Kansas' 4th Congressional District special election, 2017

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Kansas' 4th Congressional District

General Election Date April 11, 2017

Election Winner: Ron Estes

Incumbent prior to the election: Mike Pompeo

Race Ratings Ballopedia: Lean R Cook Political Report: Lean R Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely R Rothenberg & Gonzales: R Favored

2017-2018 Special Elections

The 4th Congressional District of Kansas held a special election for the U.S. House of Representatives on April 11, 2017.

This election was widely regarded in the initial stages as a "safe Republican" seat. With a week to go, however, it was downgraded by some election analysts such as Inside Elections/Roll Call from "solid Republican" to "likely Republican". Ballotpedia changed its ranking in the days leading up to the election to a "Lean R" seat. Ron Estes (R) defeated James Thompson (D), and Chris Rockhold (L) in the general election on April 11, 2017. No primary elections were held in the race; the candidates were chosen at their respective party nominating conventions in February. The election replaced Mike Pompeo (R), who was selected as director of the CIA. According to Kansas' voter affiliation records, Thompson was a registered Republican until March 2016.

The election was the first congressional election to take place since Donald Trump's election to the presidency in November 2016. Trump's initial popularity in the District was evident. The President won the 4th District in 2016 by 27 percentage points. Pompeo pulled a margin of victory of 31.1 points in his final re-election bid. However, Governor Sam Brownback's (R) unpopularity across the state and an internal Republican poll in the final few days showing Estes ahead by one point signaled to Democrats and Republicans across the country that this race was closer than expected. Ultimately the race was closer than initially expected, with Estes winning by a margin of roughly seven percent. The last time a Democrat was elected from Kansas' 4th Congressional District was in 1992.

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
N/A	N/A	April 11, 2017

Kansas' 4th Congressional District is located in southern Kansas and includes Barber, Butler, Chautauqua, Comanche, Cowley, Edwards, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Kiowa, Pratt, Sedgwick, Stafford, and Sumner counties as well as a portion of Pawnee County. The largest city in the district is Wichita.

Election results

U.S. House, Kansas District 4 Special Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ron Estes	52.2%	64,044
	Democratic	James Thompson	46%	56,435
	Libertarian	Chris Rockhold	1.7%	2,115
Total Votes				122,594
Source: Kansas Secretary of State

Candidates

General election candidates:

Ron Estes a
James Thompson
Chris Rockhold

Declared candidates:

Democratic

Dennis McKinney - Former state rep.
Charlie Walker
Robert Tillman
Jim Thompson a
Laura Lombard

Republican

George Bruce - Attorney
Pete Meitzner - Wichita City Council member
Alan Cobb
Todd Tiahrt - Former U.S. rep.
Ron Estes - State treasurer a
Joseph Ashby - Conservative radio host

Interest group involvement

As the race tightened in the final week before the election, outside groups became interested in contributing to the election:

• April 10, 2017: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ran 25,000 live phone calls on behalf of Thompson and President Donald Trump recorded a call on behalf of Estes. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) spoke at a rally for Estes in the District.

• April 8, 2017: The Daily Kos donated $143,000 to Thompson.

• Week of April 3, 2017: The National Republican Congressional Committee spend $92,000 in digital and TV advertisements.

• Throughout the cycle: The Congressional Leadership Fund, a House GOP leadership super PAC, had spent close to $100,000 on phone calls and advertisements.

Endorsements

Ron Estes

• President Donald Trump - Trump recorded a robocall on the day before the election, urging voters to support Estes.

• Sen. Ted Cruz - Cruz spoke at a rally supporting Estes on the same day.

• Vice-President Mike Pence - Pence also recorded robocalls in support of Estes.

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce

• The Wichita Eagle

James Thompson

• Democracy for America

• Our Revolution

Campaign contributions

Pre-Special

Heading into the election, Ron Estes (R) led James Thompson (D) in total fundraising. Estes raised $312,232 and had $110,099 cash on hand. Thompson trailed with contributions totaling $253,637 and $107,346 cash on hand.

Full data for all candidates who filed with the FEC is displayed below.

