To the editor:

Many of us in the 2nd Congressional District are continually frustrated by Rep. Lynn Jenkins, as she votes time and again to toe the Brownback/Trump party line regardless of the wishes of her constituents or the advice of experts.

From this steady state of disappointment, I experienced a rather punctuated sense of relief recently when I visited with James Thompson from Wichita. He is running for Mike Pompeo’s vacated 4th Congressional District seat in the special election on April 11. He grew up dirt poor, worked hard, served in the Army, and became a civil rights lawyer. Mr. Thompson is the real deal, not some lifelong politician. A veteran himself, his work to reduce veteran homelessness and increase access to mental and physical health services for our

veterans is impressive. I was also pleased with his readiness to truly listen to Kansans about the issues impacting them, including access to affordable health care.

Many politicians in Washington are poised to blindly vote for the trumped up AHCA against the expert recommendations of the AMA, the AAFP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Osteopathic Association and more. Our health care insurance and delivery infrastructures face notable challenges, especially in Kansas. We need an authentic, independent voice to help usher us through the aftermath of those votes and advocating for the health of Kansas, even if that voice is from another congressional district.