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Ace Allen

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This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Ace Allen
Image of Ace Allen

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Palo Alto High School

Bachelor's

University of California, Berkeley, 1975

Medical

University of Kansas School of Medicine, 1983

Personal
Birthplace
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Religion
Jewish
Profession
Physician
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Ace Allen (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Kansas House of Representatives to represent District 28. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Allen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ace Allen was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975 and an M.D. from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1983. His career experience includes working as a physician and founding two startups: Telemedicine Today, a health trade magazine, and VitalSeek, a health search engine. As of 2022, Allen was affiliated with the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, the Jewish Community Foundation, and PrairieRootsKS.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 28

Incumbent Carl Turner defeated Ace Allen in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 28 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Carl Turner
Carl Turner (R) Candidate Connection
 
50.6
 
6,604
Image of Ace Allen
Ace Allen (D) Candidate Connection
 
49.4
 
6,449

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 13,053
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28

Ace Allen advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ace Allen
Ace Allen Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
1,076

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,076
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28

Incumbent Carl Turner advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Carl Turner
Carl Turner Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
1,540

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,540
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Allen received the following endorsements.

2022

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 28

Incumbent Carl Turner defeated Ace Allen in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 28 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Carl Turner
Carl Turner (R)
 
50.3
 
5,151
Image of Ace Allen
Ace Allen (D) Candidate Connection
 
49.7
 
5,091

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 10,242
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28

Ace Allen advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ace Allen
Ace Allen Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
2,983

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,983
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28

Incumbent Carl Turner advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 28 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Carl Turner
Carl Turner
 
100.0
 
4,408

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 4,408
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Ace Allen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Allen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a retired oncologist, on staff for many years at KU Medical Center, and later at the Kansas City and Topeka VA Hospitals. I fought for the interests of my patients and their families, and helped build and support the professional networks and care teams that provided superb care for those patients.

I published many peer-reviewed medical papers, and am deeply respectful of the energy, resources, and integrity that are needed to "move the needle" on advancing healthcare. I am highly experienced in sorting fact from fancy, and am unafraid to challenge information that is not based on balanced facts—and to fight for people whose care I am responsible for. I have lived and raised our family in this district for over 30 years, actively volunteering and serving on the boards of numerous local and national organizations, including the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, Kansas Interfaith Action, PrairieRoots Kansas, the Jewish Community Foundation, the American Telemedicine Association, the Assoc. of VA Hematology/Oncology, and many more.

