Scott Schwab
32nd Secretary of State of Kansas
Assumed office
January 14, 2019
GovernorLaura Kelly
Preceded byKris Kobach
Speaker pro tempore of the Kansas House of Representatives
In office
January 9, 2017 – January 14, 2019
Preceded byPeggy Mast
Succeeded byBlaine Finch
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 49th district
In office
January 12, 2009 – January 14, 2019
Preceded byBenjamin Hodge
Succeeded byMegan Lynn
In office
January 13, 2003 – January 8, 2007
Preceded byDennis Pyle
Succeeded byBenjamin Hodge
Personal details
Born
Scott Joseph Schwab

(1972-07-09) July 9, 1972 (age 51)
Great Bend, Kansas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMichele
Children4 (1 deceased)
ResidenceOlathe, Kansas
EducationFort Hays State University (BA)

Scott Joseph Schwab (born July 9, 1972[1]) is an American politician serving as the 32nd Secretary of State of Kansas. He served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 49th district, from 2009 to 2019. He also served as Speaker pro tempore of the Kansas House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. He received national attention when his son, Caleb, was killed in an accident on the Schlitterbahn Kansas City, Kansas water park's Verrückt water slide. In November 2018, he was elected Kansas Secretary of State.[2][3]

Early life

In 1994, Schwab earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fort Hays State University.[4] After college, he worked as an agent for the Kansas Farm Bureau until 1999. He worked in the sales field until 2010, and then became the executive vice president of CompDME.[4]

Campaigns

Schwab began serving as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives in June 2003. In 2004, he won the primary in the Republican district with 69.1% of the vote, against Shannon Giles.[5]

In 2006, he chose to run in the Republican primary for the 3rd congressional district, a seat held at that time by four-term Democratic incumbent, Dennis Moore. Schwab faced banker Chuck Ahner of Overland Park, Thomas Scherer of Merriam and Paul Showen of Shawnee.[6] Ahner won the 3rd District primary with 51.9% to Schwab's 32.5% of the vote. Benjamin B. Hodge won the Republican primary for the District 49 seat with 52.7% of the vote, and succeeded Schwab in the state House.[7]

In 2008, Schwab ran again for his old 49th District seat, was unopposed in the primary, and defeated Democrat Kristi Boone in the general election.[8][9]

In 2017, Schwab announced that he would be a candidate for Kansas Secretary of State in the 2018 election. He said he was not interested in rolling back voting standards supported by then-incumbent Secretary of State Kris Kobach, but that his experience as House Speaker pro tem and as chair of the elections and insurance committees qualified him for the position.[10]

During his tenure as Secretary of State, Schwab maintained that there was no issue with voter fraud or election security, a position at odds with that of former president Donald Trump. Schwab filed to run for reelection in 2022[11] and won the GOP nomination,[12] defeating a primary challenge from former Johnson County commissioner Mike Brown by 55% to 45%.[13] He won re-election that November, defeating Democratic nominee Jeanna Repass.[14]

Political positions

Regarding LGBT issues, Schwab believes being gay is a "lifestyle choice".[15] He is against same-sex marriage and describes himself as pro-life.[16] Schwab opposes legalization of medical marijuana, saying "this would be an attempt to legalize marijuana. It has no benefit for pain management. All it does is make you crave another bag of chips."[17]

After the death of his son at a water park, Schwab supported additional government regulations on the inspection of water parks.[18][19]

Personal life

Schwab's 10-year-old son, Caleb, died after being decapitated on August 7, 2016 in an accident on the Verrückt water slide at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City waterpark.[20][21] The family received a reported $20 million settlement.[22] Schwab was criticized for taking advantage of Texas law, which permitted him to receive the $20 million settlement, rather than Kansas law that he, as a state lawmaker, voted for in 2014, which would have capped damages at $300,000.[23][24]

In March 2018, Schlitterbahn and three current or former employees were indicted by the Kansas Attorney General on charges related to Caleb's death.[25][26] The charges against the defendants were dismissed due to prosecutorial misconduct with the grand jury.[27] Schwab and his wife, Michele, have three surviving children.

