Schmidt elected to Congress in Kansas 2nd District, reinvigorating political career
Republican Derek Schmidt, the former Kansas Attorney General, was elected to Congress on Tuesday night, defeating former Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda to reinvigorate his political career.
Just two years ago, Schmidt was making a concession speech after narrowly losing the gubernatorial election to Gov. Laura Kelly. But, following a late entry into the race for Kansas 2nd Congressional District after the surprise retirement of Rep. Jake LaTurner, Schmidt was named the winner.
“Thank you to the voters in Kansas’s 2nd Congressional District who made our victory tonight possible!” Schmidt said in a statement on social media.
“Our great nation has serious problems, and we need serious people to address them. As your Congressman, I will work hard every day to faithfully represent our citizens as we work together with our fellow Americans to solve them.
Schmidt’s win was called by the Associated Press at 10:13 p.m. He was winning 56% of the vote, compared to 39% for Boyda and 5% for Libertarian John Haur, with 1,002 of 1,085 precincts reporting at 11:30 p.m., according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.
Schmidt, 56, campaigned as a “conservative fighter” who was willing to take on the Democratic Party in Washington. He cited some of the lawsuits he filed as Kansas Attorney General – where he served for 12 years – to argue he would be tough on immigration.
He also ran ads touting his endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who said Schmidt was strong on the border and strong on crime, putting him closely in line with a district that heavily favored Trump in the presidential election.
As Attorney General, Schmidt participated in lawsuits challenging policies implemented by President Joe Biden’s administration – including lawsuits aimed at forcing the Biden administration to adopt stricter policies at the southern border and a lawsuit aimed at blocking Biden’s effort to forgive billions in student loan debt.
Schmidt’s easy victory affirms Republican control of a district that was once considered within reach by the Democratic Party. Boyda, the last Democrat to have won the seat, struggled to gain traction as a moderate who was willing to buck her national party.
Boyda said she was running a campaign to help rebuild trust and find common ground in Washington, a challenging message amid a bitter fight in the presidential election, where by the end the candidates were accusing each other of fascism.
While Boyda won the district 18 years ago using an unconventional campaign, she struggled to raise enough money to spread her message this time. Schmidt spent at least $963,495 on his campaign, more than seven times the at least $125,821 spent by Boyda.
She also did not receive any help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of House Democratic leadership.
“Her decision not to really go all in on fundraising is also a factor for national Democrats not to put money in the race,” said Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University.
How Schmidt won
Schmidt, meanwhile, racked up endorsements and donations from top Republican leaders, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan.
The general election may have been the easier race for Schmidt, given the Republican advantage in the district. He won a competitive primary against two Republicans who claimed Schmidt was not conservative enough to represent the district.
Beatty said Schmidt’s loss in the gubernatorial race – particularly the more conservative stances he took as he tried to rack up Republican support throughout the state – made him a familiar face with voters and allowed him to tap into a deep base of donors.
“It’s not the only reason, but in some sense, he was able to draft behind his governor’s race where he gained incredible name recognition,” Beatty said. “And he also conducted a campaign that was fairly conservative.”
Schmidt will now join a highly polarized House, as Republicans and Democrats have struggled to come together to pass legislation that was once considered non-controversial – like bills appropriating money for the military and the Farm Bill.
It’s unclear how Schmidt, who campaigned as a staunch conservative, will legislate in Washington. Before retiring, LaTurner was criticized by the Kansas Republican Party for being the only conservative from Kansas to vote for a large spending bill.
LaTurner was the only Republican House member from Kansas who secured earmarks for local projects in the bill.
Alexandra Middlewood, a political science professor at Wichita State University, said she expects Schmidt to govern in a manner similar to establishment conservatives, like LaTurner and Sen. Jerry Moran, who also voted for the spending bill.
“Not necessarily moderate, but kind of keeps his head down, tries not to make waves within his party and within the media in general,” Middlewood said. “Really tries to focus on specific issues where he can actually accomplish things and get legislation passed in Congress.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 10:18 PM.
