Lynn Jenkins
Encyclopedia
Lynn Jenkins is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Republican Party
. As of the 112th Congress
, she is the senior member of Kansas' House delegation. She previously served as Kansas State Treasurer from 2002 to 2008, and in the Kansas House of Representatives
and the Kansas Senate
, from 1999 to 2002.
, and is a sixth-generation Kansan. She was raised on a dairy farm in Holton, where she attended high school. Later she graduated from Kansas State University
and Weber State College with an accounting major
and an economics
minor
. She is a Certified Public Accountant
.
(NAST).
as a first step of running for the U.S. House of Representatives for Kansas's 2nd congressional district.
Her opponent in the Republican primary
was former U.S. Representative Jim Ryun
, who served five terms before being defeated in 2006 by Democrat
Nancy Boyda
, who ran for reelection. In the campaign between Jenkins and Ryun, he criticized her for having voted for tax increases while a state legislator, and she criticized him for having supported earmarks
. Jenkins was seen as more moderate than Ryun and received the support of the Republican Leadership Council
. The primary was held on August 5, 2008. Jenkins won the Republican nomination by approximately 1,000 votes. In the general election, Jenkins went on to defeat Boyda by a 51% to 46% margin.
, Fort Leavenworth
, Kansas
."
Jenkins favors making the 2001
and 2003 Bush tax cuts
permanent. She also favors eliminating the federal estate tax
and the Alternative Minimum Tax
. She is a current signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Jenkins has been critical of "wasteful pork-barrel
projects" and earmarks
. Jenkins has labeled Democrats as "tax and spend
."
Jenkins has denounced "unchecked illegal immigration
" that "is wreaking havoc on our economic, legal, and national security interests." She opposes "amnesty" (allowing illegal immigrants to become legal residents) and has called for an increase in border
security " through increasing border agents, building additional fences
, and utilizing technology."
Jenkins claims that the oil price increases since 2003 are the result of "of excess regulation
." She supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
and increased offshore drilling
.
"The Great White Hope"
At a town hall on August 19, 2009, Jenkins commented on President Obama's policies, saying, "Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope." Jenkins said to the crowd. "I suggest to any of you who are concerned about that, who are Republican, there are some great young Republican minds in Washington." Jenkins then gave the names of several young, white
Republicans.
"The Great White Hope," a phrase that originated in the early 1900s, was a reference to any boxer whites hoped would finally defeat the World Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson
, who was black. Jenkins apologized, clarifying her remarks and saying that "I was explaining that there are some bright lights in the House, and I was unaware of any negative connotation. If I offended somebody, obviously I apologize." She had voted for a resolution urging President Obama to pardon black U.S. boxer Jack Johnson who was the target of an early 1900s racist plot and convicted in 1913 of transporting a white woman across state lines for immoral reasons, in July 2009, only one month earlier, that had text that explained it. Jenkins responded by saying she had voted for the resolution without reading it first.
including the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises and the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
.
Jenkins was named to the Ways and Means Committee
when the Republicans gained control of the House for the 112th Congress
.
She is a member of the Republican Study Committee
, Republican Main Street Partnership
, and the Tea Party Caucus
.
, District 52: Results 1998
! Year
!
! Republican
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Democrat
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|1998
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
| |5,550
| |63%
|
| |Fran Lee
| |Democratic
| |3,218
| |37%
|
|+ Kansas Senate
, District 20: Results 2000
! Year
!
! Republican
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Democrat
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|2000
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
| |20,987
| |67%
|
| |Jim Clark
| |Democratic
| |10,187
| |33%
|
|+ Kansas Treasurer
: Results 2002—2006
! Year
!
! Republican
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Democrat
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|2002
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
| |457,407
| |56%
|
| |Sally Finney
| |Democratic
| |354,157
| |44%
|
|-
|2006
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
| |516,940
| |64%
|
| |Larry Wilson
| |Democratic
| |286,148
| |36%
|
|+ : Results 2008—2010
! Year
!
! Republican
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Democrat
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Third Party
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Third Party
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|2008
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
| |155,532
| |51%
|
| |Nancy Boyda
| |Democratic
| |142,013
| |46%
|
| |Leslie Martin
| |Reform
| |5,080
| |2%
|
| |Robert Garrard
| |Libertarian
| |4,683
| |2%
|-
|2010
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
| |130,034
| |63%
|
| |Cheryl Hudspeth
| |Democratic
| |66,588
| |32%
|
| |Robert Garrard
| |Libertarian
| |9,353
| |5%
|
|
|
|
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. As of the 112th Congress
112th United States Congress
The One Hundred Twelfth United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and will end on January...
