Roger Marshall (politician)

Pre-political life

Marshall was born in El Dorado, Kansas. He received a degree in biochemistry from Kansas State University and a medical doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Marshall has served as chairman of the Board of Great Bend Regional Hospital and has been a district governor of Rotary International. He also served seven years in the United States Army Reserve reaching the rank of captain.

Campaign for Kansas Congressional District 1

Marshall ran against incumbent Tim Huelskamp in the Republican Party primary election for Kansas's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. Marshall ran with the support of many of the state's agricultural groups, who were angered at Huelskamp losing his seat on the House Agriculture Committee--the first time in a century that a Kansan had not been on that panel. Additionally, redistricting saw the 1st pick up some new constituents in the eastern part of the sprawling district who were not at home with Huelskamp's strong social conservatism. The new map reflected a population decline in Huelskamp's power base in the western portion of the district.

On August 2, 2016, Marshall defeated Huelskamp, 56 percent to 44 percent. No Democrat even filed. However, the 1st is one of the most Republican districts in the nation, and any Democratic challenger would have faced nearly impossible odds in any event.

In the general election, Marshall won handily, defeating independent Alan LaPolice with 65.9 percent of the vote.

Unlike Huelskamp, Marshall is not a member of the House Tea Party Caucus. Marshall's candidacy was endorsed by the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas Livestock Association, the National Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Farm Bureau, an affiliate of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Political stances

Social issues: Marshall is strongly anti-abortion.

Health care: Marshall has been a leading figure in the Republican effort to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In opposing the Act's Medicaid expansion, Marshall said in an interview in March 2017: "Just like Jesus said, 'The poor will always be with us.' There is a group of people that just don't want health care and aren’t going to take care of themselves." Marshall's remark attracted widespread attention and criticism.

Immigration and refugees: Marshall supported President Donald Trump's controversial Executive Order 13769, which barred the nationals of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States. However, Marshall supports an immigration bill with a pathway to citizenship for people not living in the U.S. legally; such legislation is supported by the agriculture lobby, which is powerful in Marshall's district.

Farm subsidies: Marshall, who is elected from a heavily rural district, supports farm subsidies, such as billions of dollars in federal crop insurance. Marshall support for subsidies helped him gain the 2016 endorsement of the influential Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) in the Republican primary, in which he prevailed over U.S. Representative Tim Huelskamp; the KFB was angered over Huelskamp's opposition to some farm subsidies.

Environmental issues: Marshall has harshly criticized the Environmental Protection Agency and supports reducing its authority. Marshall supports the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires corn-based ethanol to be blended with gasoline; corn is produced in Marshall's district.

Personal life

Marshall currently lives in Great Bend, Kansas, where he practices medicine.

Electoral history

Kansas's 1st congressional district, 2016