Lynn Jenkins

Early life, education, and early political career

Jenkins was born in Holton, Kansas, 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.

Jenkins served for two years in the Kansas House of Representatives and for one term in the Kansas 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 Treasurers (NAST).

2008

On April 4, 2007, Jenkins announced that she had filed papers with the Federal Election Commission 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 prior Democratic incumbent 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 51%–46%.

2010

Jenkins won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic candidate Cheryl Hudspeth, 63%–32%.

2012

Jenkins won re-election to a third term, defeating Democratic candidate Tobias Schlingensiepen, 57%–39%.

Tenure

Jenkins was sworn into 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 Barracks, 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 claimed that Democratic representatives "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 "excess regulation." She supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and increased offshore drilling.

In June 2013, after the United States farm bill failed again, Jenkins claimed she was disappointed in House Republicans, who were divided over the issue. She blamed the failure in the House on the inability to find common ground, stating that there are still too many Democratic and Republican members who allowed politics to trump progress.

On February 28, 2014, Jenkins introduced the Suspending the Individual Mandate Penalty Law Equals Fairness Act (H.R. 4118; 113th Congress) into the House. The bill would delay for one year the Affordable Care Act's penalty for not having insurance.

On June 23, 2014, Jenkins introduced the Child Tax Credit Improvement Act of 2014 (H.R. 4935; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the child tax credit.

Jenkins was ranked as the 96th most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 114th United States Congress (and the most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas) in the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy that ranks members of the United States Congress by their degree of bipartisanship (by measuring the frequency each member's bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and each member's co-sponsorship of bills by members of the opposite party).

"The Great White Hope"

At a town hall on August 19, 2009, Jenkins commented on President Barack 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 later 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

Jenkins was assigned to the Committee on Financial Services including the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises and the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. She was named to the Ways and Means Committee when the Republicans gained control of the House for the 112th Congress.

Jenkins is a member of the Republican Study Committee, the Republican Main Street Partnership, and the Tea Party Caucus.

Caucus memberships

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.