References

  1. ^ "Kansas Legislators, Past and Present - Schwab, Scott". kslib.info. State Library of Kansas. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  2. ^ McCoy, Donald R. (February 2000). Landon, Alfred Mossman (1887-1987), governor of Kansas and Republican presidential nominee. American National Biography Online. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0600763.
  3. ^ "Scott Schwab of Olathe wins Republican vote to replace Kobach as secretary of state". kansascity. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Scott Schwab's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  5. ^ 2004 Primary Official Results, Kansas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  6. ^ August ballot lineups are decided, Lawrence Journal World, June 13, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  7. ^ 2006 Primary Official Results, Kansas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  8. ^ 2008 Election Official Vote Totals, Kansas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  9. ^ "Scott Schwab, R-49th". KanFocus. Contact Information. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  10. ^ Kansas Rep Scott Schwab enters Secretary of State race, KAKE-TV, October 4, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  11. ^ Secretary of State Scott Schwab to seek second term after high profile role in 2020 elections, Topeka Capital-Journal , Andrew Bahl, June 23, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  12. ^ "Kansas Secretary of State Live Election Results 2022 – NBC News". www.nbcnews.com. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  13. ^ Brownstein, Analysis by Ronald (August 16, 2022). "Analysis: Cheney's fate in Wyoming is a final test of Trump's hold over the GOP". CNN. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  14. ^ "Secretary of State Scott Schwab wins again after vouching for Kansas election integrity". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  15. ^ Carpenter, Tim (March 29, 2014). "Kansas shying from spotlight in gay-marriage drama". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  16. ^ Scott Schwab’s political stances on social issues, I Side With. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  17. ^ "Medical Marijuana: Kansas". MedicalMarijuanaBlog.com. June 14, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  18. ^ Hanna, John (March 30, 2018). "Kansas indictments highlight lax state rules on water parks". Associated Press. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  19. ^ Kite, Allison (April 26, 2017). "Kansas Tightens Amusement Park Regulations after Boy's Waterslide Death". insurancejournal.com. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  20. ^ Calvo, Amanda; Chan, Melissa (August 9, 2016). "What We Know About the Young Boy Decapitated on the World's Tallest Water Slide". TIME.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  21. ^ Raine, Naja (August 9, 2016). "Caleb Schwab, 10, Decapitated in Water Slide Accident, Police Confirm". People. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  22. ^ Vockrodt, Steve (May 4, 2017). "Family of Caleb Schwab receives nearly $20 million in Verrückt settlements". Kansas City Star.
  23. ^ Shuart, Blake (May 8, 2017). "Schlitterbahn settlement exposes unjust damages laws". Wichita Eagle.
  24. ^ "How is Representative Scott Schwabb Not a Hypocrite?". March 27, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018.
  25. ^ Phillips, Kristine (March 25, 2018). "A boy was decapitated on a waterslide. The park knew the ride could kill people, officials say". Washington Post.
  26. ^ Brocchetto, Marilia; Gray, Melissa (March 27, 2018). "Kansas water park executives charged with murder in boy's death". CNN.
  27. ^ Judge Dismisses Murder Charges Over Boy's Death On Kansas Waterslide, National Public Radio, Bill Chappell, February 25, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.

External links

Party political offices Preceded byKris Kobach Republican nominee for Secretary of State of Kansas 2018, 2022 Most recent Kansas House of Representatives Preceded byPeggy Mast Speaker pro tempore of the Kansas House of Representatives 2017–2019 Succeeded byBlaine Finch Political offices Preceded byKris Kobach Secretary of State of Kansas 2019–present Incumbent
Statewide political officials of Kansas
Secretaries of state in the United States
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