Janie Jarrett

Janie Jarrett (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Kansas House of Representatives to represent District 1. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Jarrett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Janie Jarrett was born in Parsons, Kansas. She earned a high school diploma from Columbus Unified High School, a bachelor's degree from Pittsburg State University in 1996, and a graduate degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia in 1998. Jarrett's career experience includes working as an educator, nursing home administrator, and group home administrator. As of 2024, she was affiliated with the Mercy Columbus Hospital Auxiliary and Hospital Volunteers of Kansas.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 1

Dale Helwig defeated Janie Jarrett in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 1 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dale Helwig (R)	74.7	7,805
	Janie Jarrett (D)	25.3	2,646

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,451
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 1

Janie Jarrett defeated Paul Rogers in the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 1 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Janie Jarrett	78.7	637
	Submit photo	Paul Rogers	21.3	172

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 809
= 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 1

Dale Helwig advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 1 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dale Helwig	100.0	3,022

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,022
= 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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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Jarrett in this election.

Pledges

Jarrett signed the following pledges.

U.S. Term Limits

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Janie Jarrett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jarrett's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a lifelong resident of southeast Kansas. My husband, Calvin "Steve" Jarrett, and I are both graduates of Columbus Unified High School, and together we have three grown children and seven grandchildren.

I have had a rich and storied career in education and group home and skilled nursing administration, all while supporting my husband on our family farm. Jarrett says, "These experiences give me insight that many others do not bring to the table." I adopted the color purple for my campaign because I am tired of polarized politics. My info cards feature a Venn diagram with Blue on the left and Red on the right and a blend of the two (purple) in the center representing me and I believe the majority of Kansans. Abraham Lincoln said “a house divided against itself can not stand” and he was right. Nonetheless, the political climate in Kansas is indeed a divided house. We have "representatives" who vote against measures that would serve most of their constituents and in favor of other policies that would harm or marginalize others, all for the sake of voting a "party line" for political gain. We need to right the ship, and we can’t do that without courage, compromise and civil discourse.

I believe that 90% of healthy Americans fall somewhere within the purple circle. So with Statehouse becoming a polarized battle ground, who represents the rest of us?

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?

Paint the Statehouse Purple. I believe it's time that we end polarized politics in Kansas and it starts at the ballot box. I'm asking my district to refuse polar candidates and vote for "middle of the road" leaders who are ready to work together for our great state.
I love humans--all humans--and I believe it is my job to protect each and every citizen in my district. In fact, I have spent my life serving students with learning disabilities, people with mental illness and other emotional disturbances, teens in trouble and aging Kansans nearing the end of life. Equality is a constitutional right and I will fight for all citizens to be represented fairly and their choices respected. I am absolutely certain that church doctrine belongs in church and not mingled in state buildings, programs and laws. This is a not negotiable.
We need leaders who listen. A representative cannot truly represent her constituents if we do not know who those constituents are and what they need. That's why my campaign started with listening to people. Public schools, especially poor, small districts in rural areas like mine need to be supported financially and in the legislative world. Teachers need to know that they hold the key to our success when they prepare our future adults to take the helm. We have much talent in our teacher workforce and the students they guide. It's time the legislature stood up for them rather than trying to fine ways to defund and demoralize educators. Public education is a constitutional mandate and we must not neglect and abuse it.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Medicaid Expansion, Women's Healthcare, Safe and Healthy Public Schools, Affordable housing and healthcare, economic stimulus for poor counties, and Equality/Inclusion are the foundation of my passions and I have spent a lifetime navigating these issues, so I believe I am the right person to help the Kansas Legislature do better by them.

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

I look up to my father for his work ethic and great honesty. He was a great man, and I like to follow him in those things. He was not necessarily a leader though. He was slightly introverted and did not take on leadership roles willingly whereas I do. I like to think I am a little bit Norma Rae and a little bit my dad. RBG is also a brave strong woman I would like to emulate.

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

I am an avid reader, so I would say there is not just one book or film to reflect my political philosophy. Lincoln was probably my favorite political film and I have deep admiration for Abraham Lincoln.

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

An elected official needs to represent the people by listening and learning about the needs of the district they represent. Good officials use critical thinking skills, diplomacy and mature communication skills to effective work together with all types of people to get things done.

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

I am intelligent, analytical, mentally tough, diplomatic, fearless, and compassionate. I have held many leadership roles in my career, and I have learned when to shut up and listen and when to dig in and push for what I believe is right.

