Your voter guide to the congressional race in the U.S. House, 4th District
Voters in south-central Kansas will choose who to send to Congress in the November election.
Democrat Esau Freeman is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Ron Estes in the Kansas’ 4th District of the U.S. House of Representatives. Estes has held the seat since 2017.
Republicans have control of the House while Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate. Across the country, Democrats would need to pick up an additional four seats held by Republicans to win a majority in the House.
Republicans have historically held the 4th District seat in Kansas since the turn of the 20th Century, with the exception of Democrats Dan Glickman, who served 10 terms from 1977 to 1995; Randolph Carpenter, who rode into Congress on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s blue wave in 1932; and Dudley Doolittle, who won the seat in 1912.
Members of Congress serve two-year terms and make $174,000 a year. The U.S. House is in session an average of about 150 days a year.
The Eagle asked the candidates to share basic biographical background and answer questions about key issues. Candidate responses have been edited only for clarity.
U.S. HOUSE, 4TH DISTRICT
This district covers south-central Kansas.
Ron Estes
Party: Republican
Age: 68
Position: U.S. Congressman
Past position: Kansas State Treasurer (2011-2017); Sedgwick Co (KS) Treasurer (2005-2011); KS GOP State Party Vice-Chair (2009-2011); Precinct Committeeman (1996-present)
Education: Bachelor’s degree, civil engineering; graduate degree, business administration, Tennessee Technological University
Phone: 316-444-0480
Email: info@estesforcongress.com
Website: estesforcongress.com
What is the most pressing issue that faces your district, and what would you do about it?
Families across the 4th District are suffering under exploding inflation as they try to stretch their family budgets to absorb rising costs of food, fuel, housing, child care and other necessities. We need to quit pumping out massive amounts of federal dollars that are causing this inflationary environment, reduce the ever-increasing national debt, and lower taxes so they can keep more of their hard-earned money.
What should Congress be doing to address the cost of living in Kansas?
Kansas has a relatively low cost of living compared to the U.S. average, with the exception of health care and utilities. However, in this current inflationary cycle, all costs are rising and families are hurting. We need to return the U.S. to energy independence to lower the cost of fuel and utilities, which impact every sector. We need to fix this damaging inflationary trend, stop piling up federal debt, and focus on quality high-paying jobs and affordable housing.
What is your view on abortion rights? What would you want Congress to do now, if anything?
I believe that life begins at conception; life is sacred and should be protected. Polls repeatedly confirm that Americans want common sense abortion regulations like an end to late-term abortions and no taxpayer-funded abortions. While extreme voices receive the most attention, I believe Congress should enact laws that protect innocent life and reflect the majority of Americans. The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling has placed the question of rights and restrictions related to abortion back in the hands of the people through their elected state legislatures. No federal funding should be used to encourage or pay for abortions. Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds.
What changes, if any, do you support for immigration and border policy?
Our country is a nation of immigrants, but the current system is broken. As a starting point, we must enforce the immigration laws, increase the number of border patrol officers, and streamline the immigration process for those who desire to enter the country legally. Individuals who attempt to apply legally have difficulty navigating and completing the process, and in some cases have to wait for years while others cross our borders illegally and stay for years. We need a revised process that prioritizes our national security and free market needs of our country and secures our border while allowing immigrants to complete the legal requirements of residency and citizenship in a timely, accountable manner.
What steps, if any, will you urge to help reduce federal deficits?
The federal government repeatedly spends more than it takes in, borrowing about $70,000 per second, which is one out of every four dollars it spends. This is unsustainable – a family or small business would never be able to survive borrowing 25% of what it spends annually. I’ve cosponsored a balanced budget amendment for several Congresses. Families, small businesses, and state and local governments have to balance their budgets, and so should the federal government. I also helped introduce legislation that would require the IRS to display the total federal revenue, outlays, and deficit; the total debt; and an estimate of the debt for taxpayers on their annual W-2 tax forms. Americans deserve to know how much money their government spends and borrows and hold elected officials accountable.
