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Kansas' 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014
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November 4, 2014 |
August 5, 2014 |
Lynn Jenkins  |
Lynn Jenkins |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2]
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The 2nd Congressional District of Kansas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.
Incumbent Lynn Jenkins (R), who was first elected in 2008, defeated challengers Margie Wakefield (D) and Chris Clemmons (L) in the general election.[4] She won re-election in 2012 with 57 percent of the vote. Heading into the election, Jenkins was favored to win her district seat. Voters tend to heavily support Republican candidates and Cook Political Report rated the district as "Solid R." Early September polls showed Jenkins with a marginal lead over both challengers.[5]
Wakefield however showed some signs of emergence in mid-October. The Anzalone-Listz Grove poll only showed her down by 43-48, a margin significantly lower than previous estimates.[6] Moreover, the report showed Democratic gubernatorial Paul Davis and independent Greg Orman lead in this district over their Republican opponents. Combined with an aggressive effort in late fundraising, Wakefield did make a push to challenge Jenkins for her seat.
Republicans responded to Wakefield's late surge by maneuvers that bolstered Jenkins' position in the race up until the general election. The narrowing lead of Jenkins caused enough concern to force Republican lawmakers to increase fundraising efforts to fight off any further reemergence from Wakefield.[7]
Jenkins faced Joshua Joel Tucker in the Republican primary and comfortably won with almost a 50 point margin. Wakefield ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Jenkins possessed a tremendous financial advantage with her July Quarterly reporting close to $2 million of cash-on-hand.[8] Although Jenkins possessed a larger sum of campaign wealth, Wakefield made strong efforts that garnered enough contributions and was a competitive spender.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
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Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Kansas, parties decide who may vote in their primaries. As of September 2025, the Democratic Party held an open primary and the Republican Party held a closed primary. Regardless of the party's rules, an unaffiliated voter can declare their affiliation with a party on the day of the primary and vote in that party's primary. Previously affiliated voters who want to change their affiliation to vote in a different party's primary must do so before the candidate filing deadline, which is June 1 or the next business day.[9][10]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by June 15, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 14, 2014.[11]
- See also: Kansas elections, 2014
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Lynn Jenkins (R), who was first elected in 2008.
Kansas' 2nd Congressional District covers most of the eastern part of the state, except for the core of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The district includes Allen, Anderson, Atchinson, Bourbon, Brown, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Doniphan, Douglas, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Montgomery, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Shawnee, Wilson, and Woodson counties. It also contains portions of Marshall and Miami counties. The capital of Topeka is located within this district.[12]
Candidates
General election candidates
- Lynn Jenkins - Incumbent
Margie Wakefield
Chris Clemmons
August 5, 2014, primary results
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Declined to run
Election results
General election results
The 2nd Congressional District of Kansas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Lynn Jenkins (R) defeated challengers Margie Wakefield (D) and Chris Clemmons (L) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lynn Jenkins Incumbent |
57% | 128,742 | |
| Democratic | Margie Wakefield | 38.6% | 87,153 | |
| Libertarian | Chris Clemmons | 4.3% | 9,791 | |
| Total Votes | 225,686 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
Primary results
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Lynn Jenkins Incumbent |
69.1% | 41,850 | ||
| Joshua Joel Tucker | 30.9% | 18,680 | ||
| Total Votes | 60,530 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State |
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Key votes
Below are important votes the incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.
