidate and a citizen legislator.

She’s a rancher in Linn County who has degrees from Kansas State University and the University of Kansas. She worked for NASA before earning her graduate degree.

As a rancher, Tyson says she is among the leading conservationists in the country. She says environmental regulation should be limited but the economy should encourage “energy innovation.”

“No one cares more about our land than we do,” Tyson said.

Similarly, Tyson said she plans to push for decreased government regulation over healthcare through the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act.

She pushes for increased regulation over immigration through a border wall and increased border security.

Steve Watkins

Steve Watkins has campaigned as an outsider with no political experience.

Watkins, 41, is a former Army captain from Topeka with degrees from West Point, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard.

After his military career, he worked as a contractor doing engineering work.

Although he didn’t vote in 2016, and met with officials of the Shawnee Democratic Party in 2017, Watkins promotes himself as a strong conservative and supporter of Trump’s agenda.

Like most of the candidates in the district, Watkins expressed a firm belief that a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico should be built and sanctuary cities outlawed.

However, he said he wanted to protect DACA recipients and other children brought to the U.S. illegally because they are here through no fault of their own.

“I will work across party lines to ensure we reform our broken immigration system, preserve law and order, secure our borders, and protect children here in the United States who were brought here by their parents illegally,” Watkins said.

Watkins said he would want to seek market-based solutions to climate change, including financial incentives for companies to go green.