Democrat Laura Lombard, launching bid for Congress, slams Ron Estes as GOP ‘yes man’

Democrat Laura Lombard announced her campaign for Congress on Saturday, condemning Republican Rep. Ron Estes as a yes man for President Donald Trump.

Lombard is the first Democrat to enter the race for Kansas’s 4th congressional district, which includes Wichita and south central Kansas. Her entry means Democratic women are now running for every U.S. House and Senate seat in the state.

“Ron Estes, my opponent is a poster child for the Republican yes man. He is serving Trump and not us,” Lombard said during her campaign launch in Topeka, where Democrats were gathered for their annual Washington Days event.

Lombard said Estes sided with Trump in supporting tariffs “that are killing our family farms in Kansas” and was aligned with Vice President Mike Pence in a “war on women.”

She named universal pre-Kindergarten, gun purchase background checks and red flag laws, as well as fighting climate change among her priorities.

“We need vocal advocates in Congress who will fight for our families and our democracy, not representatives who will rubber stamp the corrupt, racism and authoritarianism of the cult of Trump,” she said.

Estes campaign spokeswoman Debbie Luper said the congressman hadn’t stopped working for Kansans since being elected.

“His overwhelming re-election victory in 2018 showcased the trust we have in his common sense leadership and his dedication to Kansas values – being the only Kansas federal or statewide elected official to win every county in the midterm elections,” Luper said in a statement.

Luper also said Estes’ appointment to the House Ways and Means Committee reaffirmed his background in trade, health care, taxes and retirement security. Estes will “continue fighting for Kansas regardless of who Democrats nominate this fall,” she said.

Lombard, a business development consultant, ran for Congress in 2018 but lost the Democratic primary to James Thompson, who had previously taken on Estes in a special election.

Estes has been in Congress since April 2017 and handily won re-election in 2018, beating Thompson 59 percent to 41 percent.

This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 12:27 PM.