Tim Huelskamp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tim Huelskamp
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Jerry Moran |
| Succeeded by | Roger Marshall |
| Member of the Kansas Senate from the 38th district |
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| In office January 3, 1997 – January 5, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Marian Reynolds |
| Succeeded by | Garrett Love |
| Personal details | |
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Timothy Alan Huelskamp
November 11, 1968 Fowler, Kansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Angela Huelskamp |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Santa Fe University of Art and Design (BA) American University (MA, PhD) |
Timothy Alan Huelskamp (born November 11, 1968) is an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative for Kansas from 2011 to 2017. Before that, he was a member of the Kansas Senate from 1997 to 2011. He belongs to the Republican Party.
Huelskamp was known for his conservative views. He led the House Tea Party Caucus from 2015 until his term ended in 2017. Roger Marshall took his place after defeating him in an election.
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Early Life and Education
Tim Huelskamp was born on November 11, 1968. He grew up on his family's farm in Fowler, Kansas. His grandparents started the farm in 1926. They grew crops like corn and wheat, and raised cattle.
He went to elementary and high school in Fowler. As a young person, he was active in groups like 4-H and Future Farmers of America.
After high school, Huelskamp studied at the College of Santa Fe. He earned his bachelor's degree in social science education in 1991. Later, he received his Ph.D. in political science from American University in 1995. His studies focused on agricultural policy.
Serving in the Kansas Senate
Tim Huelskamp began his political career in the Kansas Senate. This is a group of lawmakers who make rules for the state of Kansas.
First Election and Re-elections
In 1996, Huelskamp ran for the state senate. He won against the person who was already in office. He was the youngest state senator in 20 years. He was re-elected three more times in 2000, 2004, and 2008. He won these elections by a lot of votes.
Committee Work
While in the Kansas Senate, Huelskamp worked on several important groups called committees. These groups focus on specific topics.
- Joint Committee on Information Technology (he was the leader)
- Education
- Ethics and Local Government (he was the leader)
He also served on the state's Ways and Means Committee. This committee deals with money matters. However, he was later removed from this committee. This happened because he had disagreements with other members and leaders of the committee.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
After serving in the Kansas Senate, Tim Huelskamp moved on to serve in the United States House of Representatives. This is part of the U.S. Congress, where laws are made for the whole country. He represented Kansas's 1st district. This district is often called "the Big First" because it covers more than half of Kansas.
Elections for Congress
2010 Election
In 2010, the person who held the 1st district seat, Jerry Moran, decided to run for a different job. This opened up the seat for new candidates. Many people from the Republican Party wanted to run. Tim Huelskamp won the first round of voting, called the primary election. This meant he would likely be the next representative.
He then ran against candidates from other parties. Many groups and people supported him, including Mike Huckabee. As expected, Huelskamp won the election easily. He received 73 percent of the votes.
2012 Election
In 2012, Huelskamp ran for re-election. He did not have anyone running against him in the main election. This means he won the election without a contest.
2014 Election
The 2014 election was different. Huelskamp had a challenge from another Republican candidate. He also faced a Democrat in the main election. Some people criticized Huelskamp for not working well with other lawmakers. They also didn't like that he voted against a bill about farms.
Huelskamp won the Republican primary election by a small amount. He then won the general election with 68% of the votes.
2016 Election
On August 2, 2016, Tim Huelskamp was defeated in the Republican primary election. He lost to Roger Marshall. Marshall's supporters said that Huelskamp's way of arguing hurt the district. Huelskamp had been removed from an important committee about agriculture in 2012. Farm groups in Kansas supported Marshall because farming is very important in the state.
After this loss, Huelskamp became only the second person to represent "the Big First" district since 1963 who did not later serve in the U.S. Senate.
Work in Congress
In 2012, Huelskamp introduced a bill to protect military chaplains. This bill would make sure chaplains would not have to perform duties that went against their beliefs.
He also spoke about the country's debt. He warned that the U.S. could face economic problems like those happening in Europe at the time.
Congressional Committee Assignments
While in the U.S. House, Huelskamp served on these committees:
- United States House Committee on Small Business
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade
- Subcommittee on Health and Technology
- Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Subcommittee on Health
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
In 2012, Huelskamp was removed from the Budget Committee and the Agriculture Committee. Some people said this happened because he had trouble working with other members of Congress.
Groups He Joined
Huelskamp was a member of several groups within Congress. These groups are called caucuses. They bring together lawmakers who share similar ideas.
- Republican Study Committee
- Tea Party Caucus
- Liberty Caucus
- Freedom Caucus
- Congressional Constitution Caucus
After Congress
After leaving Congress, Tim Huelskamp continued to be involved in public life. From 2017 to 2019, he was the president of the Heartland Institute. This is a group that shares conservative ideas.
He also works as a senior advisor for CatholicVote.org. This group focuses on political issues important to Catholic voters.
Personal Life
Tim Huelskamp and his wife, Angela, live in Hutchinson, Kansas. They have four children, all of whom they adopted.
He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
