Left to right: Steve Jacob, Tracey Mann, Lauren Reinhold

A former federal worker and a former City of Lawrence employee are set to face off against an incumbent Republican congressman this election season in Kansas’ 1st District.

The 1st District includes all of the City of Lawrence, which is its largest urban area, but none of the rest of Douglas County. It takes in north-central Kansas and all of the rural western part of the state, stretching all the way to the Colorado border.

Currently, the district is represented by Republican Rep. Tracey Mann. He will face a general election challenge from two Lawrence residents: Libertarian Steve Jacob and Democrat Lauren Reinhold.

Election Day is Nov. 3, and advance voting is underway. Here’s some more information about each of the candidates.

Steve Jacob

Jacob, a Lawrence Libertarian, is a former City of Lawrence employee who has run for the Douglas County Commission and Lawrence City Commission in past elections.

He wants to take steps toward reducing the national debt, which he’s said is “unsustainable,” and which he calls this his “main focus” on his campaign Facebook page.

“The Federal government spends about 20% of its collected revenue on interest payments….see how that works in your household,” he wrote in a post. “Presidents come and go, but the damage remains. It does not matter who. We continue to mortgage our [kids’] future.”

He also opposes the war in Iran, and, as the Journal-World has reported, he considers Immigration and Customs Enforcement “a terrorist organization.”

Jacob has also said on social media that he believes the recent income tax law changes to exempt tips and overtime pay for some workers are a good policy. And he has said that he is “not taking any money” for this election.

Tracey Mann

Mann has represented the 1st District in Congress since 2021. Before this, he briefly served as lieutenant governor under Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer. He comes from a farm family, and he has worked in commercial real estate.

“As a proud fifth-generation Kansan who grew up working thousands of hours on my family’s farm south of Quinter, I am honored to represent farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers on the House Agriculture Committee and in Congress,” Mann’s congressional website reads.

While in Congress, Mann says he’s advocated for “crop insurance, oversight, trade, and trade promotion” in his role on the Agriculture Committee. He also was one of the co-sponsors of the Stop Insider Trading Act, which would have restricted members of Congress from purchasing individual stocks, but which was recently blocked in the Senate after the House passed it.

Mann also recently introduced legislation that would fund improvements to the U.S. air traffic control system. And on social media and his campaign site, he has voiced opposition to gun control, abortion rights and transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports.

Lauren Reinhold

Reinhold, a Lawrence Democrat, is an attorney who was a longtime federal employee and union leader. However, according to her campaign website, she left her job at the Social Security Administration after the Department of Government Efficiency targeted that agency for staff cuts.

“Lauren reluctantly resigned from SSA, deciding she could make a greater impact outside the government by advocating for the retention and restoration of crucial programs that benefit Kansas families,” her campaign website reads.

If elected, Reinhold has a number of priorities related to the rural areas in the western portion of the district. These include legislation that would improve rural healthcare access and funding and “a strong, modern Farm Bill that reflects the real needs of Kansas producers.”

She also opposes cuts to the SNAP food assistance program; supports removing the cap on income that’s subject to Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes; and would advocate for immigration reforms for “fixing backlogged courts and stabilizing our agricultural workforce.”

As the Journal-World has reported, she’s in favor of putting restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and she would support higher taxes on wealthy Americans.