Tom Sawyer (Kansas politician)

Tom Sawyer

Member of the Kansas House of Representatives from the 95th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2013
Preceded by	Benny Boman
In office January 2003 – September 2009
Preceded by	Melany Barnes
Succeeded by	Melany Barnes
In office January 1987 – January 1999
Preceded by	Homer Jarchow
Personal details
Born	(1958-04-15) April 15, 1958 Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Wichita State University
Religion	Methodist

Tom Sawyer (born April 15, 1958) is a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives, currently representing the 95th district. Sawyer previously represented the 95th district in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1987 to 1999 and from 2003 to 2008.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Sawyer graduated from Wichita State University with a BBA in Accounting in 1984. Sawyer was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1987. He became the party's House Leader, and through his 12-year legislative career served as both Majority Leader and Minority Leader. He is only the fourth Democrat to ever be elected Majority Leader of the Kansas House and the only Wichitan to hold that position in the last 30 years.

In 1998 Sawyer won his party's nomination as candidate for governor, easily beating his next closest rival, the evangelical preacher Fred Phelps. In the general election, Sawyer lost and only managed to win 23% of the popular vote against popular incumbent Republican governor Bill Graves.

After serving as State Chairman of the Kansas Democratic Party for four years, Sawyer was once again elected to the state legislature in 2002, and was re-elected in 2004, 2006 and 2008. He served as chair of the Sedgwick County Legislative Delegation in 2005.^[1]

He resigned from the Kansas House of Representatives in 2009 to serve on the state Parole Board.

In the 2012 Kansas House of Representatives election, Sawyer defeated Republican incumbent Benny Boman, returning him to his position as the representative for the 95th district.

Kansas House Career

Committee membership

Appropriations
General Government Budget
Elections (Ranking Member)
Rules and Journal (Vice-Chair)
Joint Committee on Legislative Post Audit
Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations
Taxation (Ranking Member)
Kansas Sentencing Commission

Major donors

The top 5 donors to Sawyer's 2008 campaign:^[2]

1. Kansans for Lifesaving Cures $1,000
2. Kansas National Education Assoc $1,000
3. Kansas Contractors Assoc $1,000
4. Koch Industries $900
5. Wal-Mart $800

References

↑ Rep. Tom Sawyer Biography Retrieved June 30, 2009.
↑ Follow the Money - 2008 Campaign Contributions Retrieved June 30, 2009.

External links

Official Campaign Site
Project Vote Smart profile
Kansas Votes profile
Campaign contributions: 1998, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008

Party political offices
Preceded by Jim Slattery	Republican nominee for Governor of Kansas 1998	Succeeded by Kathleen Sebelius

Members of the Kansas House of Representatives

Speaker of the House: Ray Merrick (R) Speaker pro tempore: Peggy Mast (R) Majority Leader: Jene Vickrey (R) Minority Leader: Tom Burroughs (D)

Michael Houser (R) Adam Lusker (D) Chuck Smith (R) Marty Read (R) Kevin Jones (R) Jene Vickrey (R) Richard Proehl (R) Craig McPherson (R) Kent Thompson (R) John Wilson (D) Jim Kelly (R) Virgil Peck Jr. (R) Larry Hibbard (R) Keith Esau (R) Erin Davis (R) Amanda Grosserode (R) Brett Hildabrand (R) John Rubin (R) Stephanie Clayton (R) Rob Bruchman (R) Barbara Bollier (R) Nancy Lusk (D) Linda Gallagher (R) Jarrod Ousley (D) Melissa Rooker (R) Larry Campbell (R) Ray Merrick (R) Jerry Lunn (R) James Todd (R) Randy Powell (R) Louis Ruiz (D) Pam Curtis (D) Tom Burroughs (D) Valdenia Winn (D) Broderick Henderson (D) Kathy Wolfe Moore (D) Stan Frownfelter (D) Willie Dove (R) Charles Macheers (R) John Bradford (R) Tony Barton (R) Connie O'Brien (R) William Sutton (R) Barbara Ballard (D) Tom Sloan (R) Dennis Highberger (D) Ramon Gonzalez Jr. (R) Marvin Kleeb (R) Scott Schwab (R) Fred Patton (R) Ron Highland (R) Dick Jones (R) Jim Gartner (D) Ken Corbet (R) Annie Kuether (D) Lane Hemsley (R) John Alcala (D) Ben Scott (D) Blaine Finch (R) Don Hill (R) Becky Hutchins (R) Randy Garber (R) Jerry Henry (D) Susie Swanson (R) Lonnie Clark (R) Sydney Carlin (D) Tom Phillips (R) Tom Moxley (R) J. R. Claeys (R) John Barker (R) Diana Dierks (R) Marc Rhoades (R) Les Mason (R) Don Schroeder (R) Will Carpenter (R) Peggy Mast (R) Kristey Williams (R) Ron Ryckman Jr. (R) Ed Trimmer (D) Kasha Kelley (R) Blake Carpenter (R) Peter DeGraaf (R) Henry Helgerson (D) Gail Finney (D) Chuck Weber (R) Jim Ward (D) Mark Kahrs (R) Joseph Scapa (R) Roderick Houston (D) Steve Huebert (R) Gene Suellentrop (R) John Carmichael (D) John Whitmer (R) Mario Goico (R) Tom Sawyer (D) Brandon Whipple (D) Leslie Osterman (R) Steven Anthimides (R) Dennis Hedke (R) Daniel Hawkins (R) Joe Seiwert (R) Janice Pauls (R) Ponka-We Victors (D) Steven Becker (R) Mark Hutton (R) Sharon Schwartz (R) Susan Concannon (R) Steven C. Johnson (R) Troy Waymaster (R) Ken Rahjes (R) Sue Boldra (R) John Edmonds (R) Greg Lewis (R) Jack Thimesch (R) Ron Ryckman (R) Kyle Hoffman (R) John Ewy (R) Don Hineman (R) Bud Estes (R) Rick Billinger (R) Mike Kiegerl (R) Russell Jennings (R) John Doll (R) J. Stephen Alford (R) Shannon Francis (R)

Republican (97) Democratic (28) Kansas Legislature Kansas House of Representatives Kansas State Senate

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