Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District Has Democratic and Republican Primaries
Sharice Davids faces Sarah Preu as Eric Jenkins and Chase LaPorte battle to take on the winner and Libertarian Steven Hohe in November
On August 4, Democratic voters in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District will choose between U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids and progressive challenger Sarah Preu. Republicans will choose between former Shawnee City Council member Eric Jenkins and Army veteran Chase LaPorte. Libertarian Steven A. Hohe is already nominated for the November 3 general election.
Davids enters the race with eight years in Congress, influential committee assignments, national endorsements, and more than $1.72 million in campaign cash. However, she faces growing criticism from Democrats who believe she has moved too far toward the political center, citing her retreat from an apparent 2018 expression of support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, her votes for both versions of the Laken Riley Act, her support for a 2026 funding package containing temporary Department of Homeland Security funding, her support for military assistance to Israel, her decision not to join a 2023 ceasefire resolution, substantial PAC and pro-Israel political support, and her refusal to support Medicare for All or the Green New Deal.
Preu is campaigning as a progressive alternative. Her platform includes Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, a $17 federal minimum wage, large-scale public-housing investment, stronger regulation of artificial intelligence, an arms embargo on Israel, and a broader federal response to climate change.
Jenkins brings decades of experience with the Army and Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with eight years in local office. LaPorte is campaigning as a military veteran, small-business owner, and political outsider. Hohe offers a Libertarian alternative centered on reducing federal power, taxation, and overseas military involvement.
District Snapshot
Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, centered on suburban Johnson County, includes all of Anderson, Franklin, Johnson, and Miami counties, and part of Wyandotte County. This configuration combines cities like Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa, Leawood, and Prairie Village with Ottawa, Paola, Garnett, other smaller communities, and rural areas. Portions of Kansas City, Bonner Springs, and Edwardsville add urban and industrial elements (Kansas Legislative Research Department, 2025).
The district’s current boundaries, established after the 2020 census, were implemented in 2022. The Republican-controlled Legislature enacted the Ad Astra 2 map, overriding Governor Laura Kelly’s veto, and the Kansas Supreme Court upheld it. The assigned census population was 734,470. Recent estimates place the population at approximately 754,087 across about 2,262 square miles (Kansas Legislative Research Department, 2022; Rivera v. Schwab, 2022; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024).
The district is wealthier and more educated than Kansas as a whole. Its estimated median household income is $101,317, with a per-capita income of $55,268, and a poverty rate of 6.8%. Approximately 95.8% of adults have completed high school, and 53.5% hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Homeowners occupy 69.5% of housing units. The district also includes an estimated 28,701 veterans, representing 4.9% of its adult civilian population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024).
The 2020 redistricting file recorded 556,362 voting-age residents:
White alone: 443,750 (79.8%)
Black alone: 25,240 (4.5%)
Asian or Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 26,618 (4.8%)
American Indian alone: 2,791 (0.5%)
Some other race: 18,373 (3.3%)
Two or more races: 39,590 (7.1%)
While Republicans hold a registration advantage, recent elections demonstrate that registration alone does not determine outcomes. In May 2026, the district had 222,264 registered Republicans (40.22%), 168,689 Democrats (30.52%), and 152,628 unaffiliated voters (27.61%). Other parties constituted less than 2% (Kansas Secretary of State, 2026b).
The district’s suburban core raises issues concerning housing costs, transportation, healthcare, education, technology, and professional employment. Its smaller cities and rural areas bring additional needs related to agriculture, broadband, small businesses, and infrastructure. The urban portion in Wyandotte County introduces questions about wages, immigration, housing, and public services. Candidates aim to represent all these diverse communities..
Election History
In 2018, Sharice Davids won a six-candidate Democratic primary with 37.34% of the vote before defeating Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder in the general election:
Sharice Davids: 170,518 votes (53.57%)
Kevin Yoder: 139,762 votes (43.91%)
Libertarian Chris Clemmons: 8,021 votes (2.52%)
Davids’s 30,756-vote margin ended Republican control of the seat (Kansas Secretary of State, 2018a, 2018b).
