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Tom Cox (Kansas)
Tom Cox (Republican Party) was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing District 17. He assumed office on January 9, 2017. He left office on January 11, 2021.
Cox (Republican Party) ran for election to the Kansas State Senate to represent District 10. He lost in the Republican primary on August 4, 2020.
Biography
Tom Cox was born in Shawnee, Kansas. He earned a master's degree in journalism and strategic communications from the University of Kansas in 2010 and a bachelor's degree in political science and history from the University of Kansas in 2008. Cox's professional experience includes working as vice president and director of marketing and technology at Strategic Property Management Incorporated and as a web visibility manager and account strategist at Red Nova Labs. He was a former member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and an executive board member of the student senate at the University of Kansas.
Cox was elected to the Kansas State House of Representatives in 2016. In the 2019 session he was a member of the Administrative Rules and Regulations Committee, the Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee, the Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee, the Transportation Committee, and vice chair of the Insurance Committee.[1]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Cox was assigned to the following committees:
- Administrative Rules and Regulations Committee
- Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee
- Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications Committee
- House Transportation Committee
- Insurance Committee, Vice Chair
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Kansas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications |
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary |
| • Local Government |
| • Administrative Rules and Regulations |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2020
Kansas State Senate
See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Kansas State Senate District 10
Incumbent Mike Thompson defeated Lindsey Constance in the general election for Kansas State Senate District 10 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mike Thompson (R) | 51.9 | 22,362 |
 | Lindsey Constance (D)  | 48.1 | 20,758 | |
| Total votes: 43,120 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Kansas State Senate District 10
Lindsey Constance advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas State Senate District 10 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lindsey Constance | 100.0 | 7,374 |
| Total votes: 7,374 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 10
Incumbent Mike Thompson defeated Tom Cox in the Republican primary for Kansas State Senate District 10 on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Thompson | 72.4 | 8,183 |
 | Tom Cox | 27.6 | 3,125 | |
| Total votes: 11,308 | |||
| = 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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Kansas House of Representatives
Tom Cox did not file to run for re-election.
2018
See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2018
General election
General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 17
Incumbent Tom Cox defeated Laura Smith-Everett and Michael Kerner in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tom Cox (R) | 49.7 | 5,772 |
 | Laura Smith-Everett (D) | 46.8 | 5,442 | |
 | Michael Kerner (L) | 3.5 | 402 | |
| Total votes: 11,616 | |||
| = 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 17
Laura Smith-Everett advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laura Smith-Everett | 100.0 | 2,110 |
| Total votes: 2,110 | |||
| = 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 17
Incumbent Tom Cox defeated Jim Eschrich in the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tom Cox | 75.5 | 2,625 |
| Jim Eschrich | 24.5 | 850 | ||
| Total votes: 3,475 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Kansas House of Representatives were held in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.
Tom Cox defeated Helen Stoll in the Kansas House of Representatives District 17 general election.[2][3]
| Kansas House of Representatives, District 17 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Tom Cox |
56.66% | 6,972 | |
| Democratic | Helen Stoll | 43.34% | 5,333 | |
| Total Votes | 12,305 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State | ||||
Helen Stoll ran unopposed in the Kansas House of Representatives District 17 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Kansas House of Representatives, District 17 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Helen Stoll (unopposed) | |
Tom Cox defeated incumbent Brett Hildabrand in the Kansas House of Representatives District 17 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Kansas House of Representatives, District 17 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Tom Cox |
61.59% | 1,927 | |
| Republican | Brett Hildabrand Incumbent | 38.41% | 1,202 | |
| Total Votes | 3,129 | |||
Primary election
In the primary elections held on August 2, 2016, six incumbents were defeated in the state Senate, while nine incumbents were defeated in the state House. Outside of the one incumbent Democrat who was defeated in the House, moderates defeated 14 conservative Republican incumbents in the primary. Before the 2016 primary, moderate Republicans had been losing ground in the state legislature since the 2010 election of Gov. Sam Brownback (R), shifting from a more moderate Republican-controlled state legislature to a more conservative one after the 2012 elections. Eighteen Republican incumbents were defeated in the conservative wave in 2012. Brett Hildabrand was one of 14 Republican incumbents who were defeated in the 2016 primary.
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tom Cox did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Cox's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Stop Debt Spending/Tax Reform Under Gov. Brownback's leadership the legislature has lead our state into financial disaster with massive debt spending caused by failed tax policy. We have seen the largest increases to the state's sales tax in KS history all to subsidize tax breaks for a few. We need to fix the LLC Tax Loophole to ensure that certain groups are not excluded from paying taxes while the rest of us are paying higher taxes. While at the same time we need to reward and provide incentives for businesses to grow, add jobs and move to Kansas. We need to lower our sales tax. And finally, we do need to evaluate our budget and make sure we are spending money efficiently and effectively. Education Our public schools are the shining stars that help make Johnson County so great. They bring families into our community. They bring talented teachers to the area to teach at some of the finest public schools in the nation. Education is the key to not just a successful community but a successful society. But since 2008 our schools have seen SEVEN budget cuts. Classroom sizes are getting bigger, schools are closing and programs are getting cut. This needs to stop now and reverse course. The current legislature's fiscally irresponsible policies need to be confronted and a plan needs to be put in place to restore proper funding to Kansas education. Strong public schools bring families to the area which bring businesses which creates jobs. A well-educated work force builds a strong economy and a strong community. Supporting Local Government Our local governments are another reason our communities are so strong and so attractive to families looking for a place to raise their children and business to open up shop. The Governor and many members of the Legislature continue to try and strip local government of their autonomy and ability to govern locally. Representatives from Western Kansas don't understand the needs of our local communities, but yet they want to make decisions for us. This would put our public safety and reliable infrastructure that create a strong sense of community at risk. We elect our city council people and mayors to lead us and I want to restore the trust and authority to them to lead. Restore Kansas's Reputation It seems when Kansas appears in the news it's for something embarrassing. It is time we took back the legislature and start passing laws and restoring our great state and demonstrate to the rest of the country what makes Kansas such a great place to live and work.[6] |
” |
| —Tom Cox[7] | ||
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Kansas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 13 to May 21. A special session convened from June 3 to June 4.
- Kansas AFL-CIO: House
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education."
- Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2019, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through May 29.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2018, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 8 through April 7.
|
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2017, the Kansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 through June 26.
|
Endorsements
2016
In 2016, Cox's endorsements included the following:[8]
- Gov. Bill Graves
- County Commissioner Jim Allen
- Lenexa Councilman Lou Serrone
- Shawnee Councilman Brandon Kenig
- Stephanie Meyer - Shawnee City Council President
- Mike Boehm - Mayor of Lenexa
- Jeff Vaught - Shawnee City Councilman
- Mandy Stuke - Lenexa City Councilwoman
- Amy Slater - Lenexa City Councilwoman
- Justin Nichols - Fmr Chairmen of Shawnee Chamber of Commerce
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Vote Smart, "Tom Cox's Biography," accessed November 5, 2019
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidate list," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election official results," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidate list," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kansas Secretary of State, "2016 Official Kansas Primary Election Results," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Tom Cox, "Issues," accessed September 30, 2016
- ↑ Tom Cox, "Endorsements," accessed September 30, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Brett Hildabrand (R) |
Kansas House of Representatives District 17 2017–2021 |
Succeeded by Jo Ella Hoye (D) |