Pre-Special FEC Report
Candidate	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Ron Estes	$312,232	$202,133	$110,099
James Thompson	$253,637	$146,290	$107,346

Campaign themes

Ron Estes

The following issues were listed on Estes' campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Economic Growth: The 4th district has felt the pain inflicted by the Obama administration on our economy. Manufacturing jobs have disappeared and millions of Americans and many Kansans have left the labor force. As an engineer in the private sector, working in the aerospace industry and as former Sedgwick County Treasurer, I have seen firsthand what it takes to create jobs and the problems that occur when government gets in the way. I am committed to fighting to roll back the burdensome regulations and out of control spending that keep the economy from reaching its full potential. I will work for common-sense solutions that prioritize the American people over government red tape. National Security: ISIS and Iran have been emboldened by the disastrous foreign policies of President Obama. Those who wish to do us harm have grown stronger as the Middle East continues to unravel. For the past eight years, the Obama administration has turned its back on our strongest ally in the region, Israel. The United States must play a leadership role in taking the fight to ISIS and exit the disastrous Iran deal. In addition, we must have better safeguards in place to prevent radical Islamic terrorists from gaining entry to our nation. Health Care: Obamacare has failed our nation. Promise after promise has been broken. Democratic leaders promised us we could keep our health insurance plans. This was not true. We were told that Obamacare would lower premiums. Instead premiums and deductibles have skyrocketed. Skyrocketing premiums force families to choose between necessities or health care. That is wrong. Obamacare must be repealed. Families and individuals in the 4th district should be the primary voice in making their healthcare decisions, not unelected Washington bureaucrats. I support replacing Obamacare with a state based free market solution that gives each of us greater authority over our health care decisions. ​​Defend Constitutional Rights and Religious Liberties: I will never support the Federal Government​ taking power further away from We the People. From our second amendment rights, to the education of our children, to our right to worship as we choose, our liberties must be protected from those who would use power to tell us what to believe and how we educate our children. Taxes: Individuals in the private sector grow the economy, not the government. A simplified, fairer, flatter tax code free of ad-hoc deductions and tax breaks will relieve the burden placed on American families and reign in the power of the IRS bureaucracy. Rolling back this authority and reforming our tax code will transfer power from the IRS bureaucrats back to the taxpayers.	”
—Ron Estes' campaign website

James Thompson

The following issues were listed on Thompson's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Fighting For Jobs And Education: James knows that he could only escape the difficult circumstances of his childhood through a good education and a job that pays a livable wage. That's why a core focus of his campaign is to provide opportunity to all citizens of the Fourth District, especially struggling working class Kansans. So often the debate centers around growing the middle class or catering to the upper class, while those as the bottom of the income scale are nearly forgotten. No more: James believes in helping to improve the lives of folks up and down the socioeconomic ladder. That includes increasing the minimum wage and removing barriers to economic mobility for the working and middle class. As James' life demonstrates, access to affordable quality education can change a person's life. Education is a pathway to the middle class. Fighting For Our Veterans: There's a saying about our veterans: they signed a blank check to the United States of America, with payment up to and including their lives. Our men and women in uniform put it all on the line for our nation, and it's our duty to protect them and honor their sacrifices when they get home. Fighting For Our Constitution: James believes in the Constitution. As a civil rights attorney, James fights every day for the Constitutional rights of his clients, be they infringed from profiling or excessive force, or enforced inequalities. James is a staunch defender of the Bill of Rights, and that includes the right to bear arms as defined in the Second Amendment. Fighting For Our Rural Way Of Life: James knows our rural communities are the backbone of the Kansas economy, and our rural way of life is under attack. We need to invest in our rural communities, making sure our family farmers can get products to market. We need targeted trade agreements that benefit Kansas’ agricultural role in the global market. Too many Kansas farmers can't move their product because of bad trade deals and lack of access to quality infrastructure. This is a problem that is hurting rural Kansas, and it can be fixed, but it takes leadership to fix it. Fighting For Firm, Fair Immigration Policies: Immigrants want what we all want: to work hard, play by the rules, and achieve the American Dream. We need to build a firm, fair, inclusive system that encourages the best and brightest to live, work, and raise families in Kansas. We need to discourage illegal activity while protecting the Constitutional rights of those who live among us. We must reward those families who have served our nation through military service with special consideration for citizenship. And we must continue to be a a safe harbor for refugees whose lives are threatened by evil in our world.	”
—James Thompson's campaign website

Chris Rockhold

The following issues were listed on Rockhold's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Better Government: It’s imperative that our government is completely and totally transparent. That includes the Federal reserve. It will by my mission to ensure the Fed is audited and its daily operations are no longer behind closed doors. The government also has a mountain of regulations and far too many redundant agencies. It’s time we reduce the size of government spending and balance the federal budget. Lastly, we lock way too many people up for victimless crimes. I believe in the presumption of innocence. It is the burden of the state to prove harm was caused by your actions, or inaction. Budget Reform: Privatizing or abolishing a majority of the federal agencies will allow us to easily balance the budget, reduce federal overreach and ensure a prosperous future for Kansans. We must also begin to reduce the out of control and completely unstable national debt, but balancing the budget is only the first step. We must act now to ensure we have a prosperous future. Tax Simplification: To put it into perspective, the IRS has such a complicated tax code that H&R Block felt it was necessary to use IBM’s Watson, the supercomputer, to help its clients complete their taxes. It will be my mission to not just simplify the tax code, but also abolish the IRS. Kansans shouldn’t feel like they are forced to pay for things they don’t believe in. The most powerful tool our citizens have against a corrupt government is taking away its funding.	”
—Chris Rockhold's campaign website