Finally, I founded and headed two small, innovative healthcare-related businesses (LLCs) in Overland Park. The first was the trade magazine, Telemedicine Today. The second was a company that built a healthcare search engine, VitalSeek. As CEO, I learned firsthand about starting and building a business, management and team building, hiring, firing, the responsibility of meeting payroll.
  • My responsibility will be to my constituents, NOT to special interests nor to the loudest voices. 
        From my decades caring for cancer patients and their families,  I learned my focus is always the patient--not on the demands of the hospital administration, of the insurance provider, etc. 
    I learned the importance of not making assumptions about what patients want. I learned to carefully and respectfully listen to the patient and all stakeholders (including the care team).
    I learned that I didn't need to be the smartest guy in the room, and that sometimes someone's "still, small voice" provides key insight.
  • I look at legislating as providing healthcare through a different lens. My job is to work with colleagues, constituents, and expert advisors to improve the health of our: government, democracy, economy, public health, public education, tax structure, public safety and justice, environment, business climate, and more.
  • I know how to work with people, to find common ground, and to arrive at a compromise with integrity--bearing in mind that my "north star" is the well-being and expressed preferences of my constituents.
Reproductive freedom. Medicaid expansion. Gun safety. Fully support public schools. Fair, equitable taxation with transparency in spending. Voting access. Transparency in legislation with minimal "bundling." Elimination of gerrymandering. Support building small businesses in Kansas. Support education, healthcare, and business in rural areas.
Integrity. Listening more than talking. Keeping a steady bead on the "north star" of your constituent's needs--not being swayed by bombast or the passions of the moment. Disagreeing agreeably as needed (with constituents, legislators, lobbyists...)
I'm patient--but not too patient; tenacious; collaborative; curious; non-dogmatic; willingness to learn and to modify opinions based on new information; interested in people--their lives, history, how they view the world.
Responsiveness to and communication with constituents. Keeping up with the legislation (doing your homework), and knowing how the levers of government work. Building coalitions. Working for the interests of your district, and of the people of Kansas. Not favoring special interests. Transparency in your behavior, and demanding transparency from government.
That I took care of my constituents the way I took care of my patients.
Sputnik. I was 6 years old.
I worked during/since high school as a trash hauler and lawn cutter (for 2 years or so), gas station attendant, newspaper copyboy, in a furniture factory, and much more.
Secular: The Course of Our Times. Abram Leon Sachar
Religious: The Tanach (Jewish bible and writings)
Superman, of course!
Wanting to do too much.
There should be a "useful tension" between the two. The governor speaks only for the whole people of Kansas, while legislators speak primarily for their districts. Ideally, the relationship is respectful, with willingness to listen, and not characterized by dogmatism nor bombast.
Rural development; water (Ogallala aquifer); redistricting to address gerrymandering; preserving and enhancing public education
Yes.
Yes. Of course. All of us together are smarter than any one of us. There is nothing wrong with working with legislators you may disagree with on many things, but do agree with (and can work together on) other things.
Harry Truman. Sharice Davids. Mike Kelly. Laura Kelly. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
No.
A Jewish grandmother takes her baby grandson to the ocean for the first time. For the occasion, she has dressed him in a smart little sailor outfit. Without warning, a large wave folds over the young boy and swoops him out into the ocean. The grandmother looks up at the sky, “Please God, save my grandson. I will do anything if you return him to me. I will pray daily, I will volunteer weekly. Please God, I will do anything.” In a flash, another wave hits the beach, and the grandson washes up on the sand. The grandmother looks the boy over, then looks up at the sky and says, “He had a hat.”
I don't have enough information to be able to answer this question (actually, they are two separate questions). The problem with our current legislature is that, due to gerrymandering, it does not fairly reflect the will of the voters of Kansas.
Medicaid expansion in Kansas. We are very close to being able to pass this now, and the impact would be huge in terms of affected people, and would have an immediate, significant positive impact on our economy and budget.
KNEA, StandUp Blue Valley, Game On for Kansas Schools (supporting public schools); Moms Demand Action, Grandparents for Gun Safety, 314 Action/Doctors in Politics, Congresswoman Sharice Davids, multiple unions, more endorsements pending
Health and Human Services; Legislative Modernization; Veterans and Military; Agriculture and Natural Resources
Bad legislation thrives in opacity and misdirection. Other than HR matters and (very occasional) negotiations, I am all for maximizing transparency and accountability--including finding a way of assessing the actual (as opposed to claimed) economic, social, and health effects of legislation.
Good

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Note: Ace Allen added the following responses to his campaign survey responses:[2]

“ Two other things I’m passionate about:
  • Controlling the proliferation and misuse of firearms.
  • Good, livable wages for working people.[3]
 ”
—Ace Allen

