Roger Marshall (politician)

Roger Wayne Marshall (born August 9, 1960) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Kansas's 1st congressional district since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, his district—popularly known as "the Big First"—is vast and mostly rural, stretching across all or part of 63 counties, nearly half the state's landmass; it is the seventh-largest district in the nation that does not cover an entire state.

Roger Marshall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Kansas's 1st district
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byTim Huelskamp
Personal details
Born (1960-08-09) August 9, 1960
El Dorado, Kansas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Laina Marshall
(
m. 1983)
Children4
EducationKansas State University (BS)
University of Kansas (MD)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Rank Captain
UnitArmy Reserve

An obstetrician by occupation, Marshall was first elected to Congress in 2016 after defeating incumbent Tim Huelskamp in the Republican primary. He currently is the dean of Kansas's U.S. House of Representatives delegation. On September 7, 2019, he announced his bid for the United States Senate in the 2020 election, for the seat being vacated by Pat Roberts. He won the primary on August 4, 2020.

Pre-political life

Marshall was born in El Dorado, Kansas.[1] He attended Butler Community College[2] before attending Kansas State University, where he received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Kansas. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.[3]

Marshall has served as chairman of the Board of Great Bend Regional Hospital and has been a district governor of Rotary International. He also served seven years in the United States Army Reserve reaching the rank of captain.[4]

U.S. House of Representatives
Marshall's first official portrait
(115th Congress)

2016 campaign

Marshall ran against incumbent Tim Huelskamp in the Republican Party primary election for Kansas's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. Marshall ran with the support of many of the state's agricultural groups, who were angered at Huelskamp losing his seat on the House Agriculture Committee, the first time in a century that a Kansan had not been on that panel.[5] During the primary, Huelskamp's campaign ran TV ads criticizing Marshall for a confrontation with a neighbor in 2008 in connection with a land dispute; the neighbor made a 9-1-1 call accusing Marshall of attempting to run him over with a vehicle.[6] Marshall ultimately pleaded no contest to a reckless driving misdemeanor, and settled a civil suit brought by the neighbor.[6]

On August 2, 2016, Marshall defeated Huelskamp in the Republican primary, 56 percent to 44 percent. No Democrat filed to run in the heavily Republican district.[7]

In the general election, Marshall won handily, defeating independent Alan LaPolice and Libertarian Kerry Burt with 65.9 percent of the vote.

Marshall's candidacy was endorsed by the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas Livestock Association, the National Association of Wheat Growers, and the Kansas Farm Bureau, an affiliate of the American Farm Bureau Federation.[7][8]

Tenure

Marshall was sworn into office on January 3, 2017. He is a member of the both the conservative Republican Study Committee[9] and the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership[10] He is also a member of the Congressional Western Caucus.[11]

On October 23, 2019, about thirty House Republicans aggressively intruded upon that day's confidential hearing in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) where Republican and Democratic congressional members had been taking testimony from Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper.[12] Marshall was in the crowd of Republicans to follow Florida Representative Matt Gaetz to the hearing room. Marshall said, regarding Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, "He doesn't have the guts to talk to us. He left. He just got up and left. He doesn't have the guts to tell us why we can't come in the room, why he doesn't want this to be transparent."[13]

Committee assignments

2020 U.S. Senate campaign
See also: 2020 United States Senate election in Kansas

In September 2019, Marshall announced he would give up his House seat and run for the Senate seat being vacated by four-term fellow Republican Pat Roberts.[14] In the Republican primary election, Marshall faced Kris Kobach, a polarizing ex-Kansas Secretary of State and Donald Trump ally,[15] known for his far-right views.[16] Senate Republican leaders, fearing that the nomination of Kobach would endanger their majority in the Senate,[15][16] urged Trump to endorse Marshall; Trump did not do so.[15] The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas Farm Bureau and several anti-abortion organizations supported Marshall.[15] The National Republican Senatorial Committee launched a major voter contact effort ("Operation Scorched Prairie") on Marshall's behalf making 2.3 million unique voter contacts via text and robocalls in the week before the election.[15] The rival campaigns and outside groups (super PACs) spent millions in attack ads; the primary was anticipated to be close, but Marshall ultimately won handily on August 4, 2020.[17][18] Marshall won all but one county west of Emporia. In Sedgwick County, in which Wichita is located, he beat Kobach 47% to 26%. He lost by a majority in Wyandotte County, where Kansas City, Kansas is located, and by pluralities in most counties in eastern Kansas.[17] Marshall faces Democratic State Senator Barbara Bollier in the general election.[18]

