Jeff Colyer
Jeff Colyer (Republican Party) was the Lieutenant Governor of Kansas. He assumed office on January 10, 2011. He left office on January 25, 2018.
Colyer (Republican Party) ran for election for Governor of Kansas. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on August 2, 2022.
He became the governor of Kansas on January 25, 2018, after former Gov. Sam Brownback (R) was appointed to a post in Donald Trump's administration.[1]
Click here for more information on the August 7, 2018, Republican primary election. Click here for more information on the November 6, 2018, general election.
Prior to becoming lieutenant governor, Colyer served two terms in the state legislature. He began his political career with his election to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2006. He served a single term in that role before moving up to the Kansas State Senate, representing the 37th District from 2009 to 2011.[2]
Biography
Colyer was born in Overland Park, Kansas. He graduated from Thomas More Prep, a Catholic high school, and moved to Washington, D.C., in 1978 to attend Georgetown University. He went on to medical school at the University of Kansas. He graduated with his M.D. in 1986 and became a surgical resident. He trained in general surgery at the Washington Hospital Center, plastic surgery at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and craniofacial/pediatric plastic surgery in Dallas.[2]
In addition to his M.D., Colyer obtained bachelor's degrees in economics and pre-med from Georgetown University, and a master's degree in international relations from Cambridge University.[3]
A medical physician by trade, Colyer volunteered as a specialist of pediatric plastic surgery with the International Medical Corps. His participation with the corps involved "designing surgical medic training programs and setting up surgical clinics for the Afghan freedom fighters." He went to Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Iraq, and Kosovo, as part of his involvement.
Colyer also developed a professional background in business.[3] As of 2011, he had his own plastic surgery practice in Overland Park called Plastic Surgical Arts.[4]
Like his two-time running mate Brownback, Colyer was chosen for a White House Fellowship during the 1980s. Colyer was appointed in 1988 and 1989 by the Reagan administration, and his fellowship nearly overlapped with Brownback's, which began in 1990 in the George H.W. Bush White House.[5]
Education
- Thomas More Prep High School (1978)
- Bachelor's degrees in economics/pre-medical - Georgetown University (1981)
- Master's degree in international relations - Cambridge University (1982)
- M.D. - University of Kansas (1986)
Political career
Governor of Kansas (2018-2019)
Following Brownback's departure from office, Colyer was elevated to the position of governor. He served until 2019.
Kansas Lieutenant Governor (2011-2018)
Jeff Colyer was elected on November 2, 2010, on a joint ticket with Governor Sam Brownback (R).[2] He left this role after being elevated to the position of governor in 2018.
Affordable Care Act
In January 2012, Colyer said he supported efforts by the states to overturn the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Colyer stated, "As a practicing physician, I know first hand that if fully enacted, the Obama health care plan would harm the quality of patient care and devastate the Kansas budget."[6]
Kansas State Senate (2009-2011)
Committee assignments
While in the senate, Colyer served on these legislative committees:[7]
- Assessment and Taxation
- Financial Institutions and Insurance
- Joint Committee on Health Policy Oversight
- Public Health and Welfare
Legislation
Legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Sen. Colyer included:[8]
- An amendment to require Senate consent for Supreme Court justice appointments[9]
- An amendment to create a budget stabilization fund[10]
Kansas House of Representatives (2007-2009)
Colyer served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009.
