The west front of the U.S. Capitol is photographed near dusk Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran has been a fixture in Kansas Republican politics for more than 25 years. He served two terms in the Kansas Senate before he was elected to the U.S. House in 1996, representing the 1st District of western Kansas, then ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010, winning a seat formerly held by Republican Sam Brownback.

A graduate of the University of Kansas and KU School of Law, Moran worked in private practice in the Kansas City area before entering politics, but his political base has always been in western Kansas.

In the Senate, he serves on the Appropriations Committee as well as committees on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Veterans Affairs.

His voting record in Congress has been largely conservative, and in response to questions from the Journal-World he expressed similar conservative principles. He has opposed the Affordable Care Act; supports the so-called “Fair Tax” legislation that would replace all income taxes with a kind of national sales tax; and opposes granting “blanket amnesty” to immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

In response to a question about student debt and the rising cost of higher education, Moran said, “Congress should focus on simplification of the student loan process and fixing the failing economic policies that are hampering growth in America to make certain graduates can find jobs and are not strapped with debt.”

On national security, he said “Islamic extremism” remains the nation’s biggest threat.

“Our military is already playing an important role in combating ISIS, but the American people must understand and be willing to support additional efforts that may put our military members at risk,” he said. “The countries where ISIS is flourishing are chaotic, unstable and have major political problems. I believe military action can only be effective when accompanied by long-term diplomatic solutions, and the power of American diplomacy should not be underestimated.”