Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as a United States senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011 and as the 46th governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, Brownback also served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom during the administration of President Donald Trump and was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 2008.

Born in Garnett, Kansas, Brownback grew up on a family farm in Parker, Kansas. He graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in agricultural economics in 1978 and received a J.D. from the University of Kansas in 1982. He worked as an attorney in Manhattan, Kansas, before being appointed Secretary of Agriculture of Kansas in 1986 by Democratic governor John W. Carlin. Brownback ran for Congress in 1994 and defeated Carlin in the general election in a landslide. He represented Kansas's 2nd congressional district for a single term before running in a 1996 special election for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Bob Dole. He won the election and was reelected by large margins in 1998 and 2004. Brownback ran for president in 2008, but withdrew before the primaries began and endorsed eventual Republican nominee John McCain.

Brownback declined to run for reelection in 2010, instead running for governor. He was elected governor of Kansas in 2010 and took office in January 2011. As governor, Brownback signed into law one of the largest income tax cuts in Kansas history, known as the Kansas experiment. The tax cuts caused state revenues to fall by hundreds of millions of dollars and created large budget shortfalls. A major budget deficit led to cuts in areas including education and transportation. In a repudiation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, in 2013 Brownback turned down a $31.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to set up a public health insurance exchange for Kansas. Also in 2013, he signed a bill that blocked tax breaks for abortion providers, banned sex-selection abortions, and declared that life begins at fertilization. In the run-up to the 2014 gubernatorial election, over 100 former and current Kansas Republican officials criticized Brownback's leadership and endorsed his Democratic opponent, Paul Davis. Despite this, Brownback was narrowly reelected. In June 2017, the Kansas Legislature repealed Brownback's tax cuts, overrode Brownback's veto of the repeal, and enacted tax increases.

On July 26, 2017, the Trump administration announced that Brownback would be nominated as the new U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Brownback was confirmed in January 2018 in a party-line vote; Vice President Mike Pence cast the necessary tie-breaking votes to end a filibuster and to confirm his nomination. Brownback resigned as governor of Kansas effective January 31, 2018, and was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom on February 1, 2018. His ambassadorial tenure ended in January 2021.

Early life and education

Sam Brownback was born on September 12, 1956, in Garnett, Kansas, to Nancy (née Cowden) and Glen Robert Brownback. He was raised in a farming family in Parker, Kansas. Some of Brownback's German-American ancestors settled in Kansas after leaving Pennsylvania following the Civil War. Throughout his youth, Brownback was involved with the FFA (formerly the Future Farmers of America), serving as president of his local and state FFA chapters, and as national FFA vice president from 1976 to 1977.

After graduating from Prairie View High School, Brownback attended Kansas State University, where was elected student body president and became a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho agricultural fraternity. After graduating from college in 1978 with a degree in Agricultural Economics in 1978, he spent about a year working as a radio broadcaster for the now-defunct KSAC farm department, hosting a weekly half-hour show. Brownback received his J.D. from the University of Kansas in 1982.

Early career

Brownback was an attorney in Manhattan, Kansas, In 1990, he was accepted into the White House Fellow program and detailed to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative from 1990 to 1991. Brownback returned to Kansas to resume his position as Secretary of Agriculture. He left his post on July 30, 1993. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 and ran in the 1996 special election for the U.S. Senate seat recently vacated by Bob Dole.

U.S. Senator (1996–2011)

Elections

Sheila Frahm was appointed to fill the seat of U.S. senator Bob Dole when Dole resigned in 1996 to campaign for president. Brownback defeated Frahm in the 1996 Republican primary and went on to win the general election against Democrat Jill Docking by 112,677 votes. In 2001, the Federal Election Commission assessed fines and penalties against Brownback's campaign committee and against his in-laws for improper 1996 campaign contributions. As a result of these improper contributions, the campaign was ordered to pay the government $19,000 and Brownback's in-laws, John and Ruth Stauffer, were ordered to pay a $9,000 civil penalty for improperly funneling contributions through Triad Management Services.

In 1998, Brownback was elected to a full six-year term, defeating Democrat Paul Feleciano by 244,921 votes. He won reelection in the 2004 Senate election defeating Democratic former lobbyist Lee Jones by 470,526 votes.

Throughout his U.S. Senate career, his principal campaign donors were the Koch brothers of Wichita-based Koch Industries, who donated more to Brownback than to any other political candidate during this period.

Tenure

thumb|Senators Brownback and [[Dianne Feinstein|Feinstein in 2003, shown with Angelina Jolie, the Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, call for bipartisan legislation to reform the treatment of unaccompanied alien minors.]]