Political positions

Environment

Marshall has criticized the Environmental Protection Agency and supports reducing its authority.[19] Marshall supports the federal renewable fuel standard, which requires corn-based ethanol to be blended with gasoline.[20]

Health care

Marshall supports repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).[21] He says he "measures success in how many people can afford to leave the Medicaid program and enter the private insurance market."[21] In opposing the Act's Medicaid expansion, Marshall said in an interview in March 2017 that some people "just don't want health care." His remarks attracted criticism; Marshall said they were taken out of context and cited his work as a doctor at a free family planning clinic which he said was the only clinic in the area to accept Medicaid.[21][22][23]

Marshall voted in favor of the American Health Care Act of 2017 which would have repealed and replaced the Affordable Care Act.[24]

Economy

Marshall, who represents a rural district, supports farm subsidies, such as federal crop insurance. Marshall's support for subsidies gained him the 2016 endorsement of the Kansas Farm Bureau in the Republican primary, in which he prevailed over Representative Tim Huelskamp.[25][26]

In December 2017, Marshall voted in support of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[27]

Immigration

Marshall supported President Donald Trump's Executive Order 13769, which barred the nationals of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States.[28] Marshall supports an immigration bill with a pathway to citizenship for people not living in the US legally.[20][29]

Abortion

Marshall is anti-abortion.[19][30]

Cannabis

Regarding medical marijuana, Marshall said in 2017, "I'm not convinced that it’s medically proven and a good idea... I think there's a path there, but I just haven't seen enough scientific data to say it's a good thing."[31]

Personal life

Marshall lives in Great Bend, Kansas, where he practiced medicine.[32] He and his wife, Laina, have four children.[33]

On January 31, 2018, Marshall was a passenger on a chartered Amtrak train involved in the 2018 Crozet, Virginia train crash. He administered first aid and CPR to the injured.[34][35]

Electoral history

Kansas's 1st congressional district, 2016

Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roger Marshall 58,808 56.5%
Republican Tim Huelskamp (incumbent) 45,315 43.5%
Total 104,123 100%
General election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roger Marshall 166,051 66.2%
Independent Alan LaPolice 66,218 26.4%
Libertarian Kerry Burt 18,415 7.4%
Total 250,684 100%
Republican primary results, Kansas 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Roger Marshall 157,914 39.41%
Republican Kris Kobach 102,903 25.68%
Republican Bob Hamilton 73,492 18.34%
Republican Dave Lindstrom 25,382 6.33%
Republican Steve Roberts 14,601 3.64%
Republican Brian Matlock 6,385 1.59%
Republican Lance Berland 6,118 1.53%
Republican John Miller 4,107 1.02%
Republican Derek Ellis 3,932 0.98%
Republican Gabriel Robles 3,578 0.89%
Republican John Berman 2,302 0.57%
Total votes 400,714 100.0%