, she is the senior member of Kansas' House delegation. She previously served as Kansas State Treasurer from 2002 to 2008, and in the Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
and the Kansas Senate
Kansas Senate
The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal amount of districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members of the Senate are elected to a four year term....
, from 1999 to 2002.
Early life
Jenkins was born in Holton, KansasHolton, Kansas
Holton is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,329. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, and is a sixth-generation Kansan. She was raised on a dairy farm in Holton, where she attended high school. Later she graduated from Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
and Weber State College with an accounting major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
and an economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
minor
Academic minor
An academic minor is a college or university student's declared secondary field of study or specialization during his or her undergraduate studies. As with an academic major, the college or university in question lays out a framework of required classes or class types a student must complete to...
. She is a Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
.
Early political career
Jenkins served for two years in the Kansas House of Representatives and for one term in the Kansas State Senate. She was elected State Treasurer in 2002 at which time she began serving in a number of organizations, including as president of the National Association of State TreasurersNational Association of State Treasurers
The National Association of State Treasurers is a not-for-profit organization consisting of state treasurers or comparable senior finance officials from U.S. states, commonwealths, territories, and the District of Columbia. The association is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky and affiliated with...
(NAST).
2008 election
On April 4, 2007, Jenkins announced that she had filed papers with the Federal Election CommissionFederal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
as a first step of running for the U.S. House of Representatives for Kansas's 2nd congressional district.
Her opponent in the Republican primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
was former U.S. Representative Jim Ryun
Jim Ryun
James Ronald Ryun is an American former track athlete and politician, who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007, representing the 2nd District in Kansas. In the 2006 election, Ryun was defeated by Democratic challenger Nancy Boyda...
, who served five terms before being defeated in 2006 by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Nancy Boyda
Nancy Boyda
Nancy Boyda is a former Democratic congresswoman representing .On November 4, 2008, Boyda was defeated for re-election by Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, after serving one term....
, who ran for reelection. In the campaign between Jenkins and Ryun, he criticized her for having voted for tax increases while a state legislator, and she criticized him for having supported earmarks
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
. Jenkins was seen as more moderate than Ryun and received the support of the Republican Leadership Council
Republican Leadership Council
The Republican Leadership Council , founded in 1993 as the Committee for Responsible Government, is a United States political advocacy group and political action committee that promotes Republican candidates who espouse a platform that the organization characterizes as "fiscally conservative,...
. The primary was held on August 5, 2008. Jenkins won the Republican nomination by approximately 1,000 votes. In the general election, Jenkins went on to defeat Boyda by a 51% to 46% margin.
Tenure
Jenkins was sworn in to Congress in January 2009. During her first month in office, she introduced a bill that would "prohibit the use of funds to transfer enemy combatants [in] Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States Disciplinary BarracksUnited States Disciplinary Barracks
The United States Disciplinary Barracks is a military prison located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army post in Kansas....
, Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
."
Jenkins favors making the 2001
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001
The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 , was a sweeping piece of tax legislation in the United States by President George W. Bush...
and 2003 Bush tax cuts
Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003
The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 , was passed by the United States Congress on May 23, 2003 and signed into law by President George W. Bush on May 28, 2003...
permanent. She also favors eliminating the federal estate tax
Estate tax in the United States
The estate tax in the United States is a tax imposed on the transfer of the "taxable estate" of a deceased person, whether such property is transferred via a will, according to the state laws of intestacy or otherwise made as an incident of the death of the owner, such as a transfer of property...
and the Alternative Minimum Tax
Alternative Minimum Tax
The Alternative Minimum Tax is an income tax imposed by the United States federal government on individuals, corporations, estates, and trusts. AMT is imposed at a nearly flat rate on an adjusted amount of taxable income above a certain threshold . This exemption is substantially higher than the...
. She is a current signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Jenkins has been critical of "wasteful pork-barrel
Pork barrel
Pork barrel is a derogatory term referring to appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district...
projects" and earmarks
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
. Jenkins has labeled Democrats as "tax and spend
Tax and spend
"Tax and Spend" is an epithet applied to politicians , programs, and opposing political philosophy by the American center-right, conservative, and libertarian movements. It does have another neutral, objective, connotation i.e. with regard to tax policy or fiscal policy but this usage is...
."
Jenkins has denounced "unchecked illegal immigration
Illegal immigration to the United States
An illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
" that "is wreaking havoc on our economic, legal, and national security interests." She opposes "amnesty" (allowing illegal immigrants to become legal residents) and has called for an increase in border
United States–Mexico border
The United States–Mexico border is the international border between the United States and Mexico. It runs from Imperial Beach, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east, and traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from major...
security " through increasing border agents, building additional fences
United States–Mexico barrier
The Mexico–United States barrier — also known in the United States as the border fence or border wall — is actually several separation barriers designed to prevent illegal movement across the Mexico – United States border...