Brownback was a member of the Judiciary Committee, the Appropriations Committee (where he chaired the Subcommittee on District of Columbia when the Republicans were in the majority), the Joint Economic Committee, and the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, which he at one time chaired. The Helsinki Commission monitors compliance with international agreements reached in cooperation with Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

In 2000, Brownback and Congressman Chris Smith led the effort to enact the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. President Clinton signed the legislation in October 2000. According to Christianity Today, the stronger enforcement increased the number of U.S. federal trafficking cases eightfold in the five years after enactment.

By August 12, 2007, in the 110th Session of Congress, Brownback had missed 123 votes due to campaigning (39.7 percent)–surpassed only by Tim Johnson (D) of South Dakota who due to a critical illness had missed 100% of the votes of the 110th Session, and John McCain (R) of Arizona with 149 votes missed due to campaigning (48.1 percent).

In 2006, Brownback blocked a confirmation vote on a George W. Bush federal appeals court nominee from Michigan, judge Janet T. Neff. He objected to her joining the bench solely because she attended a same-sex commitment ceremony in Massachusetts in 2002 that involved a next-door neighbor who was a close childhood friend of Neff's daughters. Brownback's action blocked confirmation votes on an entire slate of appointments that had been approved by a bipartisan group of senators. In July 2007, Brownback lifted the block that had prevented the vote, and the Senate confirmed Neff by an 83–4 vote.

In the mid-1990s, Brownback hired Paul Ryan as his chief legislative director. Ryan later became a member of Congress, vice-presidential candidate, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

CREW complaints

In 2009, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed an ethics complaint over a fundraising letter signed by Brownback for a conservative Catholic group which they alleged violated Senate rules by mimicking official Senate letterhead. The letter had targeted five senators for being both Catholic and pro-choice: Maria Cantwell, John Kerry, Robert Menendez, Barbara Mikulski, and Patty Murray. A spokesman said Brownback had asked the group to stop sending the letter even before the complaint was filed. owned by C Street Center, Inc., which was in turn owned by Christian-advocacy group The Fellowship. CREW alleged that the property was being leased exclusively to congressional members, including Brownback, and that the tenants were paying rent that was below market value. Senator Tom Coburn's spokesman asserted that the rents charged were fair.

Committees

  • Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
  • Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
  • Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
  • Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
  • Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on National Parks
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power (Ranking Member)
  • Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Special Committee on Aging
  • Joint Economic Committee
  • Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

2008 presidential campaign

thumb|Senator Brownback officially opening his [[Iowa campaign headquarters in West Des Moines, IA]]

On December 4, 2006, Brownback formed an exploratory committee, the first step toward a presidential candidacy. In reporting on his potential candidacy, CNN and The Washington Post called Brownback a "favorite" of the religious right; Rolling Stone called him "God's senator" in 2006. His views placed him in the socially conservative wing of the Republican Party, and he stressed his fiscal conservatism as well. "I am an economic, a fiscal, a social and a compassionate conservative", he said in December 2006. On February 22, 2007, a poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports held that three percent of likely primary voters would support Brownback.

thumb|Brownback discusses science and religion in American politics in October 2007, during his presidential run.

On August 11, 2007, Brownback finished third in the Ames Straw Poll with 15.3% of all votes cast. Fundraising and visits to his website declined dramatically after this event, as many supporters had predicted Brownback would do much better, and speculation began that the candidate was considering withdrawing from the campaign. This sentiment increased after his lackluster performance in the GOP presidential debate of September 5, broadcast from New Hampshire by Fox News Channel. He dropped out of the race on October 18, 2007, citing a lack of funds. Brownback formally announced his decision on October 19. He later endorsed John McCain for president.

Governor of Kansas (2011–2018)

thumb|Brownback and [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division Commanding General present a medallion to a child whose father died serving in Iraq.]]

Elections

2010 gubernatorial election

In 2008, Brownback acknowledged he was considering running for governor in 2010. In January 2009, Brownback officially filed the paperwork to run for governor.

His principal Senate-career campaign donors, the Koch brothers (and their Koch Industries), again backed Brownback's campaign.

On June 1, 2010, Brownback named Kansas state senator Jeff Colyer as his running mate.

On November 2, 2010, Brownback defeated Holland, by 260,594 votes. He succeeded Governor Mark Parkinson, who was sworn in after former governor Kathleen Sebelius resigned from her position and became U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2009.

2014 gubernatorial election

In October 2013, Kansas state representative Paul Davis, the Democratic minority leader of the Kansas House of Representatives, announced he would challenge Brownback in the 2014 Kansas gubernatorial election.

