Ron
Estes
Congressman (R)
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Biography
Ron Estes has represented Kansas’s 4th Congressional District since 2017. He was first elected in a special election to replace Mike Pompeo, who was appointed by Donald Trump as CIA Director and later Secretary of State. The 4th District encompasses South-Central Kansas, including Wichita which is the state’s largest city.
Estes is up for re-election in 2026.
- Ron Estes is a Lutheran who belongs to and attends Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas. On October 18th, 2020, Estes gave a speech at an adult bible study at Holy Cross titled, “How a Christian Functions in the Realm of Politics and Civil Government” where he discussed how his views on politics and religion are intertwined.
- Broadly, he believes that God created government and public institutions and that elected officials have been given their roles by God. His view of separation of church and state is that it wasn’t intended to keep church out of the government; but rather government out of the church.
- Estes stated that since God created the government, he wants Christians to be engaged in it using their beliefs. He also believes that it was God’s plan for him to run for both State Treasurer and Congress.
Quotes from Estes in How a Christian Functions in the Realm of Politics and Civil Government:
“It’s commonly popular to talk about separation of church and state, but when you think back to the Founding Fathers and when our Constitution was written, it wasn’t to keep the church out of government; it was intended to keep the government out of church.”
“God created five institutions including government, including the state, including a role for our elected officials to govern over us and provide direction for us."
“Since God has ordained the state, he does want our people to be engaged in it. He wants his people to play an active role. I wanted to live in a country that’s blessed by God. I want to live in a world that’s blessed by God.”
“There are a lot of Godly folks in DC and trying to figure out how we fulfill the responsibilities we have there.”
“There are three different times in my life where I know God had a physical plan for me [....] the second one was running for state treasurer [….] Now I’ve just got to figure out what to do as a Congressman that is part of God’s plan and focus on that.”
- Estes opposed the Respect for Marriage Act, H.R. 8404, which was signed by President Biden into law, repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and enshrining the right to same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law.
- Estes opposed the Equality Act, H.R. 5, a bill that would have provided the LGBTQ explicit, comprehensive protection against discrimination under federal civil rights laws.
- Estes stated publicly in a 2018 debate with Democratic opponent James Thompson that he defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
- Estes voted for the Protection of Women and Girls and Sports Act in the House Education and Workforce Committee, an amendment to Title IX forcing assignment of transgender students to school sports teams based on genetics and reproductive biology at birth.
- Estes co-sponsored and voted for the Parents Bill of Rights, H.R. 5, which would, among many provisions, require schools to publicly publish their curriculum, mandate that parents are allowed to meet with teachers, require parents to receive a list of books and reading materials at the school library, and allow parental input when making policies and procedures for student privacy.
- Estes voted to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. The failed amendment was offered on H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights, by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
- Estes supported anti-public education local school board candidates in Wichita backed by the national 1776 PAC.
- Estes supports school choice/education vouchers.
- Voted for A-Plus Act.
- Estes states he is “proudly pro-life” on his campaign website and cites defunding Planned Parenthood as one of his top priorities.
- Estes has been endorsed by Kansans for Life in every election cycle for congress, including in 2020 when they called him “a national leader in the fight to defund the abortion industry” and stated he “has been a tireless advocate for life even before his election to Congress.”
- Estes co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, H.R. 431, which establishes life at conception in federal law and could ban IVF.
- Estes supported the August 2nd Constitutional Amendment in Kansas.
- Estes co-sponsored H.R. 26, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires doctors to give care to a fetus that has been unsuccessfully aborted, and has introduced/sponsored previous attempts of similar legislation.
- Estes introduced the Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act, which bans physicians from performing an abortion of a fetus that has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.
- Estes led the effort to establish the Protect Life Rule, which the Trump Administration established to prevent any organization that performs or refers abortions from receiving Title X Family Planning funds, which includes Planned Parenthood.
- Estes supports banning abortion past 20 weeks gestation.
- Estes opposed the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021, H.R. 3755, would enshrine abortion protections into federal law and overturn many state restrictions.
- Estes, commenting on the overturning of Roe v. Wade, that “Roe was simply an initial barrier that had to be overcome. Reversing Roe set a floor, not a ceiling, for legislators to enact laws as protective of life as their constituents want.”
- Estes supports repealing the Affordable Care Act and in 2017, voted for the American Health Care Act which was a partial repeal.
- Estes opposes Medicare-for-All.