Elections
2018
See also: Kansas gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018
General election
General election for Governor of Kansas
Laura Kelly defeated Kris Kobach, Greg Orman, Jeff Caldwell, and Rick Kloos in the general election for Governor of Kansas on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Laura Kelly (D) | 48.0 | 506,727 | |
| Kris Kobach (R) | 43.0 | 453,645 | ||
| Greg Orman (Independent) | 6.5 | 68,590 | ||
| Jeff Caldwell (L) | 1.9 | 20,020 | ||
| Rick Kloos (Independent) | 0.6 | 6,584 | ||
| Total votes: 1,055,566 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrea Costley (Independent)
- Aaron Coleman (Independent)
- JoeLarry Hunter (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Kansas
Laura Kelly defeated Carl Brewer, Joshua Svaty, Arden Andersen, and Jack Bergeson in the Democratic primary for Governor of Kansas on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Laura Kelly | 51.4 | 80,377 | |
| Carl Brewer | 20.2 | 31,493 | ||
| Joshua Svaty | 17.5 | 27,292 | ||
| Arden Andersen | 8.4 | 13,161 | ||
 | Jack Bergeson | 2.5 | 3,950 | |
| Total votes: 156,273 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Tabman (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Kansas
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Kansas on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kris Kobach | 40.6 | 128,832 | |
| Jeff Colyer | 40.5 | 128,489 | ||
| Jim Barnett | 8.8 | 27,994 | ||
| Ken Selzer | 7.8 | 24,804 | ||
| Patrick Kucera | 1.0 | 3,212 | ||
| Tyler Ruzich | 0.7 | 2,275 | |
| Joseph Tutera Jr. | 0.5 | 1,559 | ||
| Total votes: 317,165 | ||||
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Endorsements
Colyer was endorsed in the race by the National Rifle Association.[11]
2014
Coyler ran successfully for re-election 2014.[12] He secured the Republican nomination in the primary on August 5, 2014, on a ticket with incumbent Gov. Sam Brownback. They defeated the Democratic ticket of Paul Davis and Jill Docking and the Libertarian father-and-son ticket of Keen Umbehr and Josh Umbehr in the general election on November 4, 2014.[12]
Results
Primary election
| Governor/Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Sam Brownback/Jeff Colyer Incumbent |
63.2% | 166,687 | ||
| Jennifer Winn/Robin Lais | 36.8% | 96,907 | ||
| Total Votes | 263,594 | |||
| Election results via Kansas Secretary of State. | ||||
General election
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Sam Brownback/Jeff Colyer Incumbent |
49.8% | 433,196 | |
| Democratic | Paul Davis/Jill Docking | 46.1% | 401,100 | |
| Libertarian | Keen Umbehr/Josh Umbehr | 4% | 35,206 | |
| Total Votes | 869,502 | |||
| Election results via Kansas Secretary of State | ||||
Race background
Candidate filing period
On June 2, the filing window for Republican and Democratic candidates pursuing a place on the 2014 Kansas gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial ballot came to a close. One set of Republicans - led by landscape contractor Jennifer Winn - filed to take on the incumbent duo in the August 5 primary election. Meanwhile, Paul Davis, the state House Minority Leader, along with his running mate Jill Docking, were the only Democratic pair to enter the race, earning a free pass to the general election. Also joining the November lineup in advance of the primary election were Libertarian candidates Keen and Josh Umbehr. The father and son ticket knocked out a single set of opponents for their party's nomination at the Kansas Libertarian Party convention, which took place April 26, 2014.[13][14]
Highly competitive race
This contest was considered to be highly competitive, with match-up polls and race ratings dating back to the fall of 2013 underscoring the legitimacy of Davis' threat. One of the first publications to declare Brownback's vulnerability was The Washington Post, which named Kansas as one of its top 15 gubernatorial races of 2014, citing Brownback's approval ratings.[15] Indeed, Brownback's approval ratings had been hovering around 35 percent since January 2012.[16]
Kansas was one of nine gubernatorial seats to be flagged as a toss-up or vulnerable for partisan switch in the 2014 cycle, based on polling data and projections courtesy of The Cook Political Report, FiveThirtyEight, Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball and Governing, among others.[17][18][19]
Republican endorsements for Davis
