Jeff Coen (Kansas)

Jeff Coen (Republican Party) ran for election to the Kansas House of Representatives to represent District 53. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Jeff Coen was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. He graduated from Kaw Area Technical School and also pursued his undergraduate education at the University of Kansas and Washburn University. Coen's career experience includes working as a self-employed IT and technical consultant.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Kirk Haskins defeated Jeff Coen and Aric Hermann in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 53 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kirk Haskins (D)	51.1	5,556
	Jeff Coen (R)	43.6	4,742
	Aric Hermann (L)	5.3	575

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,873
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Kirk Haskins advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kirk Haskins	100.0	1,030

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,030
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Jeff Coen advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Coen	100.0	1,590

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,590
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Aric Hermann advanced from the Libertarian convention for Kansas House of Representatives District 53 on April 20, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Aric Hermann (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Coen in this election.

Pledges

Coen signed the following pledges.

U.S. Term Limits

2020

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Jim Gartner defeated Jeff Coen in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 53 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jim Gartner (D)	54.9	6,326
	Jeff Coen (R)	45.1	5,203

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,529
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Jim Gartner advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Gartner	100.0	2,146

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,146
= 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 House of Representatives District 53

Jeff Coen advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Coen	100.0	2,610

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,610
= 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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Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Jeff Coen did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Jeff Coen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Coen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Jeff Coen is a retired Topeka City Councilman, former Deputy Mayor of Topeka and small business owner. He is a long-time resident of Topeka and a graduate of Topeka West High School 1989. He attended both The University of Kansas and Washburn University in the early 90's and graduated from Kaw Area Technical School (recently renamed to Washburn Tech) in 1994 to became a computer networking technician. Jeff is married to Becky and they have 2 girls. Jeff and his family attend Grace Point Church.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

It's time to reopen the Kansas Economy
We need to lower taxes on Kansans
I think we should ban transgender athletes from competing in women's sports

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about doing the right thing. Doing the right thing is not always popular, but is necessary to retain law and order. I was a couch politician and decided to get involved. I also have a reputation of pointing out corruption while serving on the Topeka City Council. I stand for more government transparency, so the voters can make better decisions.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my Father, Jim Coen. He's a man of faith, and has taught me what it means to be a father.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

NA

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, and telling the truth.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a good listener, and hard worker.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The biggest core responsibility is listening to their constituents. Legislators generally make promises about listening, and forget as soon as they are elected. I have always had that top of mind while serving Topeka. And always will.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like someone to look back and say "Jeff made a difference".

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event I can remember was when I heard on the news that Skylab was out of orbit and will crash to Earth. I was 9 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was a bus boy at a local small diner. I had the job for about 6 months.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible contains wisdom of the ages, it should be read by anyone who wants to have a better outlook on life.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman! He is faster than a speeding bullet, has heat and x-ray vision, super strength, super-hearing and of course, he can fly.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

NA

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

I think having 2 chambers of Government slows government considerably, which is a good thing. I think that all state legislatures should look at what Texas is doing. Their legislature serves every other year. I think Kansas should look at the positives and negatives.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I am for term limits. I don't think that legislators should make politics a lifetime job. If you have followed any of my tenure at the Topeka City Council, you will discover that I have always been for transparency. I exposed the way JEDO functioned because they were handing out taxpayer money to 'their buddies' instead of granting funds to those companies who were the most qualified. I also exposed corruption in how taxpayer money was spent on the Social and Service Grants Committee. Transparency makes a fair playing field for everyone. To go a step further, I would like to see all Kansas Legislative committees broadcast/streamed online so voters can transparently see their democracy in action. We did that in the City, we can do this at the Statehouse, too.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our state's challenges are going to be similar to other states. We will probably have problems with race and policing. I don't think those are the States greatest challenges. Opening up our Kansas economy would be the most important challenge, in the midst of a pandemic.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

I think that the governor and state legislature should be on friendly terms so they can work together, but each should be limited to be an equal level of government.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, coalitions are necessary to get legislation across the finish line. I know how to work with my elected colleagues to get the job done.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I think that redistricting is a process that is decided by the voters. This is that election year, and when I'm elected, I look forward to working through that process with other Kansas leaders.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Agriculture, Energy Utilities and Communications, Elections, Commerce and Economic Development.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

NA

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

Yes, I would be honored to be considered any position in my party's leadership.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

NO

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

NO, but never say never.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

When I was a Topeka City Councilman, I heard a story about a family who lived in a cul-de-sac in Topeka, and a 12 inch water main broke in front of their home. The home and everything in it was damaged by water.

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.