- Estes opposes Medicaid Expansion in Kansas.
- Estes introduced The Restoring Normalcy in America Act, H.R. 271, in 2023 that would have required additional research on the effectiveness of vaccines, audited multiple federal agencies spending of COVID funds, ended Emergency Use Authorization for any COVID vaccines/treatments without full FDA approval, prevented businesses from discriminating based on COVID vaccination status, and reinstated any federal employee fired because of a vaccine mandate.
- Estes opposed the Biden Administration’s OSHA vaccine mandate in an op-ed to the Wichita Eagle in 2021 and also opposed the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) vaccine mandate for health care providers in 2022.
- Estes voiced opposition to the Biden Administration’s Nursing Home Minimum Staffing rule, which increased minimum staffing levels for nursing home facilities.
- As a member of the Rural and Underserved Communities Task Force, Estes advocated for Critical Access Hospitals to be designated as Rural Emergency Hospitals, which reduces certain regulatory burdens and can increase funding. He also wrote an op-ed for The Wichita Eagle in 2020 in support of more funding for telehealth and rural health care generally.
- Estes has stated he supports comprehensive entitlement reform and a balanced budget amendment.
- Estes introduced the Hope Opportunity and Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) Act, which mirrors legislation previously passed by the Kansas Legislature as a large entitlement reform package. This bill would have, among many provisions, strengthened work requirements and made it harder to qualify and/or continue to receive many benefits.
- Estes supported and helped craft the Family First Services Transition Act, which helps states implement the Family First Prevention Services Act that established federal funds for states to alter their child welfare systems and put more emphasis on keeping them at home rather than in foster care. Specifically, he changed the formula to increase funding coming to Kansas.
- Secure Act and Secure 2.0 National Security.
- Estes advocates for an across-the-board 1 percent cut to non-defense spending.
- Estes has stated social security must be preserved and protected, and opposes the Security 2100 Act, which increased social security benefits across-the-board by 2 percent.
- Estes introduced the Strengthening Social Security for Survivors Act, which allows a widow to be eligible for their spouse’s social security benefits from the day their spouse dies rather than the day the claim is filed.
- Estes has stated “Our immigration process must deter criminals and terrorists from entering illegally while providing a fair, efficient process for law abiding individuals wishing to pursue the American dream.”
- Estes has also said that “liberals have not implemented any policies to address the problem they created at the border, nor have they attempted to reform our broken immigration system.”
- Estes voted for the Secure the Border Act of 2023, H.R. 2, which would have resumed the building of the border wall, increased border patrol agents, restricted the right to seek asylum, established new criminal penalties, and many other measures.
- Estes supported Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s impeachment.
- Estes supports building the southern border wall.
- Estes opposed the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act in 2018. The bill would, among many provisions, provide funding for a border wall, reduce legal immigration, and reduce protections for migrant children. He opposed the measure because it “provides amnesty and a special path to citizenship to those in our country illegally.”
Legislative Tracker
- In the 2017 Special Election to replace Mike Pompeo, Estes was endorsed and supported by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, and House Speaker Paul Ryan.
- Donald Trump in May 2024.
- Kansas Rifle Association in 2018.
- Kansans for Life PAC in 2022.
- Kansas Farm Bureau VOTE FBF in 2022.
- National Right to Life in 2017.
- Family Policy Alliance of Kansas in 2020.
- Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) PAC in 2020.
- Jim Jordan in 2024.
