Tim Owens (politician)

Tim Owens is a former Republican member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 8th district from 2008 to 2013. He was a representative for the 19th district in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2002 until his election as senator. From 1981 to 2005, he served as a council member for the Overland Park City Council, 3rd District. An attorney, he is married with 2 children.

Tim Owens
Member of the Kansas Senate
from the 8th district
In office
January 2009 – January 2013
Preceded byUnknown
Succeeded byJim Denning
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 19th district
In office
January 2003 – January 2009
Preceded byUnknown
Succeeded byUnknown
Personal details
Born1945
U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationKansas State University (BA) (1968)
Washburn University Law School, (JD) (1974)
United States Army Command and General Staff College (1981)

Disagreement with Conservative Republicans

Senator Owens made national news as a leading liberal-Republican in the Kansas Senate, blocking the state's Health Care Freedom Amendment, an effort to push back parts of the Affordable Care Act. He also argued that judges should be selected by a committee of lawyers rather than the governor.[1] As a consequence of their independence, Owens and seven other moderates were targeted for primary defeats by Koch Industries. He and five others were defeated.[2] Owens and five others were defeated, though two years later, the public voted replacements down. In 2018, Owens was the campaign treasurer for Kansas independent candidate Greg Orman, but he stepped down on October 30th, after conceding that only moderate democrat Laura Kelly could beat anti-immigrant Republican Kris Kobach.[3][4]

Committee assignments

Owens served on these Senate legislative committees:[5]

  • Judiciary (chair)
  • Confirmation Oversight
  • Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight
  • Education
  • Federal and State Affairs
  • Joint Committee on Kansas Security

Major Donors

Some of the top contributors to Owens's 2008 campaign, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics:[6]

Kansas Republican Senatorial Committee, Hallmark Cards, Kansas Contractors Association, Kansas Association of Realtors, Kansas Medical Society, and others

Finance, insurance, and real estate companies were his largest donor group.

Elections

2008

Running for an open senate seat, Owens defeated fellow House member Benjamin Hodge in the Republican primary and Democrat Judy Macy in the general election.

2012

In the 2012 Republican primary, Owens lost to former Johnson county Sheriff, Jim Denning, who won the general election.

References
  1. Ammon Simon. "The Battle for Kansas". Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  2. Defeated Kansas Senator: "Koch Industries is just a terrible, terrible citizen", Slate Magazine, Dave Weigel, August 8, 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. Orman treasurer resigns, endorses Kelly in Kansas governor race, Wichita Eagle, Jonathan Shorman, October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 30,2018.
  4. Bauer, Mary (December 14, 2011). "Court Cites Discriminatory Intent Behind Alabama's Anti-Immigrant Law". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012.
  5. Profile from the Kansas Legislature
  6. Tim Owens 2008 campaign contributions
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