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| Ron Thornburgh |
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| Kansas Secretary of State |
| Former officeholder |
| In office |
| 1995 – 2010 |
| Party | Republican |
| Predecessor | William Preston Graves |
| Education |
| Bachelor's | Washburn University (1985) |
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Ron Thornburgh (born December 31, 1962, in Burlingame, Kansas) was the Republican Kansas Secretary of State for sixteen years. He was first elected in 1994 and was subsequently re-elected in 1998, 2002, and 2006. In July 2007, Thornburgh took the first steps toward seeking the Republican nomination in the state gubernatorial race by appointing a treasurer for a potential campaign. [1] After polling showed him losing the Republican primary to Senator Sam Brownback, he announced in June 2009 that he would be dropping out of the race and that he would not seek a fifth term as Secretary of State. [2] Eight months later, Thornburgh declared that he would be leaving his state governmental position a year early "to become senior vice president for sales and marketing at Olathe-based NIC, a company that provides online services to governments." [3]
Biography
Prior to being elected to the office of Secretary of State, Thornburgh served as Deputy Assistant in the Kansas Secretary of State Election and Legislative Matters Division for three years beginning in 1987. In 1990, he was the Administration Deputy Assistant in the Kansas Secretary of State Office then moved up to the Assistant Secretary of State position the next year, holding the office for three years.
Education
- Bachelor's degree, Washburn University (1985) in criminal justice
- Graduate, Leadership Kansas Class (1993)
Elections
2006
2002
- 2002 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary
- Ron Thornburgh ran unopposed in this contest
| 2002 Race for Secretary of State - General Election [6]
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| Party
|
Candidate
|
Vote Percentage
|
|
|
Republican Party
|
 a Ron Thornburgh
|
65.5%
|
|
|
Democratic Party
|
David Haley
|
31.9%
|
|
|
Independent
|
Charles St. George
|
2.6%
|
| Total Votes
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807,697
|
1998
- 1998 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary
- Ron Thornburgh ran unopposed in this contest
Campaign donors
2006
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Campaign Contributions
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| Total Raised
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$313,806
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| Total Raised by Primary Opponent
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$59,621
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| Total Raised by Gen. Election Opponent
|
$31,253
|
| Top 5 Contributors
|
Columbian Financial Corp. $4,000 (1.27% of Total)
|
Kansas Association of Realtors $3,750 (1.20%)
|
Southwest Topeka Realty Investors Partnership LP $3,597 (1.15%)
|
Peggy J. and Terrence P. Dunn $3,000 (0.96%)
|
| Bonnie L. Cloud $3,000 (0.96%)
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| Individuals v. Institutions
|
$198,872 (63.4%)
|
| $112,211 (35.8%)
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| In v. Outside State
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$276,991 (88.3%)
|
| $36,815 (11.7%)
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Personal
Ron Thornburgh currently resides in Topeka, Kansas with their two children, Grey and Tanner. He is a practicing Methodist.
Awards
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Digital Government “Agent of Change” Award (2002)
- Lee Ann Elliott Election Excellence Award (2004) from Kids Voting USA
- Jim Edwards Leadership Kansas Alumnus of the Year Award (2005)
- Leaders in Learning Award (2005)
- Mike Harder Public Administrator of the Year Award (2006) from the American Society for Public Administration - Kansas Chapter
Other roles
Thornburgh has also served in the following roles:
- Founder/President, Drug Education for Youth (1994-2003)
- Participant, Toll Fellow Program (1995)
- Board Member, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) (1998-2003)
- Honorary Chairman, Law Enforcement Special Olympics Torch Run (1998-1999, 2003-2005)
- Board Member, Saint Johns Military Academy (1999-2003)
- Member, Association of the United States Army State Board
- Executive Committee Member, Council of State Governments
- Clearinghouse Advisory Panel Member, Federal Election Commission
- Member, First United Methodist Church
- Vice-Chairman of Marketing, Executive Council, Jayhawk Area Council of Boy Scouts of America
- Honorary Board Member, Kids Voting Kansas
- Past President/Executive Committee, National Association of Secretaries of State
- Member, Sons of American Legion
- Advisory Committee Member, United Way
- Member, United Way Success by Six Steering Committee
- Member, Washburn University Alumni Fellow
External links
References