Candidate Connection

Ace Allen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Allen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I moved to Kansas for medical school in 1978, and felt home from the start--partly because my grandparents grew up on farms here. I've practiced oncology here (at the U. of Kansas and at the Kansas City and Topeka VA Hospitals) since 1988, and have lived in my district--where my wife and I raised our two children--since 1994. Before entering medical practice, I worked at many different jobs, including as a mechanic, boatyard worker, ranch hand, in a furniture factory, and more. While at the U. of Kansas, I was a Nat'l Cancer Institute Fellow in Cancer Prevention and Control, with special training in evaluating and ameliorating preventable causes of disease, as well as in research methodology. I've published dozens of peer-reviewed scientific articles, reviews, and book chapters. I was a founder in the early 1990s of the nation's first tele-oncology program, and owned and published the trade magazine, Telemedicine Today. I also founded and directed the startup health search engine, VitalSeek. I've been on the Board of Directors of numerous local and regional nonprofits (Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City/Board Chair; Jewish Community Foundation; Kansas Interfaith Action; PrairieRootsKS, and others), as well as on the Boards of numerous national health organizations (American Telemedicine Association; Int'l Society for Telemedicine and eHealth; Association of VA Hematology/Oncology, and others. I retired from medical practice at the end of 2021.
  • Assure that decisions and policies are based on facts, not on unsupported assertions--and that those decisions and policies reflect the democratic will of the constituents, rather than the undue influence of lobbyists and pressure groups.
  • Protect and enhance our superb public education. Specifically, public dollars should not be diverted to private schools, and there should be generous support for special education (and for special-needs adults).
  • Expand Medicaid in Kansas to assure accessible healthcare for the 150,000 disabled and/or impoverished Kansans who now have no healthcare coverage. This will also bring billions of dollars of federal dollars to our healthcare system, noting that many rural hospitals are closing because they don't get paid for treating their impoverished, under-insured patients. This has an enormous ripple effect on our economy and on the health of our rural areas.
See above. I'm passionate about healthcare, social welfare, environmentally sustainable economic growth and opportunity, and the highest-quality schools (kindergarten through college/ trade schools) we can afford. Indeed, I believe we can't afford NOT to maximally support our education infrastructure, which is the jewel in the crown of my district. This especially includes support of teachers (good salaries; respect; job protections, no micromanaging).
With its strong manufacturing, professional, and entrepreneurial roots, our region is well positioned to be a leader in innovating and adopting new, green technologies.
My parents were extraordinary models of integrity, hard work, setting big goals and figuring out how to attain them, recognizing the unique qualities of each of their 5 children and helping them "grow from a little acorn to a mighty oak tree."
Integrity; listening skills; consensus-building; responding to constituents
I believe I am a very good, active listener, and am good at integrating multiple strains of thought, and coming up with creative solutions that work.
To be informed, to identify the real problems that need to be addressed (as opposed to rhetorical smokescreens and the like), to evaluate matters based on logic and careful listening, to exercise proper skepticism, to seek the advice of more experienced and wiser people--both constituents and colleagues. To stand up for your district and your constituents and your state.
In terms of a public legacy: I would like to have helped Kansas move back to its progressive, welcoming, big-thinking roots.
Dwight D. Eisenhower being elected (I remember the I Like Ike buttons!). This would have been for his 2nd election in 1957, when I was about 6 years old.
Gas station attendant, for about 1.5 years (part-time)
Cooperative, principal-based, mindful of the different constituents each represents
Backing down from the extremism (denying the integrity of the last presidential election; scorn for sensible public health care measures during the Covid epidemic; making voting more difficult and restrictive, with no evidence that there have been meaningful voting regularities, etc.) that has infected our politics.
I don't have a meaningful opinion on this.
In general, yes.
Yes.
Nonpartisan, guided by rationality and ever mindful that districts should be formed so that there is true representation of constituents. Gerrymandering is fundamentally anti-democratic.
Healthcare related; veteran-related; business/ infrastructure
Not applicable
Mari-Lynn Poskin; Joy Koesten
No
Too many to relate here.
It should certainly be consulted
Yes

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.


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.

Ace Allen campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Kansas House of Representatives District 28Lost general$141,836 $0
2022Kansas House of Representatives District 28Lost general$68,339 $0
Grand total$210,174 $0
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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External links

Candidate

Kansas House of Representatives District 28
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 4, 2022
    2. ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with Ace Allen," August 20, 2022
    3. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.


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