HR 676
On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit.[18] Jenkins joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.[19][20]
Government shutdown
- See also: United States budget debate, 2013
On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[21] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[22] Lynn Jenkins voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[23]
The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[24] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Lynn Jenkins voted for HR 2775.[25]
Polls
General election
| Lynn Jenkins vs. Margie Wakefield | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Poll | Lynn Jenkins | Margie Wakefield | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
| Tarrance Group October 18-20, 2014 | 49% | 37% | 8% | +/-4.9 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
Job approval
| Lynn Jenkins' Job Rating | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Positive | Negative | Neutral | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
| Anzalone Liszt Grove October 7-9, 2013 | 44% | 46% | 10% | +/-4.9 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
Endorsements
Democratic candidates
Margie Wakefield received an endorsement from EMILY'S List on November 19, 2013.[26]
Campaign contributions
Lynn Jenkins
| Lynn Jenkins (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[27] | April 15, 2013 | $795,065.94 | $223,672.19 | $(64,816.92) | $953,921.21 | ||||
| July Quarterly[28] | July 15, 2013 | $953,921.21 | $276,318.8 | $(83,230.92) | $1,247,009.09 | ||||
| October Quarterly[29] | October 13, 2013 | $1,247,009.09 | $258,616.43 | $(58,486.10) | $1,447,139.42 | ||||
| Year-end[30] | January 31, 2014 | $1,447,139 | $239,825 | $(68,294) | $1,621,170 | ||||
| April Quarterly[31] | April 15, 2014 | $1,621,170 | $250,097 | $(109,006) | $1,762,261 | ||||
| July Quarterly[32] | July 15, 2014 | $1,762,261 | $382,106 | $(148,559) | $1,996,842 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,630,635.42 | $(532,392.94) | ||||||||
Margie Wakefield
| Margie Wakefield (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
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| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| October Quarterly[33] | October 15, 2014 | $0 | $109,607 | $(13,882) | $95,725 | ||||
| Year End[34] | January 31, 2014 | $95,725 | $105,052 | $(64,189) | $136,588 | ||||
| April Quarterly[35] | April 15, 2014 | $136,588 | $140,382 | $(72,019) | $204,952 | ||||
| July Quarterly[36] | July 15, 2014 | $204,952 | $135,380 | $(104,568) | $235,764 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $490,421 | $(254,658) | ||||||||
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
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| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
2012
On November 6, 2012, Lynn Jenkins (R) won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Tobias Schlingensiepen and Dennis Hawver in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lynn Jenkins Incumbent |
57% | 167,463 | |
| Democratic | Tobias Schlingensiepen | 38.7% | 113,735 | |
| Libertarian | Dennis Hawver | 4.3% | 12,520 | |
| Total Votes | 293,718 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Lynn Jenkins won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Cheryl Hudspeth (D) and Robert Garrard (L) in the general election.[37]
| U.S. House, Kansas District 2 General Election, 2010 | ||||
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Lynn Jenkins incumbent |
63.1% | 130,034 | |
| Democratic | Cheryl Hudspeth | 32.3% | 66,588 | |
| Libertarian | Robert Garrard | 4.5% | 9,353 | |
| Total Votes | 205,975 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR June 26, 2014," accessed August 7, 2014
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed August 7, 2014
- ↑ Fairvote, "FairVote Releases Projections for the 2014 Congressional Elections," accessed August 7, 2014
- ↑ [http://www.politico.com/2014-election/results/map/house/ Politico, "House Election Results," accessed November 12, 2014
- ↑ At the races, "Internal Poll Shows Kansas Republican with 12 Point Lead," October 22, 2014
- ↑ Anzalone-Listz Grove, "Kansas CD-2 Polling Results," accessed October 14, 2014
- ↑ At the races, "EMILY's List Endorses Kansas Candidates," October 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Report for Receipts and Disbursements," accessed October 7, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, "Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25–3301," accessed September 12, 2025
- ↑ Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, "Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25–3304," accessed September 12, 2025
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State Website, "Registration & Voting," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Redistricting Map "Map" accessed August 30, 2012
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidates for the 2014 Primary (official)," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ KSDP, "Margie Wakefield Biography - 2nd Congressional District," accessed November 20, 2013
- ↑ Chris Clemmons for Kansas, "Home," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ ADN.com, "Kan. lawmaker to challenge Jenkins in primary," accessed January 25, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Hutchinson Kansas News, "Congressional shake up not likely," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ U.S. House, "House Resolution 676," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "Suing Obama: GOP-led House gives the go-ahead," July 31, 2014
- ↑ Washington Post, "House clears way for lawsuit against Obama," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Emily's List, "EMILY’s List Puts Four New Women Leaders “On the List”," accessed November 20, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed July 25, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed July 25, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 24, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year End Report," accessed February 17, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed October 14, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed March 3, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year End," accessed March 3, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
