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Jenna Ratzlaff
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Jenna Ratzlaff (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Kansas House of Representatives to represent District 74. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Ratzlaff completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jenna Ratzlaff earned a high school diploma from Newton High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Bethel College in 2020. She earned a graduate degree from the University of Kansas in 2022. Her career experience includes working as a social worker.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 74
Mike King defeated Jenna Ratzlaff in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 74 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mike King (R) | 70.7 | 7,794 |
 | Jenna Ratzlaff (D)  | 29.3 | 3,236 | |
| Total votes: 11,030 | |||
| = 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 74
Jenna Ratzlaff advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 74 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jenna Ratzlaff | 100.0 | 398 |
| Total votes: 398 | |||
| = 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 74
Mike King advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 74 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike King | 100.0 | 2,045 |
| Total votes: 2,045 | |||
| = 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
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ratzlaff in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jenna Ratzlaff completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ratzlaff's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I have grown up in the Harvey County area for almost my whole life. I attended Newton High School, Hesston College, and Bethel College. I completed my Bachelors in Social Work at Bethel College. I was an active member on Bethel's Diversity Council and in the Social Work Club. I graduated from Bethel in 2020 and went straight into my Master's at the University of Kansas. I completed the Advanced Standing MSW Program and focused on the administrative route of social work. I graduated from KU in 2022. I am currently a long-term care social worker. I have experience in the long-term care setting, philanthropy setting, and in the nonprofit setting. I currently serve on two local board of directors for nonprofits in Newton, am a part of an anti-racism team for Western District Conference, and am a member of KS Chapter of National Association of Social Workers. I also am a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters. I enjoy making new connections in the communities around me and giving back however I can. As a social worker I love to advocate for others and I want to use those skills to advocate for adequate resources in our local communities. I am not afraid to challenge policies or procedures. Our communities are worth investing time in and I am more than happy to invest as much of my time in Harvey County as I can.
- I am focusing on affordable housing. Many people in our local communities have vocalized the barriers that they face when it comes to finding affordable housing options. This ranges from college age to elders. I aim to work with our local communities to make affordable housing a much more feasible option for our community members.
- Another focus is to aim on increasing resources for seniors in our communities. I will advocate for more mental health and behavioral health options for our elders. Working in long-term care, I have seen the barriers that our elders face in the communities with Medicaid, finding long-term care placement, needing an advocate for medical needs, etc. I will work with our communities to help identify specific needs and work towards increasing these resources.
- I am also focusing on food security. There is an increase need for food security in our communities. It ranges from individuals, to families, to our public school systems. I aim to work with local food banks to help create programs to increase food security. I will advocate for policies and bills that would help with food security, not take away from it. Eating is not a privilege, it is a basic human right. Everyone deserves accessible food whenever they need it.
I am passionate about child welfare, environmental policy, education policy, and health care policy. I gained an interest in child welfare during college and completed a research project on the foster care system that was intertwined with education opportunities. Our child welfare system and education policy need more advocates as any changes affect our future generations. I care deeply about the environment and making it a sustainable place for not only current generations to live in, but future generations as well. Health care policy is another passion of mine as I know many who struggle with receiving adequate health care to address their needs.
I look up to several social workers that I have gotten to know. I aim to embody their kindness, compassion, and dedication to the field. My professor in undergrad and grad school pushed me to believe in myself and I follow that example with others. Everyone has their own gifts and talents, sometimes we need a little pushing to discover them.
Honesty, integrity, and passion. Honesty is important when holding a position of power. Our communities deserve honesty and transparency about what is going on in the state legislature. That aligns with integrity. It is important to be dedicated to one's ethical values. We need to take a step back sometimes and ask ourselves if what we are doing is ethical. Are the policies, bills, procedures, etc., beneficial to our communities or are they harmful? Lastly an elected official should be passionate about the issues they are advocating for. Taking time to listen to the stories of the community, see how people have been impacted, and taking that passion into the legislature is crucial in making changes. It helps remind those in positions of power that any changes affect their family, neighbors, friends, coworkers, etc.
I am not afraid to advocate for others. I was involved in student government in high school and the process intrigued me. I have followed politics since and have seen the needs that are not yet met. I can stand firmly on my own two feet but appreciate support as I can not make change on my own. I posses active listening skills which is crucial when you are representing a community up at the Capitol. I want to hear the changes that need to be addressed and made. I am passionate about helping others, I always have been since I was a little girl.
I believe that someone elected to office holds several core responsibilities. One of these includes communication. Our communities rely on clear communication from state legislators as to what decisions are being made. It is vital to communicate efficiently and honestly.
It is also important to articulate a vision that brings community members together. Changes cannot happen with one person doing the work.
It is also important to articulate a vision that brings community members together. Changes cannot happen with one person doing the work.
I would like to leave a legacy of kindness, joy, and always being willing to lend a helping hand. I am constantly volunteering for the community, workplace events, and however I can in any setting. I thoroughly enjoy bringing joy to others and give kindness whenever I can. We never know what storm someone is walking through. Each individual can make an impact on this world, whether they think so or not.
I vaguely remember 9/11. I was 5 years old at the time and I remember seeing something on the tv about it. I saw a shot of the towers before they fell and that's the most I can recall.
I was a newspaper carrier in middle school. I did this for about 3 years and delivered newspapers to 100 houses each day. 200 on 'saturation' day which mean every house got a newspaper regardless of subscription status. I walked the route and enjoyed getting to know my neighbors!
Bennie and The Jets - Elton John
I believe that it can be helpful but personal experience can be just as beneficial and motivational for someone to run for public office. It is up to each candidate and elected official to be knowledgeable about topics that are discussed.
I strongly believe that building relationships with other legislators are essential. There is not one single person who can create change all on their own. Creating change takes a team. It is crucial to have support when advocating for changes. Communities can offer resources to one another and provide as crucial supports in time of need.
I would like to in the future but I am focusing on one campaign at a time. It would be more than an honor to advocate for others at the national level.
I strongly believe that it is important to be transparent about finances. Finances affect decisions made and how we allocate resources for our communities. It is important to hold our governmental leaders accountable for actions. Ownership is key to successful teamwork.
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Kansas House of Representatives District 74 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 9, 2024
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
District 17
Jo Ella Hoye (D)
District 18
Cindy Neighbor (D)
District 19
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
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
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
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)
