Rep.-elect Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.-02)

Date of birth: Feb. 17, 1988
Residence: Topeka, Kan.
Occupation: Kansas state treasurer
Education: B.A., Pittsburg State University
Family: wife, Suzanne; four children, Ava, Joe, Maggie, Gus

Kansas State Treasurer Jake LaTurner (R) defeated Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla (D) in the race to represent Kansas’s 2nd Congressional District.

LaTurner managed to best first-term Rep. Steve Watkins (R-Kan.) — who was charged with felony voter fraud in July — in a heated primary battle by roughly 15 points.

LaTurner locked down key endorsements during the primary, including the backing of the Kansas Farm Bureau and Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.). He was encouraged by former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) to drop his Senate bid and challenge Watkins.

Former Gov. Sam Brownback (R) appointed LaTurner as the state treasurer in April 2017, making him the youngest statewide official in the country. In 2018, he handily won his race to retain the position.

Prior to assuming the role of state treasurer, LaTurner served in the state Senate from 2013 through 2017. He also previously worked for the short-line rail company Watco.

LaTurner lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife, Suzanne, and their four children.

–  Juliegrace Brufke