Media

Ron Estes

"Your Vote Counts" - Estes' first campaign ad, released March 23, 2017

James Thompson

"Fighter" - Thompson's first campaign ad, released March 28, 2017

Special elections to the 115th U.S. Congress

See also: Special elections to the 115th United States Congress (2017-2018)

In the 17 special elections called to fill vacancies in the 115th Congress in 2017 and 2018, nine Republicans and eight Democrats won. Four elections resulted in a partisan flip:

• Doug Jones (D), U.S. Senate in Alabama;
• Conor Lamb (D), Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District;
• Mary Gay Scanlon (D), Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District; and
• Susan Wild (D), Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District.

Results of special elections to the 115th Congress
Race	Election date	Incumbent	Winner	Election MOV	Previous election MOV	2016 Presidential election MOV
Kansas' 4th Congressional District	April 11, 2017	Mike Pompeo	Ron Estes	R+6	R+31	R+27
Montana's At-Large Congressional District	May 25, 2017	Ryan Zinke	Greg Gianforte	R+6	R+15	R+21
California's 34th Congressional District	June 6, 2017	Xavier Becerra	Jimmy Gomez	D+18	D+54	D+73
Georgia's 6th Congressional District	June 20, 2017	Tom Price	Karen Handel	R+4	R+24	R+1
South Carolina's 5th Congressional District	June 20, 2017	Mick Mulvaney	Ralph Norman	R+3	R+20	R+18
Utah's 3rd Congressional District	November 7, 2017	Jason Chaffetz	John Curtis	R+32	R+47	R+24
U.S. Senate in Alabama	December 12, 2017	Jeff Sessions	Doug Jones	D+2	R+28	R+28
Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District	March 13, 2018	Tim Murphy	Conor Lamb	D+0	R+100	R+19
Arizona's 8th Congressional District	April 24, 2018	Trent Franks	Debbie Lesko	R+6	R+38	R+21
Texas' 27th Congressional District	June 30, 2018	Blake Farenthold	Michael Cloud	R+23	R+24	R+23
Ohio's 12th Congressional District	August 7, 2018	Patrick Tiberi	Troy Balderson	R+1	R+40	R+11
Michigan's 13th Congressional District	November 6, 2018	John Conyers Jr.	Brenda Jones	D+78	D+61	D+61
U.S. Senate in Minnesota	November 6, 2018	Al Franken	Tina Smith	D+11	D+10	D+2
U.S. Senate in Mississippi	November 6, 2018	Thad Cochran	Cindy Hyde-Smith	R+8	R+22	R+18
New York's 25th Congressional District	November 6, 2018	Louise Slaughter	Joseph Morelle	D+16	D+12	D+16
Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District	November 6, 2018	Patrick Meehan	Mary Gay Scanlon	D+6	R+19	D+2
Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District	November 6, 2018	Charlie Dent	Susan Wild	D+0	R+20	R+8

District history

2016

See also: Kansas' 4th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Mike Pompeo (R) defeated Daniel Giroux (D), Gordon Bakken (L), and Miranda Allen (I) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Pompeo faced no primary challenger, while Giroux defeated Robert Leon Tillman in the Democratic primary. The primary elections took place on August 2, 2016.

U.S. House, Kansas District 4 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mike Pompeo Incumbent	60.7%	166,998
	Democratic	Daniel Giroux	29.6%	81,495
	Independent	Miranda Allen	6.9%	19,021
	Libertarian	Gordon Bakken	2.8%	7,737
Total Votes				275,251
Source: Kansas Secretary of State

U.S. House, Kansas District 4 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Daniel Giroux	51.5%	9,489
Robert Leon Tillman	48.5%	8,936
Total Votes		18,425
Source: Kansas Secretary of State

2014

See also: Kansas' 4th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 4th Congressional District of Kansas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Mike Pompeo (R) defeated Perry Schuckman (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Kansas District 4 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mike Pompeo Incumbent	67%	138,757
	Democratic	Perry Schuckman	33%	69,396
Total Votes				208,153
Source: Kansas Secretary of State

See also

• Special elections to the 115th United States Congress (2017-2018)
• Kansas' 4th Congressional District
• Mike Pompeo

Footnotes

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Kansas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Roger Marshall (R)

Jerry Moran (R)

Representatives

District 1

Tracey Mann (R)

District 2

Derek Schmidt (R)

District 3

Sharice Davids (D)

District 4

Ron Estes (R)

Republican Party (5)

Democratic Party (1)