By July 2014, Brownback's campaign lost over 100 influential Republicans endorsements to the Davis campaign. The self-styled "Republicans for Kansas Values," comprised of GOP retirees and current officeholders, explained the unorthodox endorsement of Brownback's Democratic challenger as a response to a $340 million budget shortfall during the 2014 fiscal year.[20][21] Polling in July also indicated that 29 percent of Republicans would vote for Davis, which marked a five-point increase from the previous month. These polls, conducted by Survey USA/KSN News, also showed Brownback losing by an average of seven points. In contrast, YouGov poll in July that showed a 10-point lead for Brownback. Polling experts and representatives of each campaign commented on how divergent polling methodologies can yield seemingly irreconcilable results.[22]
Polls
| Governor of Kansas - All candidates | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sam Brownback* (R) | Paul Davis (D) | Keen Umbehr(L) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| KSN/SurveyUSA October 28, 2014 | 43% | 46% | 5% | 7% | +/-4 | 623 | |||||||||||||
| NBC News/Marist October 24, 2014 | 44% | 45% | 5% | 7% | +/-3.6 | 757 | |||||||||||||
| Rasmussen Reports October 20-21, 2014 | 45% | 52% | 1% | 2% | +/-3 | 960 | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling October 9-12, 2014 | 42% | 42% | 6% | 10% | +/-3 | 1,081 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/KSN-TV October 2-5, 2014 | 42% | 47% | 4% | 7% | +/-4.3 | 775 | |||||||||||||
| NBC News/Marist Poll October 2014 | 43% | 44% | 4% | 8% | +/-3.9 | 636 | |||||||||||||
| Fort Hays State University September 10-27, 2014 | 36.5% | 38.8% | 8.5% | 16% | +/-3.8 | 952 | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling September 11-14, 2014 | 38% | 42% | 7% | 14% | +/-2.7 | 1,328 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/KSN-TV September 4-7, 2014 | 40% | 47% | 5% | 7% | +/-4.2 | 555 | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling August 14-17, 2014 | 37% | 39% | 9% | 15% | +/-3.3 | 903 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/KSN News Poll July 23, 2014 | 40% | 48% | 5% | 7% | +/-2.9 | 1,208 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/KSN News Poll June 19-23, 2014 | 41% | 47% | 5% | 7% | +/-3.1 | 1,068 | |||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 40.96% | 44.82% | 5.38% | 8.92% | +/-3.48 | 903.83 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kansas - Major party candidates and undecided | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sam Brownback * (R) | Paul Davis (D) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| New York Times/CBS News/YouGov {October 16-23, 2014) | 43% | 40% | 17% | +/-4 | 1,973 | ||||||||||||||
| Gravis Marketing (October 20-21, 2014) | 44% | 49% | 7% | +/-3 | 1,124 | ||||||||||||||
| Monmouth University (October 16-19, 2014) | 45% | 50% | 5% | +/-4.7 | 429 | ||||||||||||||
| Gravis Marketing (September 30-October 1, 2014) | 40% | 48% | 12% | +/-3 | 850 | ||||||||||||||
| New York Times/CBS News/YouGov {September 20-October 1, 2014) | 45% | 42% | 12% | +/-3 | 2,013 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 43.4% | 45.8% | 10.6% | +/-3.54 | 1,277.8 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kansas - Major party candidates, other and undecided | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sam Brownback* (R) | Paul Davis (D) | Other | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling (Umbehr supporters reallocated September 11-14, 2014 | 39% | 45% | 0% | 15% | +/-2.7 | 1,328 | |||||||||||||
| CBS/NYT/YouGov August 18-September 2, 2014 | 47% | 40% | 2% | 11% | +/-5.0 | 839 | |||||||||||||
| Cole Hargrave Snodgrass (R-Brownback) August 17-30, 2014 | 43% | 42% | 0% | 0% | +/-4.3 | 500 | |||||||||||||
| Rasmussen Reports August 6-7, 2014 | 41% | 51% | 3% | 5% | +/-4.0 | 750 | |||||||||||||
| CBS/NYT/YouGov (With leaners) July 5-24, 2014 | 52% | 40% | 3% | 2% | +/-- | 1,274 | |||||||||||||
| CBS/NYT/YouGov (Without leaners) July 5-24, 2014 | 47% | 37% | 3% | 2% | +/-- | 1,274 | |||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 44.83% | 42.5% | 1.83% | 5.83% | +/-2.67 | 994.17 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kansas - Major party candidates and "third party" category | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sam Brownback/Jeff Coyler (R) | Paul Davis/Jill Docking (D) | Third Party | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA Poll (October 23-24, 2013) | 39% | 43% | 12% | 6% | +/-4.4 | 511 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
2010
Colyer won election as Kansas Lieutenant Governor on a shared ticket with Gov. Sam Brownback. They defeated Tom Holland/Kelly Kultala (D) and two other pairs of opponents in the general election on November 2, 2010.
