Kansas Republican Jake LaTurner Retiring from U.S. House After Two Terms
LaTurner becomes the 45th House retirement this cycle.
Representative Jake LaTurner of Kansas, a Republican, has today announced he will not seek a third term representing the state’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He announced his retirement in a statement released on X (formerly Twitter).
LaTurner, 36, is the 45th retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives for the 2024 cycle - 25 Democrats and 20 Republicans. Today’s decision from LaTurner was a surprise as he was considered a rising star in the Republican party.
LaTurner has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2021. Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District covers most of the state’s eastern border - except the core Kansas City Metropolitan area. It takes in the state capital of Topeka as well as the cities of Emporia, Junction City, Lawrence, Leavenworth and Pittsburg.
LaTurner first ran for office in 2008 - challenging incumbent State Senator Bob Marshall in the Republican primary for District 13. He lost that race but won four years later in a rematch. At 24, he became the youngest member of the Kansas State Senate. In April 2017, he was appointed Kansas State Treasurer after Ron Estes won a special election to represent Kansas’ 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was subsequently elected to the statewide post in 2018.
In 2020, LaTurner launched a campaign for the open U.S. Senate seat following the retirement of four-term incumbent Senator Pat Roberts. However, the national party consolidated support for U.S. Representative Roger Marshall. LaTurner was ultimately convinced to instead challenge U.S. Representative Steve Watkins in the Republican primary for the 2nd District. LaTurner prevailed 49.1-33.9 against the incumbent - who was plagued with a corruption scandal. In the general election, he won 57.6-42.4 against Democrat Michelle De La Isla. In 2022, he was re-elected to his now final term by an identical margin despite the district’s borders shifting as a result of redistricting.
For the 118th Congress, LaTurner serves on the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
No candidates have yet announced campaigns to seek the Republican nomination to succeed LaTurner in the U.S. House of Representatives. Joseph Swain and Eli Woody are running in the Democratic primary - though neither have reported raising significant funds to date. The filing deadline to appear on the August 6 primary ballot is June 1, 2024.
Under the current lines, Donald Trump won Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District with a 57.0-40.7 finish against Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. That came as Trump was carrying the state 56.14-41.51 in his ultimately unsuccessful national campaign. Notably though, Democratic Governor Laura Kelly carried the 2nd District with a 49-48 plurality against Republican Derek Schmidt in her successful 2022 re-election campaign.