Aggregate Totals (2018-2022)
Cyle | Amount Raised (R) | Amount Spent (R) | Amount Raised (D) | Amount Spent (D) |
2018 | $1,850,089.59 | $1,579,545.63 | $1,483,689.67 | $1,483,689.67 |
2020 | $2,003,149.92 | $1,429,529.45 | $276,062.51 | $270,287.67 |
2022 | $1,869.686.09 | $1,770,277.73 | $43,266.17 | $36,304.68 |
(Source: FEC Data)
Top Corporate/PAC Contributors (2023-2024 Q1)
Contributor | Date | Amount |
National Cotton Council Of America Committee For The Advancement Of Cotton | 3/31/2024 | 5000 |
Dell Technologies, Inc. PAC | 3/31/2024 | 5000 |
Naiop-PAC | 3/28/2024 | 5000 |
American Crystal Sugar Company PAC | 3/28/2024 | 5000 |
Teachers Insurance Annuity Association Of America PAC (TIAA PAC) | 3/28/2024 | 5000 |
National Assn Of Insurance & Financial Advisors PAC (NAIFA PAC) | 3/15/2024 | 5000 |
American Investment Council PAC | 3/15/2024 | 5000 |
Cencora, Inc. PAC | 2/27/2024 | 5000 |
Calportland Company PAC (Calportland PAC) | 12/31/2023 | 5000 |
Mr. Southern Missourian In The House PAC | 10/26/2023 | 5000 |
Poet PAC | 9/30/2023 | 5000 |
Marathon Petroleum Corporation Employees PAC (MPAC) | 9/30/2023 | 5000 |
Ups PAC | 9/30/2023 | 5000 |
Lockton Inc. Political Action Committee | 9/30/2023 | 5000 |
Hf Sinclair PAC (Dino PAC) | 9/30/2023 | 5000 |
American Express Company PAC (AxpPAC) | 9/30/2023 | 5000 |
Select Medical Corporation PAC | 9/19/2023 | 5000 |
Ubs Americas Inc. PAC (Ubs PAC) | 8/23/2023 | 5000 |
Garmin International Inc. PAC | 6/30/2023 | 5000 |
Cox Enterprises PAC (CoxPAC) Inc. | 6/26/2023 | 5000 |
The Carlyle Group Inc. PAC (Aka ‘Carlyle PAC’) | 6/26/2023 | 5000 |
Air Methods Corporation PAC (AMPAC) | 6/26/2023 | 5000 |
Automotive Free International Trade PAC (Afit-PAC) | 5/26/2023 | 5000 |
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company Political Action Committee | 5/19/2023 | 5000 |
Chs Inc. PAC | 3/31/2023 | 5000 |
Air Line Pilots Association PAC | 3/31/2023 | 5000 |
Acra PAC | 3/31/2023 | 5000 |
National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (RockPAC) | 3/31/2023 | 5000 |
National Multifamily Housing Council PAC (Nmhc PAC) | 3/20/2023 | 5000 |
Investment Company Institute Political Action Committee (Ici PAC) | 3/10/2023 | 5000 |
Case New Holland Industrial Inc. Excellence In Government Fund | 3/6/2023 | 5000 |
Textron Inc. Political Action Committee | 3/1/2023 | 5000 |
Fmr Llc PAC – Federal (Fidelity PAC) | 1/8/2023 | 5000 |
American Israel Public Affairs Committee PAC | 5/21/2023 | 4750 |
Sazerac Company, Inc. PAC (SazeracPAC) | 6/26/2023 | 4000 |
Leidos Inc PAC | 6/26/2023 | 3500 |
Employees Of Raytheon Technologies Corporation PAC | 3/9/2023 | 3500 |
Ron Estes’s campaign committee has given a number of contributions to state candidates in Wichita, some of which include:
- Kris Kobach $2000x2 ’18
- Derek Schmidt $2000x2 ’22
- Kellie Warren $1000 ’20
- Mark Steffen $1000 ’20
- Renee Erickson $1000 ’20
- Rick Kloos $1000 ’20
- Gene Suellentorp $1000 ’20
- Ty Masterson $1000 ’20
- Mike Thompson $1000 ’20
- Alicia Straub $1000 ’20
- Beverly Gossage $1000 ’20
- Eric Rucker $1000 ’20
- Virgil Peck $1000 ’20
- Dan Hawkins $500 ’20
- Susan Estes $500 ’20
- Cheyl Helmer $500 ’18
Estes’s leadership PAC, Restoring Our Nation, has given to the following campaigns in the 2024 cycle (as of June 4, 2024):
Candidate | Race | Total |
Donald Trump | Presidential | $5,000 |
Prasanth Reddy (R-Kan) | Congressional | $6,000 |
Lori Chavez-Deremer (R-Ore) | Congressional | $2,500 |
Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz) | Congressional | $2,500 |
Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) | Congressional | $2,500 |
Jen Kiggans (R-Va) | Congressional | $2,500 |
Nick LaLota (R-NY) | Congressional | $2,500 |
Mike Lawler (R-NY) | Congressional | $2,500 |
David Schweikert (R-Ariz) | Congressional | $2,500 |
Ben Toma (R-Ariz) | Congressional | $2,500 |
Brandon Williams (R-NY) | Congressional | $2,500 |
Mazi Pilip (R-NY) | Congressional | $2,000 |
Source: (Open Secrets)
Donors to this PAC for the 2024 cycle can be found HERE.
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