Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) currently scores a 93% on our Legislative Scorecard and is the ranked the most conservative member of the Kansas delegation. He was elected in 2010 as part of the Tea Party wave that swept the country and brought Congress' focus towards cutting spending.
Born in Fowler, Kansas in 1968, Rep. Huelskamp worked on his family's farm, helping to raise cattle and grow corn, wheat and soybeans. In high school, he was a Farm Bureau Youth Leader, a member of the local Parish and involved with 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA). He attended two years of seminary school in Santa Fe, KS before transferring to the College of Santa Fe and receiving his Bachelor's degree in social science in 1991. While attending college he also worked as a budget and legislative analyst for the State of New Mexico and also taught in both public and private high schools in the area. Even with such a busy schedule, he remained very active in volunteering with disadvantaged youth.
He went on to receive a Ph.D. in political science with a specialization in agricultural policy from American University in 1995. After graduating, Rep. Huelskamp returned to the family farm to help operate it and raise his family.
In 1996, Rep. Huelskamp succeeded in defeating State Senator Marian Reynolds in the primary. He went on to win the general election, becoming the youngest state senator elected in twenty years. He went on to win re-election in 2000, 2004 and 2008. While serving in the Kansas State Senate, Rep. Huelskamp co-sponsored a bill which limited property tax increases. He also served on the Agriculture, Education and Local Government committees, and was the vice-chairman of the Joint Committee on Information Technology.
In 2010, Rep. Huelskamp was elected to represent Kansas's 1st congressional district, succeeding Jerry Moran, who was elected to the U.S. Senate.
During last year's debt limit debate, Rep. Huelskamp appeared on numerous TV programs to give the conservative side of the argument. In one such encounter, against MSNBC's Reverend Al Sharpton, Rep. Huelskamp was accused of only trying to protect yacht owners in Western Kansas. Luckily for viewers, Rep. Huelskamp snapped back that the last time he checked, Kansas was still a landlocked state and had very few places for yachts to dock.
Rep. Huelskamp currently sits on the Agriculture Committee, the Budget Committee, and the Veterans' Affairs Committee. He is a member of the Republican Study Committee and the Tea Party Caucus.
Rep. Huelskamp and his wife, Angela, have adopted four children: Natasha, Rebecca, Athan and Alexander. Natasha and Rebecca are both from Haiti, while Athan and Alexander were born in America. Rep. Huelskamp remains an active member of his church as a lector and usher, and enjoys hunting, playing sports with his children and volunteering.