James Thompson (Kansas)

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

James Thompson

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Wichita State University

Law

Washburn University

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

James Thompson (Democratic Party) ran for election for the Division 25 judge of the Kansas Eighteenth Judicial District. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Thompson was a Democratic candidate for Kansas' 4th Congressional District in 2017 and 2018.

Biography

James Thompson's professional experience includes working as an attorney in Wichita, Kansas. He was homeless and out of school at age 16 and then served in the United States Army. According to Kansas' voter affiliation records, Thompson was a registered Republican until March 2016.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Sedgwick County, Kansas (2020)

General election

General election for Kansas 18th District Court Division 25

Incumbent Sean Hatfield defeated James Thompson in the general election for Kansas 18th District Court Division 25 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Sean Hatfield (R)	56.8	117,491
		James Thompson (D)	43.2	89,484

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 206,975
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas 18th District Court Division 25

James Thompson advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas 18th District Court Division 25 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Thompson (Write-in)	88.7	5,294
		Other/Write-in votes	11.3	674

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,968
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas 18th District Court Division 25

Incumbent Sean Hatfield advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas 18th District Court Division 25 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Sean Hatfield	100.0	41,368

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,368
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Kansas' 4th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

Incumbent Ron Estes defeated James Thompson in the general election for U.S. House Kansas District 4 on November 6, 2018.

General election

General election for U.S. House Kansas District 4

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ron Estes (R)	59.4	144,248
		James Thompson (D)	40.6	98,445

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 242,693
= 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

James Thompson defeated Laura Lombard in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kansas District 4 on August 7, 2018.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Kansas District 4

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Thompson	65.2	20,261
		Laura Lombard	34.8	10,797

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,058
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Incumbent Ron Estes defeated Ron M. Estes in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kansas District 4 on August 7, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Kansas District 4

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ron Estes	81.4	57,522
	Submit photo	Ron M. Estes	18.6	13,159

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 70,681
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2017

See also: Kansas' 4th Congressional District special election, 2017

This election was widely regarded in the initial stages as a "safe Republican" seat. With a week to go, however, it was downgraded by some election analysts such as Inside Elections/Roll Call from "solid Republican" to "likely Republican". Ballotpedia changed its ranking in the days leading up to the election to a "Lean R" seat. Ron Estes (R) defeated James Thompson (D), and Chris Rockhold (L) in the general election on April 11, 2017. No primary elections were held in the race; the candidates were chosen at their respective party nominating conventions in February. The election replaced Mike Pompeo (R), who was selected as director of the CIA. According to Kansas' voter affiliation records, Thompson was a registered Republican until March 2016.

The election was the first congressional election to take place since Donald Trump's election to the presidency in November 2016. Trump's initial popularity in the District was evident. The President won the 4th District in 2016 by 27 percentage points. Pompeo pulled a margin of victory of 31.1 points in his final re-election bid. However, Governor Sam Brownback's (R) unpopularity across the state and an internal Republican poll in the final few days showing Estes ahead by one point signaled to Democrats and Republicans across the country that this race was closer than expected. Ultimately the race was closer than initially expected, with Estes winning by a margin of roughly seven percent. The last time a Democrat was elected from Kansas' 4th Congressional District was in 1992.

U.S. House, Kansas District 4 Special Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ron Estes	52.2%	64,044
	Democratic	James Thompson	46%	56,435
	Libertarian	Chris Rockhold	1.7%	2,115
Total Votes				122,594
Source: Kansas Secretary of State

Endorsements

• Democracy for America

• Our Revolution

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

James Thompson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2017

The following issues were listed on Thompson's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“ Fighting For Jobs And Education: James knows that he could only escape the difficult circumstances of his childhood through a good education and a job that pays a livable wage. That's why a core focus of his campaign is to provide opportunity to all citizens of the Fourth District, especially struggling working class Kansans. So often the debate centers around growing the middle class or catering to the upper class, while those at the bottom of the income scale are nearly forgotten. No more: James believes in helping to improve the lives of folks up and down the socioeconomic ladder. That includes increasing the minimum wage and removing barriers to economic mobility for the working and middle class. As James' life demonstrates, access to affordable quality education can change a person's life. Education is a pathway to the middle class. Fighting For Our Veterans: There's a saying about our veterans: they signed a blank check to the United States of America, with payment up to and including their lives. Our men and women in uniform put it all on the line for our nation, and it's our duty to protect them and honor their sacrifices when they get home. Fighting For Our Constitution: James believes in the Constitution. As a civil rights attorney, James fights every day for the Constitutional rights of his clients, be they infringed from profiling or excessive force, or enforced inequalities. James is a staunch defender of the Bill of Rights, and that includes the right to bear arms as defined in the Second Amendment. Fighting For Our Rural Way Of Life: James knows our rural communities are the backbone of the Kansas economy, and our rural way of life is under attack. We need to invest in our rural communities, making sure our family farmers can get products to market. We need targeted trade agreements that benefit Kansas’ agricultural role in the global market. Too many Kansas farmers can't move their product because of bad trade deals and lack of access to quality infrastructure. This is a problem that is hurting rural Kansas, and it can be fixed, but it takes leadership to fix it. Fighting For Firm, Fair Immigration Policies: Immigrants want what we all want: to work hard, play by the rules, and achieve the American Dream. We need to build a firm, fair, inclusive system that encourages the best and brightest to live, work, and raise families in Kansas. We need to discourage illegal activity while protecting the Constitutional rights of those who live among us. We must reward those families who have served our nation through military service with special consideration for citizenship. And we must continue to be a a safe harbor for refugees whose lives are threatened by evil in our world. ” —James Thompson's campaign website

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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James Thompson campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2018	U.S. House Kansas District 4	Lost general	$1,483,690	$1,483,690
Grand total			$1,483,690	$1,483,690
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

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External links

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• Campaign website
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Footnotes

Kansas courts

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Federal courts:

Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Kansas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Kansas

State courts:

Kansas Supreme Court • Kansas Court of Appeals • Kansas District Courts • Kansas Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in Kansas • Kansas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Kansas