| Kansas Governor/Lt. Governor, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jeff Colyer |
63.3% | 530,760 | |
| Democratic | Kelly Kultala | 32.2% | 270,166 | |
| Libertarian | Stacey Davis | 2.7% | 22,460 | |
| Reform Party | Daniel J. Faubion | 1.8% | 15,397 | |
| Write-in | various | 0% | 7 | |
| Total Votes | 838,790 | |||
| Election results via Kansas Secretary of State | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Colyer was elected to the 37th District Seat in the Kansas State Senate, defeating Bond Faulwell (D) and Rob Hodgkinson (L).[23] Colyer raised $83,033 for his campaign, while Faulwell raised $7,209 and Hodgkinson raised $15,573.[24]
| Kansas State Senate, District 37 General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jeff Colyer Incumbent |
63.5% | 27,311 | |
| Democratic | Bond Faulwell | 30.8% | 13,249 | |
| Libertarian | Rob Hodgkinson | 5.7% | 2,464 | |
| Total Votes | 43,024 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
| Kansas | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Project Vote Smart Legislative Profile
Footnotes
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Gov. Brownback is finally leaving. Now, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer must pick up the pieces," January 24, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kansas Office of the Governor, "Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D.," accessed October 2, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Project Vote Smart, "Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer's Biography," accessed August 19, 2013
- ↑ Kansas Health Institute, "Who's Who: Dr. Jeff Colyer," March 7, 2011
- ↑ University of Texas, "Appointment of the 1988 - 1989 White House Fellows," June 7, 1988
- ↑ Kansas Reporter, "Lt. Gov. enters federal health care constitutional challenge," January 17, 2012
- ↑ Profile from the Kansas Legislature
- ↑ Legislation
- ↑ Bill 1612 (dead link)
- ↑ Bill 1614 (dead link)
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "NRA endorses Colyer over Kobach, who touts backing of another gun group," July 16, 2018
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Brownback/Coyler for Gov./Lt. Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed September 4, 2014
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Physician campaigning as Libertarian dad’s running mate in Kansas governor’s race," May 22, 2014
- ↑ Keen For Kansas, "Home," accessed October 6, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The Fix's top 15 gubernatorial races of 2014," November 15, 2013
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Surveys find a hint of election vulnerability in Gov. Sam Brownback," October 29, 2013
- ↑ University of Virginia Center for Politics, "2014 Governor," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Governing, "2014 Governors Races: A Look at the Too-Close-to-Call Contests," March 6, 2014
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Governors’ Races Are Close, But There’s More Upside For Democrats," July 17, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Kansas Democrats Turn to Data in Governor's Race," July 30, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "More than 100 Republicans endorse Democrat against Kansas Gov. Brownback (R)," July 15, 2014
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Polls on the Kansas governor's race vary widely," July 26, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2008 General Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed March 29, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Kansas 2008 - General Election Results," accessed March 29, 2014 (dead link)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sam Brownback (R) |
Kansas Governor 2018–2019 |
Succeeded by Laura Kelly (D) |
| Preceded by Troy Findley (D) |
Kansas Lieutenant Governor 2011–2018 |
Succeeded by Tracey Mann (R) |
| Preceded by Dennis M. Wilson |
Kansas State Senate District 37 2009–2011 |
Succeeded by Ray Merrick (R) |
| Preceded by ' |
Kansas House of Representatives 2007–2009 |
Succeeded by ' |
| |||||||||||||
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State of Kansas Topeka (capital) |
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