What should the federal government be doing to address climate change?
Kansans care deeply about being good stewards of our land, water, air and natural resources and want to pass along a healthy environment to our children and grandchildren. The federal government should encourage best practices, provide accurate data, hold China and other big polluters accountable and refrain from imposing burdensome regulations on American farmers, ranchers and businesses.
Do you have a position on a specific issue that crosses partisan lines, or that you think is often misunderstood? What is it, and what do you wish voters better understood about your stance?
Out-of-control federal spending is creating a massive federal debt problem that will burden our children and grandchildren for generations. As this debt grows (now $35,296,367,284,952 and likely higher when this is published), the U.S. will be further indebted to U.S. taxpayers and lender nations like China to finance this burdensome debt load. The interest on the debt, which is about $1 trillion, eats up an ever-increasing portion of the nation’s GNP and resources, causing some to call for hefty tax increases to maintain this level of spending. As lawmakers, we must be discerning when it comes to spending. Being good stewards of the taxpayers’ money is a huge and necessary responsibility, requiring us to take hard votes on massive spending bills. These votes are frequently misinterpreted.
Esau Freeman
Party: Democrat
Age: 51
Position: SEIU Business Representative
Past position: Committee person since 2012 for the Democratic Party; served as the vice chair of the Sedgwick county Democratic Party; served as the treasurer for the Sedgwick county Democratic Party; served as the vice chair of the Kansas Democratic Party labor caucus; on the board of Kansas AFL-CIO for the past 8 1/2 years; on the board of the Working Kansas alliance for approximately seven years; treasurer of the Wichita Hutchinson Labor Federation for around 8 1/2 years; president and cofounder of Kansas for change, a statewide organization tasked with legalizing cannabis; president and cofounder of the MRI Ict marijuana initiative (petition)
Education: B.A. from Wichita State University
Phone: 316-243-6634
Email: esau@freemanforkansas.com
Website: freemanforkansas.com
What is the most pressing issue that faces your district, and what would you do about it?
One of the main issues that I wish to resolve is putting more overall investment into our rural communities. Meaning equitable access to technology, sufficient funding for public education and health care to match those in more urban and densely populated areas. The 4th congressional district is home to the largest city in Kansas, but the 16 counties surrounding Sedgwick have been vastly overlooked, and I wish to change that.
What should Congress be doing to address the cost of living in Kansas?
As a current resident of Kansas, something that is important to me is inflation. I believe Congress should be researching and looking down every avenue in order to find better solutions to reduce inflation, which has only gone up significantly in recent years.
What is your view on abortion rights? What would you want Congress to do now, if anything?
I believe every woman in America deserves the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions, particularly those involving reproductive health, without government intervention. If elected, I would ensure in any way possible that these rights are not encroached on through legislation.
What changes, if any, do you support for immigration and border policy?
I support more funding for border staffing. I believe that anyone trying to come through our borders should be met with adequate resources to be processed correctly to enter the country.
What steps, if any, will you urge to help reduce federal deficits?
Reallocating federal funds and adopting a more accurate inflation index.
What should the federal government be doing to address climate change?
Listening to the experts. I believe in climate change and believe we as a nation should address the issue head-on through legislation that reduces our carbon footprint.
Do you have a position on a specific issue that crosses partisan lines, or that you think is often misunderstood? What is it, and what do you wish voters better understood about your stance?
I am a candidate that is pro Second Amendment, but with that being said, I believe there are caveats to that policy stance. Gun violence has become a leading cause of death among our children and adolescents, a tragic reality we cannot accept. I support common-sense gun reform while still maintaining our Second Amendment rights.
Check out other parts of our voter guide:
Your guide to Wichita-area races for the state Senate in the Kansas Legislature
Meet the candidates running in Wichita-area seats in the Kansas House
Who’s running for the Kansas Board of Election in south-central Kansas?
Here’s who will be on your ballot for Sedgwick County Commission seats
What to know about voting: Deadlines, mail voting & Wichita locations
This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 4:33 AM.