, and utilizing technology."
Jenkins claims that the oil price increases since 2003 are the result of "of excess regulation
Regulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
." She supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic Refuge drilling controversy
The question of whether to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve has been an ongoing political controversy in the United States since 1997...
and increased offshore drilling
Offshore drilling
Offshore drilling refers to a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled through the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently produce hydrocarbons which lie in rock formations beneath the seabed...
.
"The Great White Hope"
At a town hall on August 19, 2009, Jenkins commented on President Obama's policies, saying, "Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope." Jenkins said to the crowd. "I suggest to any of you who are concerned about that, who are Republican, there are some great young Republican minds in Washington." Jenkins then gave the names of several young, white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
Republicans.
"The Great White Hope," a phrase that originated in the early 1900s, was a reference to any boxer whites hoped would finally defeat the World Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
, who was black. Jenkins apologized, clarifying her remarks and saying that "I was explaining that there are some bright lights in the House, and I was unaware of any negative connotation. If I offended somebody, obviously I apologize." She had voted for a resolution urging President Obama to pardon black U.S. boxer Jack Johnson who was the target of an early 1900s racist plot and convicted in 1913 of transporting a white woman across state lines for immoral reasons, in July 2009, only one month earlier, that had text that explained it. Jenkins responded by saying she had voted for the resolution without reading it first.
Committee assignments
She was assigned to the Committee on Financial ServicesUnited States House Committee on Financial Services
The United States House Committee on Financial Services is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries...
including the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises and the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
The U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity is a subcommittee of the House Committee on Financial Services.-Jurisdiction:...
.
Jenkins was named to the Ways and Means Committee
United States House Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
when the Republicans gained control of the House for the 112th Congress
112th United States Congress
The One Hundred Twelfth United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and will end on January...
.
She is a member of the Republican Study Committee
Republican Study Committee
The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives...
, Republican Main Street Partnership
Republican Main Street Partnership
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderate members of the United States Republican Party. They tend away from the dominant social conservatism of many Republicans and towards a moderate fiscal conservatism and limited government to a degree. The group is the rough equivalent of...
, and the Tea Party Caucus
Tea Party Caucus
The Tea Party Caucus is a caucus of the United States House of Representatives and Senate launched and chaired by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on July 16, 2010. The caucus is dedicated to promoting what it considers fiscal responsibility, adherence to the movement's interpretation of...
.
Electoral history
|+ Kansas HouseKansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
, District 52: Results 1998
! Year
!
! Republican
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Democrat
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|1998
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |5,550
| |63%
|
| |Fran Lee
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |3,218
| |37%
|
|+ Kansas Senate
Kansas Senate
The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal amount of districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members of the Senate are elected to a four year term....
, District 20: Results 2000
! Year
!
! Republican
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Democrat
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|2000
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |20,987
| |67%
|
| |Jim Clark
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |10,187
| |33%
|
|+ Kansas Treasurer
Kansas State Treasurer
The State Treasurer of Kansas is the chief custodian of Kansas’s cash deposits, monies from bond sales, and other securities and collateral and directs the investments of those assets...
: Results 2002—2006
! Year
!
! Republican
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Democrat
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|2002
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |457,407
| |56%
|
| |Sally Finney
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |354,157
| |44%
|
|-
|2006
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |516,940
| |64%
|
| |Larry Wilson
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |286,148
| |36%
|
|+ : Results 2008—2010
! Year
!
! Republican
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Democrat
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Third Party
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Third Party
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|2008
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |155,532
| |51%
|
| |Nancy Boyda
Nancy Boyda
Nancy Boyda is a former Democratic congresswoman representing .On November 4, 2008, Boyda was defeated for re-election by Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, after serving one term....
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |142,013
| |46%
|
| |Leslie Martin
| |Reform
Reform Party of the United States of America
The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...
| |5,080
| |2%
|
| |Robert Garrard
| |Libertarian
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
| |4,683
| |2%
|-
|2010
||
| |Lynn Jenkins
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |130,034
| |63%
|
| |Cheryl Hudspeth
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |66,588
| |32%
|
| |Robert Garrard
| |Libertarian
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
| |9,353
| |5%
|
|
|
|
Personal life
Jenkins has two children, Hayley and Hayden, and was married for 25 years. Her husband Scott filed for divorce on Friday, November 7, 2008, shortly after her election to the U.S. House.External links
- Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins official U.S. House site
- Lynn Jenkins for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...