Steineger ‘tests waters’ for congressional race

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Could the Republican primary in the Kansas 3rd Congressional District get bigger?

Maybe.

Chris Steineger

Former Kansas State Sen. Chris Steineger said in an interview this week that he is looking at running for the 3rd District seat now held by Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids.

“It’s fair to say I’ve been actively considering it, and I’ve been around talking to people,” he said. “I haven’t made any filings or raised any money, but I continue to look into the possibility.”

Steineger’s name has been mentioned as a possible candidate in recent months as the Republican primary in the 3rd District unfolds.

However, he would be joining a field that already includes former Kansas Republican Party Chairwoman Amanda Adkins and Sara Hart Weir, former chief executive of the National Down Syndrome Society. Former Roeland Park Mayor Adrienne Foster filed to run last week, as well.

Adkins and Weir have been working on their campaigns for months. Adkins announced recently that she had raised $290,000, while Weir said she had raised about $260,000.

Steineger, who now works as a professional speaker talking about American government overseas, said he’s been exploring a possible run. He said he is not committed to a race at this point.

“I would call it the classic testing the waters.”

Among other things, Steineger said he’s trying to get a feel for how the 3rd District would respond to a Republican candidate and where the voters are on President Donald Trump going into 2020.

Steineger represented Kansas City, Kansas, in the state Senate from 1997 until 2013, part of the time as a Democrat before joining the Republican Party in 2010.

When he split with the Democratic Party, he said his views about the size and role of government were no longer in synch with the party.

Describing himself at the time as a “fiscal hawk,” Steineger said his opinions about spending, borrowing and taxes did not align with Democrats.

He ran as a Democrat for Kansas secretary of state in 2010 but lost to Chris Biggs in the primary with about 40% of the vote. Biggs later lost in the general election to Kris Kobach.

Steineger did not have the support of Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley in that election, who sent an email to 27,000 Democrats calling for him to withdraw from the race.