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Kansas' 4th Congressional District elections, 2014
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November 4, 2014 |
August 5, 2014 |
Mike Pompeo  |
Mike Pompeo |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2]
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The 4th Congressional District of Kansas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.
Incumbent Mike Pompeo (R), who was first elected in 2010, defeated challenger Perry Schuckman (D) in the general election. He held off a primary challenge from former Rep. Todd Tiahrt. Perry Schuckman ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Tiahrt, the former incumbent, was a Republican member of the U.S. House representing the 4th District of Kansas from 1995 to 2011. He stepped down from the seat in 2010 to seek the U.S. Senate seat that Jerry Moran ended up winning.[4][5]
In response to the primary challenge from Tiahrt, incumbent Mike Pompeo was endorsed by the Club for Growth and Koch Industries.[6][7] On July 10, 2014, a complaint was filed with the Federal Election Commission against Tiahrt alleging unlawful coordination between his campaign and the Super PAC Kansans for Responsible Government.[8]
| 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 Mike Pompeo (R), who was first elected in 2010.
Kansas' 4th Congressional District is located in southern Kansas and includes Barber, Butler, Chautauqua, Comanche, Cowley, Edwards, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Kiowa, Pratt, Sedgwick, Stafford, and Sumner counties as well as a portion of Pawnee County. The largest city in the district is Wichita.[12]
Candidates
General election candidates
- Mike Pompeo - Incumbent
Perry Schuckman
August 5, 2014, primary results
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Election results
General election results
The 4th Congressional District of Kansas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Mike Pompeo (R) defeated challenger Perry Schuckman (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Pompeo Incumbent |
67% | 138,757 | |
| Democratic | Perry Schuckman | 33% | 69,396 | |
| Total Votes | 208,153 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State | ||||
Primary results
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mike Pompeo Incumbent |
62.6% | 43,564 | ||
| Todd Tiahrt | 37.4% | 25,977 | ||
| Total Votes | 69,541 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State |
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Issues
FEC complaint
On July 10, 2014, a complaint was filed with the Federal Election Commission against Todd Tiahrt alleging unlawful coordination between his campaign and the Super PAC Kansans for Responsible Government. As a Super PAC, the group was not bound by campaign contribution limits. It was formed by Kansas oilman Willis "Wink" Hartman, whom Mike Pompeo defeated in the Republican primary in 2010 for the then-open 4th District seat.[8]
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] Pompeo did not vote on 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] Mike Pompeo 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. Mike Pompeo voted against HR 2775.[25]
Endorsements
Mike Pompeo
- In response to the primary challenge from former Rep. Todd Tiahrt, the Club for Growth endorsed incumbent Mike Pompeo on May 29, 2014.[6]
- “Congressman Mike Pompeo is a taxpayer hero with a 90% on the Club for Growth’s congressional scorecard and we hope he is re-nominated by Kansas Republicans. Mike stands on principle to do what’s right for Kansas and America. He’ll never stop fighting the Obama agenda in Washington. Former Congressman Todd Tiahrt, on the other hand, has a liberal voting record that pales in comparison to Mike Pompeo. Congressman Tiahrt was one of the biggest spenders in the Republican Party when he served in Congress. He voted to spend millions on an Exploratorium in San Francisco, a Lobster Institute in Maine, and even to spend millions on a building named after liberal New York Congressman Charlie Rangel. If that wasn’t bad enough, he voted for Obama’s wasteful ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program and to raise his own pay five times. Now that he’s decided to run for Congress, the Club’s PAC will do everything it can to make sure voters in Kansas learn the truth about Todd Tiahrt and his liberal record,” said former Club for Growth President Chris Chocola.[6]
- The Kansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity spent more than $400,00 for pro-Pompeo radio and television ads.[27]
Todd Tiahrt
- Kansans for Responsible Government, a Super PAC that is free from campaign contribution limits because it independently advocates, had worked on behalf of challenger Todd Tiahrt.