References
  1. Special to the Sentinel Roger Marshall's office (May 28, 2015). "Marshall announces republican candidacy". M.mcphersonsentinel.com. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  2. Giffin, John. "EHS alum Rep. Roger Marshall talks issues with students at Futures Fair". Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  3. "Marshall says hes running for Congress". www.gbtribune.com.
  4. Hogg, Dale (August 2, 2016). "Marshall Wins in Upset". Great Bend Tribune.
  5. Tate, Curtis (July 22, 2016). "Firebrand Kansas congressman feels heat in Republican primary". McClatchy Washington Bureau.
  6. 911 call featured in Huelskamp campaign ad led to Marshall pleading no contest to misdemeanor in 2008, Hutchison News, Mary Clarkin, June 2, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  7. Robertson, Joe (August 2, 2016). "Tea party's Tim Huelskamp ousted by challenger Roger Marshall in Kansas congressional race". The Kansas City Star.
  8. Staff (August 2, 2016). "Roger Marshall wins Kansas Republican primary against Tea Party incumbent". The Guardian.
  9. "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  10. "Members". Republican Mains Street Partnership. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  11. "Members". Congressional Western Caucus. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  13. "Whole thing is a sham." Kansas and Missouri Republicans storm impeachment inquiry, Kansas City Star, Bryan Lowry, October 23, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  14. Brufke, Julie Grace (September 7, 2019). "Rep. Roger Marshall launches Kansas Senate bid". The Hill. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  15. Astead W. Herndon & Katie Glueck, Kris Kobach Loses Kansas Senate Primary, Easing Republican Worries, New York Times, August 4, 2020.
  16. Nathaniel Rakich & Geoffrey Skelley, What You Need To Know About Today’s Elections In Kansas, Michigan And Missouri, FiveThirtyEight (August 4, 2020).
  17. Geography and money will be key as Marshall and Bollier vie for Senate seat in Kansas, Wichita Eagle, Bryan Lowry and Jonathan Shorman, August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  18. Arkin, James; Mutnick, Ally (August 4, 2020). "Kobach loses Kansas Senate primary". Politico. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  19. Sunnivie Brydum, Antigay Kansas Rep. Won't Be Returning to Congress, The Advocate (August 3, 2016).
  20. Curtis Tate, Firebrand Kansas congressman feels heat in Republican primary, McClatchy DC (July 22, 2016).
  21. Lev Facher (March 3, 2017). "Two months ago, this doctor was delivering babies. Now he's at the nexus of the Obamacare fight". Stat via Boston Globe Media. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  22. Bryan Lowry (May 5, 2017). "Poor 'just don't want health care,' congressman says, and the backlash begins". Miami Herald. Great Bend, Kansas. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  23. Jonathan Chait (March 3, 2017). "Republican Congressman: Repeal Obamacare Because Poor People Don't Want to Be Healthy". New York.
  24. "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 256". Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  25. Justin Wingerter, Kansas Farm Bureau endorses Roger Marshall over Rep. Tim Huelskamp: Support of KFB is noteworthy in rural 1st District, Topeka Capital Journal (July 8, 2016).
  26. Danielle Bernstein, Kansas Lawmaker Who Opposed Farm Bill Faces Blowback, Bloomberg News (July 19, 2016).
  27. Almukhtar, Sarah (December 19, 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  28. Blake, Aaron (January 31, 2017). "Whip Count: Here's where Republicans stand on Trump's controversial travel ban".
  29. Justin Wingerter, Congressional challenger Roger Marshall supports paths for immigrants, block grants to replace ACA, Topeka Capital-Journal (July 16, 2015).
  30. Curtis Tate, Tea party Rep. Tim Huelskamp heading to defeat in Kansas Republican primary, McClatchy DC (August 2, 2016).
  31. Deangela McDougald (February 28, 2017). "Congressman Marshall "not convinced" on medical marijuana". Junction City Post.
  32. "Physician Marshall ousts US Rep. Huelskamp in Kansas primary". Newscenter1.tv. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  33. Mary Clarkin. "Marshall announces Senate run - News - PrattTribune - Pratt, KS - Pratt, KS". PrattTribune. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  34. KWCH. "Dr. Roger Marshall performs CPR on train-crash patient". Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  35. "Kansas Senate (R)". Decision Desk HQ. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Tim Huelskamp		 Member of the US House of Representatives
from Kansas's 1st congressional district
2017–present		 Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Pat Roberts		 Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Kansas
(Class 2)
2020		 Most recent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Al Lawson		 United States Representatives by seniority
315th		 Succeeded by
Brian Mast
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