In July 2014, more than 100 current and former Kansas Republican officials (including former state party chairmen, Kansas Senate presidents, Kansas House speakers, and majority leaders) endorsed Democrat Davis over Republican Brownback,

Tim Keck, chief of staff of Brownback's running mate, Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, unearthed and publicized a 1998 police report showing that Davis, 26 and unmarried at the time, had been briefly detained during the raid of a strip club. Davis was found to have no involvement in the cause for the raid, and was quickly allowed to leave. Responding to criticism of Keck's involvement in the campaign, Brownback spokesman John Milburn commented that it was legal to use taxpayer-paid staff to campaign. Media law experts expressed amazement when they learned that the Montgomery County's sheriff released non-public investigative files from 1998 in response to a mere request. Brownback's campaign capitalized on the 16-year-old incident.

Brownback was reelected with a plurality, defeating Davis by 32,096 votes.

Tenure

Brownback took office in January 2011, in the early years of national recovery from the Great Recession. Also in 2011, Republicans resumed control of the Kansas House of Representatives with their largest majority in half a century. Most Republicans in the Kansas Legislature were members of the Tea Party movement who shared Brownback's conservative views.

Two of Brownback's major stated goals were to reduce taxes and to increase spending on education.

By April 2012, Brownback had an approval rating of 34 percent according to a Survey USA Poll. A Republican polling company found his approval rating to be 51 percent in May 2012. In November 2015, Brownback had an approval rating of 26 percent according to a Morning Consult poll, the lowest among all governors in the United States. Three separate polls between November 2015 and September 2016 ranked Brownback as the nation's least-popular governor—a September 2016 poll showing an approval rating of 23%. In the state elections of 2016—seen largely as a referendum on Brownback's policies and administration—Brownback's supporters in the legislature suffered major defeats. In 2017 after a protracted battle,

Brownback, who had a 66% disapproval rating after the repeal of his signature law, left office in 2018 as one of the least popular governors in the country.

Legislative agenda

Brownback proposed fundamental tax reform to encourage investment and generate wealth while creating new jobs. Consistent with those objectives, he also proposed structural reforms to the state's largest budget items, school finance, Medicaid, and Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS), which have unfunded liabilities of $8.3 billion. Brownback sought to follow a "red state model", passing conservative social and economic policies.

Taxes

As governor, Brownback initiated what he called a "red-state experiment"—dramatic cuts in income tax rates intended to bring economic growth. In May 2012, Brownback signed into law one of the largest income tax cuts in Kansas' history Brownback described the tax cuts as a live experiment: The resulting cuts in funding caused districts to shut down the school year early.

Economy

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, during the period from 2008 to 2018 (Brownback was governor from 2011 to 2018), Kansas averaged an annual GDP growth rate of 0.9% -- exactly half the national average. During that same period — when national employment increased and wages rose — job growth in Wichita (Kansas' largest city, and hometown of Brownback's principal funders, the Koch family) dropped 3.2%, and the city's average annual wages stagnated.

In 2015, the job growth rate in Kansas was 0.8 percent, among the lowest rate in America with only "10,900 total nonfarm jobs" added that year. Kansas had a $350 million budget shortfall in February 2017. In February 2017, S&P downgraded Kansas' credit rating to AA−.

Despite Kansas' major role in the aerospace, telecommunications and GPS technology industries, a 2019 report from the KC Tech Council reported that Kansas growth in tech jobs ranked next-to-last in the nation — losing 220 tech jobs between 2017 and 2018 (Brownback's final year as governor), according to the Computing Technology Industry Association — while over 40 other states grew tech employment. — were lost during the Brownback administration.

By the last year of the Brownback administration, 2018, Kansas had the second-highest farm-bankruptcy rate increase in the nation (after New York) — a decade-high rate for the state.

Health care

In August 2011, over the objections of Republican Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, In May 2011, Brownback had directed the state's insurance commissioner to slow the implementation timeline for the exchange development. Upon announcing the refusal of the budgeted grant money for the state, his office stated:

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="4" |2014 Kansas gubernatorial election: Republican primary result

|-

|Party

|Candidate

|Votes

|%

|-

|Republican

|Sam Brownback (incumbent)

|166,687

|63.2

|-

|Republican

|Jennifer Winn

|96,907

|36.7

|-

| colspan="2" |Total votes

|263,594

|100.0

|}

See also

  • United States immigration debate
  • How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories

References

  • Governor Sam Brownback official government website (archived)
  • Genealogy of Sam Brownback

:

:* Sam Brownback's presidential campaign finance reports and data at the FEC

:* Sam Brownbeck's presidential campaign contributions

  • Review of Brownback's book by OnTheIssues.org
  • Ethics complaint against Sam Brownback
  • Publications concerning Kansas Governor Brownback's administration available via the KGI Online Library