Polls
| Republican primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Mike Pompeo (Inc.) | Todd Tiahrt | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
| CMA Strategies July 21-23, 2014 | 45% | 26% | 29% | +/-4.9 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA (dead link) July 17-21, 2014 | 46% | 39% | 16% | +/-4.3 | 900 | ||||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA June 16-18, 2014 | 51% | 34% | 16% | +/-4.3 | 534 | ||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign contributions
Mike Pompeo
| Mike Pompeo (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[29] | April 15, 2013 | $1,255,376.64 | $165,437.99 | $(46,597.82) | $1,374,216.81 | ||||
| July Quarterly[30] | July 15, 2013 | $1,374,216.81 | $186,190.04 | $(128,503.36) | $1,431,903.49 | ||||
| October Quarterly[31] | October 13, 2013 | $1,431,903.49 | $658,155.74 | $(77,390.91) | $2,012,668.32 | ||||
| Year-end[32] | January 17, 2014 | $2,012,668 | $196,699 | $(161,701) | $2,047,666 | ||||
| April Quarterly[33] | April 15, 2014 | $2,047,666 | $208,688 | $(143,691) | $2,112,663 | ||||
| July Quarterly[34] | July 15, 2014 | $1,846,718 | $154,542 | $(322,483) | $1,678,777 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,569,712.77 | $(880,367.09) | ||||||||
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
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2012
On November 6, 2012, Mike Pompeo (R) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Robert Leon Tillman and Thomas Jefferson in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Pompeo Incumbent |
62.2% | 161,094 | |
| Democratic | Robert Leo Tillman | 31.6% | 81,770 | |
| Libertarian | Thomas Jefferson | 6.2% | 16,058 | |
| Total Votes | 258,922 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Mike Pompeo won election to the United States House. He defeated Raj Goyle (D), Shawn Smith (L), and Susan G. Ducey (Reform) in the general election.[35]
| U.S. House, Kansas District 4 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mike Pompeo |
58.8% | 119,575 | |
| Democratic | Raj Goyle | 36.5% | 74,143 | |
| Libertarian | Shawn Smith | 2.3% | 4,624 | |
| Reform | Susan G. Ducey | 2.5% | 5,041 | |
| Total Votes | 203,383 | |||
Polls 2010
A KWCH poll commissioned in August 2010 showed a close race between Pompeo and Democratic candidate Raj Goyle.[36]
| Kansas' Congressional District 4, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Mike Pompeo (R) | Raj Goyle (D) | David Moffett (L) | Susan Ducey (RP) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA (August 9-11, 2010) | 49% | 42% | 4% | 1% | 5% | +/-4.1 | 604 | ||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||
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
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Todd Tiahrt will run for his old seat in Congress," accessed May 31, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Washington Post, "Want to see a nasty GOP House primary? Oh, it’s just getting started in Kansas," accessed May 31, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Club for Growth, "Club for Growth PAC Endorses Mike Pompeo For Congress," accessed May 31, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Koch Industries backs Pompeo in Kansas," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sacramento Bee, "Kansas GOP race heats up with election complaint," accessed July 15, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidates for the 2014 Primary (official)," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Todd Tiahrt will run for his old seat in Congress," accessed May 31, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Washington Post, "Want to see a nasty GOP House primary? Oh, it’s just getting started in Kansas," accessed May 31, 2014
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Democrat Perry Schuckman will run for Fourth District congressional seat," accessed April 12, 2014
- ↑ Biz Journals, "Perry Schuckman says he’ll run for Kansas 4th Congressional seat," accessed April 12, 2014
- ↑ U.S. House, "House Resolution 676," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Yahoo News, "Suing Obama: GOP-led House gives the go-ahead," accessed July 30, 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
- ↑ Politico, "Koch Industries backs Pompeo in Kansas," accessed July 9, 2014
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Political groups putting big money in Kansas race," accessed July 16, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Political groups putting big money in Kansas race," accessed July 16, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ 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 July 14, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ KWCH, "Survey: Goyle & Pompeo square off for US House seat," August 12, 2010