Jeff Coen campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Kansas House of Representatives District 53	Lost general	$1,021	$0
2020	Kansas House of Representatives District 53	Lost general	$6,851	N/A**
Grand total			$7,872	N/A**
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
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

External links

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Candidate

Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 21, 2020

[show]

Current members of the Kansas House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Daniel Hawkins

Majority Leader:Chris Croft

Minority Leader:Brandon Woodard

Representatives

District 1

Dale Helwig (R)

District 2

Kenneth Collins (R)

District 3

Chuck Smith (R)

District 4

Rick James (R)

District 5

Carrie Barth (R)

District 6

Samantha Poetter (R)

District 7

Dan Goddard (R)

District 8

Chris Croft (R)

District 9

Fred Gardner (R)

District 10

Suzanne Wikle (D)

District 11

Ron Bryce (R)

District 12

Doug Blex (R)

District 13

Duane Droge (R)

District 14

Charlotte Esau (R)

District 15

Lauren Bohi (R)

District 16

Linda Featherston (D)

District 17

Jo Ella Hoye (D)

District 18

Cindy Neighbor (D)

District 19

Stephanie Clayton (D)

District 20

Mari-Lynn Poskin (D)

District 21

Jerry Stogsdill (D)

District 22

Lindsay Vaughn (D)

District 23

Susan Ruiz (D)

District 24

Jarrod Ousley (D)

District 25

Rui Xu (D)

District 26

Chip VanHouden (R)

District 27

Sean Tarwater (R)

District 28

Carl Turner (R)

District 29

Heather Meyer (D)

District 30

Laura Williams (R)

District 31

Louis Ruiz (D)

District 32

Pam Curtis (D)

District 33

Carolyn Caiharr (R)

District 34

Valdenia Winn (D)

District 35

Wanda Paige (D)

District 36

Lynn Melton (D)

District 37

Melissa Oropeza (D)

District 38

Timothy Johnson (R)

District 39

Angela Stiens (R)

District 40

David Buehler (R)

District 41

Pat Proctor (R)

District 42

Lance Neelly (R)

District 43

Bill Sutton (R)

District 44

Barbara Ballard (D)

District 45

Mike Amyx (D)

District 46

Brooklynne Mosley (D)

District 47

Ronald Ellis (R)

District 48

Dan Osman (D)

District 49

Nikki McDonald (D)

District 50

Kyle McNorton (R)

District 51

Megan Steele (R)

District 52

Jesse Borjon (R)

District 53

Kirk Haskins (D)

District 54

Ken Corbet (R)

District 55

Tobias Schlingensiepen (D)

District 56

Virgil Weigel (D)

District 57

John Alcala (D)

District 58

Alexis Simmons (D)

District 59

Rebecca Schmoe (R)

District 60

Mark Schreiber (R)

District 61

Francis Awerkamp (R)

District 62

Sean Willcott (R)

District 63

Allen Reavis (R)

District 64

Lewis Bloom (R)

District 65

Shawn Chauncey (R)

District 66

Sydney Carlin (D)

District 67

Angel Roeser (R)

District 68

Nathan Butler (R)

District 69

Clarke Sanders (R)

District 70

Greg Wilson (R)

District 71

Steven Howe (R)

District 72

Avery Anderson (R)

District 73

Rick Wilborn (R)

District 74

Mike King (R)

District 75

Will Carpenter (R)

District 76

Brad Barrett (R)

District 77

Kristey Williams (R)

District 78

Robyn Essex (R)

District 79

Webster Roth (R)

District 80

Bill Rhiley (R)

District 81

Blake Carpenter (R)

District 82

Leah Howell (R)

District 83

Henry Helgerson (D)

District 84

Ford Carr (D)

District 85

Steven Brunk (R)

District 86

Silas Miller (D)

District 87

Susan Estes (R)

District 88

Sandy Pickert (R)

District 89

KC Ohaebosim (D)

District 90

Steve Huebert (R)

District 91

Emil Bergquist (R)

District 92

John Carmichael (D)

District 93

Brian Bergkamp (R)

District 94

Leo Delperdang (R)

District 95

Tom Sawyer (D)

District 96

Tom Kessler (R)

District 97

Nick Hoheisel (R)

District 98

Cyndi Howerton (R)

District 99

Susan Humphries (R)

District 100

Daniel Hawkins (R)

District 101

Joe Seiwert (R)

District 102

Kyler Sweely (R)

District 103

Angela Martinez (D)

District 104

Paul Waggoner (R)

District 105

Jill Ward (R)

District 106

Lisa Moser (R)

District 107

Dawn Wolf (R)

District 108

Brandon Woodard (D)

District 109

Troy Waymaster (R)

District 110

Ken Rahjes (R)

District 111

Barbara Wasinger (R)

District 112

Sherri Brantley (R)

District 113

Brett Fairchild (R)

District 114

Kevin Schwertfeger (R)

District 115

Gary White (R)

District 116

Kyle Hoffman (R)

District 117

Adam Turk (R)

District 118

Jim Minnix (R)

District 119

Jason Goetz (R)

District 120

Adam Smith (R)

District 121

John Resman (R)

District 122

Lon Pishny (R)

District 123

Bob Lewis (R)

District 124

Martin Long (R)

District 125

Shannon Francis (R)

Republican Party (88)

Democratic Party (37)

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 21, 2020

[1]

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Jeff Coen (Kansas)

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Endorsements

Pledges

2020

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 53

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2020

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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