The new congressman from the 3rd District in Kansas is Kevin Yoder, a Republican who won the seat in 2010 by defeating Democrat Stephene Moore, the wife of retiring incumbent Dennis Moore, also a Democrat. Read More

The new congressman from the 3rd District in Kansas is Kevin Yoder, a Republican who won the seat in 2010 by defeating Democrat Stephene Moore, the wife of retiring incumbent Dennis Moore, also a Democrat.

Yoder grew up on a farm in the aptly named town of Yoder, founded in 1907 by an Amish settler. His family has been there since the 1880s, and hundreds of Yoders live in the area. His father’s farm produces grains, soybeans, corn, and meat. His maternal grandfather, William Alexander, who grew up as a poor farmer, was the Republican mayor of Wilmette, Ill., and president of the Chicago Bar Association. As a child, Yoder recalls visits to his grandfather in downtown Chicago, drawing inspiration from him. Yoder studied English and political science at the University of Kansas, where he was student body president. He was a registered Democrat before undergoing what he calls his own “personal maturation and growth” and switching to become a Republican. During his senior year in college and into law school, he volunteered in campaigns and interned at the state legislature. He worked as a law clerk at the Pentagon in Washington doing counternarcotics work. He left a month before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, an event that inspired him to get more involved with politics. Yoder was elected to the Kansas House in 2002 at age 26, and got a seat on the Appropriations Committee, where he had interned in college. He eventually chaired the committee.

Yoder takes a conventional conservative approach on economic issues, pushing to scale back the government and to cut spending. During the campaign, he called for President George W. Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts to be extended. On cultural issues, he is more moderate, and backs abortion rights. When Dennis Moore announced he would not seek another term, Yoder jumped into the race. His state legislative district, which includes some of Overland Park and the headquarters of Sprint, gave him access to a large donor base, and his acumen at fundraising—more than $800,000 by summer 2010—forced the early GOP front-runner, state Sen. Nick Jordan, the 2008 House nominee, out of the race. Yoder’s primary opponents pointed to his party switch as evidence of flip-flopping on issues. But Yoder managed to win the nine-person contest with 44% of the vote. The candidate running hardest to the right, former state Rep. Patricia Lightner, took 37%.

In the fall, both candidates stressed the economy and the federal deficit. Stephene Moore, a nurse, supported President Obama’s health care bill while Yoder opposed it. He also came out against reinstating the estate tax, which affects many family farms, while Moore said she favored an estate tax on large inheritances but at lower rates than before. She supported the congressional Democrats’ cap-and-trade bill to lower greenhouse gases, while Yoder said it would put the brakes on economic recovery.

Moore also seized on a Topeka Capital-Journal report that Yoder refused to take a preliminary breath test during a 2009 traffic stop. Yoder pleaded guilty to refusing a law enforcement officer’s request and was fined $165. His campaign said that he wasn’t intoxicated and that he refused the test because he had passed a field sobriety test. Moore, meanwhile, was criticized for going too far in running an ad comparing Yoder to celebrities Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson. The Kansas City Star endorsed Yoder, calling him “quick-witted and thoughtful,” and saying he “could be a force in Congress.” He won 58% to 39% for Moore.