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

The core responsibility is to serve the constituents and not be swayed by politics as usual or polarized groups that want to control officials for their own gain. This is service job and my job is to do that.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I wish to leave a world for my children and grandchildren. I believe I have already left a long list of lives that were positively impacted my me in the community, the group home, the nursing home, and the classroom. I believe it is my honor and responsibility to leave this world in better shape because I was in it.

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

I was four years old when JFK was assassinated. I remember vividly that the news report broke through and my mother stopped what she was doing, put down her laundry basket, shrunk to the couch and cried. I remember watching the funeral on TV as well.

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

My first grown up job I was a Youth Care Worker at a group home called Elm Acres Youth Home for Girls. I started as a front line staff member and throughout thirteen years there, I was promoted several times, landing at Assistant Facility Director and School Liaison.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I taught literature and I am still an avid reader, so this is almost impossible to answer. I have many authors I love and genres I prefer.

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

Probably Scout Finch

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

Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin. "Freedom's just another word for nothin left to lose."

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

I became a mother at age 18. I survived marriage, divorce, remarriage, blending families, college and grad school with three teenagers and long distance marriage. I have been both a youth home and a skilled nursing facility administrator. I was a teacher at Joplin High School when the historical 2011 tornado destroyed a good portion of our school district and our town. I rose to leadership positions to build our school back--better. It takes a lot to scare me, and even when I am afraid, I do it scared.

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

A respectful relationship wherein the legislature works together with the governor regardless of party affiliation. I am appalled by the polarized politics that prevent passage of good things like Medicaid Expansion just because one party likes it an the other thinks they are supposed to oppose because the extreme party members want to leverage it.

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

Pulling people back together to work for economic stability, building back rural areas and helping all Kansans have access to good jobs, affordable health care and housing, and a good quality of life. We need to invest in our young people from education to employment opportunities when they complete their desired education. Too many yound Kansans are forced to leave our state because we simply do not have the resources they need.

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

I don't think we need to have experience in politics, but they do need to have leadership experience and the ability to read and understand new information. A good legislator should be able to communicate effectively and have diplomacy skills to work together and seek to understand our varied regions and their needs.

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

Absolutely. All good compromise and understanding comes through communication and building relationships. It's much easier to be empathetic when we know and have healthy relationships with our coworkers. And legislators should view each other as colleagues rahter than adversaries.

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

I believe Barak Obama and Bill Clinton were both able to reach across the aisle and work with others. Ruth Bader Ginsberg, though not a legislator, was a great role model for respecting people with other philosophies--working together and respecting others while still standing her ground. I want to be like Ruth.

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

I don't know at this point. I would not rule it out, but I need to see how my skills translate to this arena first.

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?

I already have dozens. One in particular that was recent involved a woman with two grown children. She asked me what my stance was on abortion. I told her that I am not "pro-abortion" but I am pro-choice, because I know that there are as many unique circumstances in women's health as there are women in total. We simply cannot make that call. She then told me that she was once pregnant with twins when the sonogram that checked for organ abnormalities discovered that her twins would be born without lungs. She made the heart wrenching decision to terminate the pregnancy since her children would die upon birth. She simply could not carry those babies to term knowing they could not survive outside of her body. I told her that her story is one I will never forget and I will fight to protect that bodily autonomy for all women.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

I believe it's best when the governor and legislators work together to make important emergency decisions. That said, I do think there could be situations where the executive branch must act swiftly then regroup after the situation has been minimized to some degree.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I don't know for sure yet, but I'm pretty sure it would have to do with protecting human rights on some level.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

The Center for Freethought Equality and KNEA so far.

What committees interest you?

Health Care, Education (from pre-K to College and Vocational education), Home and Community Based Services, Mental Health, Foster Care, Senior Care, Special Education.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe transparency is a fundamental value that we must maintain to have a healthy government. I do not like it when politicians present bills that sneak in riders or unpopular additions with no relevance to the proposed action. Sometimes referred to as logrolling, this is not an ethical or transparent way to govern.

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

I am not sure about this yet. Ideally, legislators are working with constituents to drive all ballot initiatives, but if that isn't happening, I suppose it might be necessary for all citizens to have a way to propose laws and amendments. I would like to think it starts with electing true representatives who do work to sponsor bills that the people want and need.

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.

Janie Jarrett campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Kansas House of Representatives District 1	Lost general	$20,756	$0
Grand total			$20,756	$0
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

External links

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Candidate

Kansas House of Representatives District 1

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 6, 2024

[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)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 6, 2024

[1]

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Janie Jarrett

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 1

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 1

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 1

Endorsements

Pledges

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

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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