J. Stephen Alford
J. Stephen Alford was a Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing District 124. He was first elected to the chamber in 2010, and he served until January 2019 as he did not file to run for re-election in 2018.
On January 9, 2018, Alford resigned from his positions on the House Children and Seniors Committee and the Joint Legislative Task Force on Child Welfare after receiving criticism for remarks he made concerning the use of marijuana among African-Americans, which some observers and colleagues saw as racist. Alford did not resign his seat in the legislature and kept assignments on several other committees.[1]
Biography
Alford earned his B.A. in business and economics from Southwestern College in 1965. At the time of his service in the state house, his professional experience included owning and operating a family farm.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Kansas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications |
| • Judiciary |
| • Transportation |
| • State Building Construction |
Leadership resignation
On January 9, 2018, Alford announced he was resigning as chair of the Children and Seniors Committee following remarks he made at an event. While discussing the possible legalization of marijuana, Alford said, "One of the reasons why, I hate to say it, the African-Americans, they were basically users and they basically responded the worst off those drugs just because their character makeup, their genetics, and that." His resignation from the chairship came amidst questions to chamber party leadership over whether Alford would be allowed to remain in the role. As part of his announcement, Alford apologized for his remarks. "I was wrong, I regret my comments, and I sincerely apologize to anyone I have hurt," he said.[2]
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Alford served on the following committees:
| Kansas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Utilities and Telecommunications, Vice Chair |
| • Judiciary |
| • State Building Construction |
| • Corrections and Juvenile Justice |
| • Telecommunications Study, Vice Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Alford served on the following committees:
| Kansas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Energy and Environment, Vice chair |
| • Judiciary |
| • Health and Human Services |
2011-2012
Alford served on the following committees in the 2011-2012 legislative session:
| Kansas committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Energy and Utilities |
| • Health and Human Services |
| • Judiciary |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2018
J. Stephen Alford did not file to run for re-election.
2016
Elections for the Kansas House of Representatives were held in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.
Incumbent J. Stephen Alford ran unopposed in the Kansas House of Representatives District 124 general election.[3][4]
| Kansas House of Representatives, District 124 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  J. Stephen Alford Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent J. Stephen Alford ran unopposed in the Kansas House of Representatives District 124 Republican primary.[5][6]
| Kansas House of Representatives, District 124 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | J. Stephen Alford Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Kansas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 2, 2014. Incumbent J. Stephen Alford was unopposed in the Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election.[7][8]
2012
Alford won re-election in the 2012 election for Kansas House of Representatives District 124. He was unopposed in the August 7 Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9][10]
2010
Alford won election unopposed in the November 2 general election.[11]
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Kansas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 8 through April 7.
- Kansas AFL-CIO: House
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education."
- Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 through June 26.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 11 through June 1. A special session was held from June 23 to June 24 over education funding.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 12.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 30.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 to June 20.
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See also
- Kansas House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Joint Committees
- Kansas state legislative districts
- Kansas State Legislature
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Dayton Daily News, Kansas lawmaker quits posts after remarks about blacks, accessed January 10, 2018
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Kansas lawmaker who made racist remarks resigns chairmanship," January 9, 2018
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidate list," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election official results," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidate list," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2016 Official Kansas Primary Election Results," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed September 15, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2014 General Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed April 17, 2015
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed March 31, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed March 31, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2010 General Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed March 29, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Light (R) |
Kansas House of Representatives District 124 2011-2019 |
Succeeded by Martin Long |
