Tim Huelskamp facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tim Huelskamp
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 1st district
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Jerry Moran
Succeeded by	Roger Marshall
Member of the Kansas Senate from the 38th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 5, 2011
Preceded by	Marian Reynolds
Succeeded by	Garrett Love
Personal details
Born	Timothy Alan Huelskamp (1968-11-11) November 11, 1968 (age 56) 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.

Mr. 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 the 2016 Republican primary election.

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. The farm grows crops like corn, wheat, and soybeans, and also raises cattle.

He went to elementary and high school in Fowler. During his school years, he was active in groups like 4-H and Future Farmers of America. He also served as a Farm Bureau Youth Leader.

After high school, Mr. Huelskamp studied at a seminary in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for two years. He then attended the College of Santa Fe (now Santa Fe University of Art and Design). He earned a 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

Becoming a State Senator

In 1996, Tim Huelskamp ran for the Kansas State Senate. He challenged the person already holding the seat, Marian Reynolds, in the Republican primary election. He won by a large amount, getting 62 percent of the votes.

He was the youngest state senator in 20 years when he first took office. He was re-elected three more times by large margins. These elections were in 2000, 2004, and 2008.

Working on Committees

As a state senator, Mr. Huelskamp worked on several important committees. He was the chairman of the Joint Committee on Information Technology. He also chaired the Ethics and Local Government Committee. He served on the Education Committee as well.

He was once on the state's Ways and Means Committee. However, he was removed from this committee. This happened because he had disagreements with other members and the committee's leaders.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

First Election to Congress (2010)

In 2010, the U.S. Representative for Kansas's 1st district, Jerry Moran, decided to run for the U.S. Senate instead. This opened up the seat in the House of Representatives. Many Republicans ran in the primary election, which was the main contest in this strongly Republican area.

Tim Huelskamp won the primary with 34.8 percent of the votes. This made it very likely he would become the next representative. He then ran against Alan Jilka (Democrat) and Jack W. Warner (Libertarian). Many conservative groups and politicians supported him.

As expected, Mr. Huelskamp won the election easily. He received 73 percent of the votes. The 1st district is often called "the Big First" because it covers more than half of Kansas.

Later Elections

In 2012, Mr. Huelskamp ran for re-election and faced no opponents in the general election. He won with 100% of the vote.

In 2014, he was challenged by another Republican, Alan LaPolice, in the primary. Two Democrats also ran. Both LaPolice and the Democrats criticized Huelskamp for not working well with other members of Congress. They also pointed out his vote against the Farm Bill, which is important in a farming state like Kansas. Huelskamp won the primary by a narrow margin, getting 55% of the vote. He did not get support from some important farm groups. However, he still won the general election with 68% of the vote.

2016 Election and Leaving Congress

On August 2, 2016, Tim Huelskamp was defeated in the Republican primary election. He lost to Roger Marshall, a doctor from Great Bend, Kansas. Marshall received 58% of the votes, while Huelskamp got 42%.

Marshall's supporters argued that Huelskamp's fighting style hurt the district. Huelskamp had been removed from the House Agriculture Committee in 2012. Many farm groups and business organizations supported Marshall. They saw agriculture as a very important issue in Kansas. After this defeat, Huelskamp became only the second person to represent "the Big First" district since 1963 who did not go on to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Work in Congress

In 2012, Mr. Huelskamp introduced a bill to protect military chaplains. This bill would make sure chaplains could not be forced to perform duties that went against their personal beliefs.

In 2012, during a meeting with the Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, Mr. Huelskamp warned about the U.S. debt. He believed the country was heading towards an economic crisis similar to what was happening in Europe. Geithner responded that Huelskamp had an "adolescent perspective" on economic policy.

After a Supreme Court decision in 2013 about the Defense of Marriage Act, Mr. Huelskamp announced he would try to introduce a constitutional amendment. This amendment would aim to restore the act. He also spoke on a radio show, criticizing the Supreme Court's decision.

Committee Roles in Congress

Mr. Huelskamp served on several committees in the U.S. House of Representatives:

• 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 late 2012, he was removed from the Budget Committee and the Agriculture Committee. This was part of a change by the Republican leadership. Huelskamp said this was "petty" and that conservatives were being "punished." Other Republicans said he was removed because he struggled to work with other members.

In January 2013, Mr. Huelskamp tried to get John Boehner removed as Speaker of the House. He nominated another conservative, Jim Jordan, for the position.

Groups He Joined

Mr. Huelskamp was a member of several groups within Congress:

• Republican Study Committee
• Tea Party Caucus
• Liberty Caucus
• Freedom Caucus
• Congressional Constitution Caucus

After Congress

From June 2017 to June 2019, Tim Huelskamp was the president of the Heartland Institute. This is a conservative research group based in Illinois.

He also works as a senior political advisor for CatholicVote.org.

Personal Life

Tim Huelskamp and his wife, Angela, live in Hutchinson, Kansas. They have four adopted children. He is a Roman Catholic.