Ron Estes

Early life, education, and career

Estes was born in Topeka, Kansas, and is a fifth-generation Kansan. He earned a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and a master's degree in Business Administration from Tennessee Technological University.

Estes worked in consulting and management roles in the aerospace, oil and gas, automotive, and several other manufacturing and service industries, working for several companies including Procter & Gamble, Koch Industries, and Bombardier Learjet.

He was elected as treasurer of Sedgwick County, Kansas, home to Wichita, in 2004, and subsequently reelected in 2008. During his political career, he also served as the Treasurer for the Kansas County Treasurer's Association, and in several posts in the Republican Party including Vice Chair of the Kansas Republican Party.

Kansas State Treasurer

Estes ran for Kansas State Treasurer in the 2010 election, against incumbent Democrat Dennis McKinney. Estes was the first statewide elected official from Wichita, Kansas in two decades. He was reelected in 2014, defeating Carmen Alldritt.

As state treasurer, Mr. Estes managed more than $24 billion in public money and he came in under budget by over $600,000. He made a priority telling Kansans about unclaimed money, such as funds from forgotten bank accounts. In 2016, Estes said his office had returned $100 million in unclaimed property since 2010.

During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, in February 2016, prior to the Kansas presidential caucuses, Estes endorsed Florida Senator Marco Rubio for the Republican nomination. Estes served in the Electoral College and cast his electoral vote for Donald Trump.

2017

Mike Pompeo, who represented Kansas's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, resigned on January 23, 2017, to become Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. On February 9, Estes won the Republican nomination to run in the special election to determine Pompeo's successor. Estes won with 66 of 126 votes in a special nominating convention held at Friends University.

Estes’ Democratic opponent in the special election was James Thompson, a Wichita lawyer and veteran. Estes' special election candidacy was endorsed by many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Ted Cruz, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and Governor Sam Brownback. He was endorsed by the editorial board of the local newspaper, The Wichita Eagle. The National Republican Congressional Committee contributed $92,000, in part for "inflammatory and false" advertisements supporting Estes, which characterized his opponent as an advocate of taxpayer-funded, late-term abortions, and also as an advocate for gender selection abortion. According to April 10, 2017 fundraising reports, Estes had raised $459,000 to Thompson’s $292,000.

Estes won the special election on April 11, 2017 by a 52.5% to 45.7%.

Tenure

Rep. Estes was sworn into office on April 25, 2017.

Committee assignments

Abortion

Estes defines himself as "proudly pro-life" and he intends to defund Planned Parenthood.

American Health Care Act of 2017

Estes during the 2017 special election campaign stated that he believes that the American Health Care Act of 2017 did not go far enough to complete uproot and eliminate Obamacare, seeking a repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Federal budget issues

He supports a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution and a reduction in corporate and some personal income taxes.

Personal life

Ron and his wife, Susan, have three children. His family continues to run a farm in Osage County, Kansas.