She has since maintained her hold on the district with consistent margins. In 2020, Davids defeated Republican Amanda Adkins 220,049 to 178,773 (10.06 percentage points). Following redistricting, Davids again defeated Adkins in 2022, securing 165,527 votes compared to Adkins’s 128,839 (12.18-point margin) (Kansas Secretary of State, 2020b, 2022b).
In 2024, Davids defeated Republican Prasanth Reddy 209,871 to 167,570 (10.76 percentage points). Across all four general-election victories, Davids has consistently garnered between 53.36% and 54.94% of the vote .The current Democratic primary marks Davids’s first contested congressional primary since 2018; she ran unopposed for renomination in 2020, 2022, and 2024. (Kansas Secretary of State, 2024b)
Republican voters, however, have experienced more regular primary contests. Amanda Adkins won a five-candidate Republican primary with 30.64% in 2020. She then defeated John McCaughrean 77.23% to 22.77% in 2022. In 2024, Prasanth Reddy defeated Karen Crnkovich 53.06% to 46.94% (Kansas Secretary of State, 2020a, 2022a, 2024a).
Hohe is also a familiar figure in the district, having been the Libertarian congressional nominee in 2016, 2020, and 2022. He received 11,596 votes (2.83%) in 2020 and 6,928 votes (2.30%) in 2022. In 2024, he ran for Kansas House District 18, securing 4.45% of the vote (Kansas Secretary of State, 2020b, 2022b, 2024b; KCUR, 2026).
Democratic Candidates
Sharice Davids
Background and Experience
Sharice Davids, who entered Congress in 2019, previously worked as an attorney, economic-development professional, nonprofit leader, and White House Fellow. She holds degrees from Johnson County Community College, the University of Missouri–Kansas City (bachelor’s), and Cornell University (law).
An enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, Davids and Deb Haaland were the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Davids was also among the first two openly LGBTQ Native American members of Congress (U.S. House Historian, 2026; Sharice Davids for Congress, 2026).
Her campaign emphasizes her focus on lowering household costs, improving infrastructure, expanding manufacturing, protecting health coverage, and securing federal resources for her district. She supports abortion rights, LGBTQ protections, gun-safety laws, and clean-energy investment.
On immigration, Davids advocates for border enforcement, legal immigration pathways, and broader reform. While opposing mass deportation and family separation, she has supported legislation expanding mandatory detention for certain undocumented immigrants accused of crimes (Johnson County Post, 2026a; KMBC, 2018; Sharice Davids for Congress, 2026).
Legislative and Government Record
Davids serves on the House Agriculture Committee (conservation and research; commodities, risk management, and credit subcommittees) and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (aviation; highways-and-transit subcommittees). These assignments align with her district’s agricultural communities, roads, airports, and suburban transportation needs (U.S. House Clerk, 2026a; U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, 2025).
Her legislative record shows more success with targeted measures than with sweeping laws. Provisions from her CAREER Act, aiding individuals recovering from substance-use disorders, were incorporated into the SUPPORT Act, which became law in December 2025. Her SERV Act, improving Small Business Administration support for veteran entrepreneurs, passed the House in February 2025 but had not become law by July 28, 2026.
Davids also introduced bipartisan legislation with Republican Rep. Frank Lucas concerning tribal food distribution. Other proposals addressed employment flexibility for workers with disabilities and mental-health services for LGBTQ youth. The introduction or House passage of a bill does not guarantee its enactment into law (Congress.gov, 2025a, 2025b, 2025c, 2025d, 2025e).
Selected Federal Voting History
A final-passage vote on large federal bills indicates a member’s stance on the entire measure, not necessarily agreement with every provision.
March 10, 2021, H.R. 1319: Voted for the American Rescue Plan (Public Law 117-2) (U.S. House Clerk, 2021a).
November 5, 2021, H.R. 3684: Voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58) (U.S. House Clerk, 2021b).
June 24, 2022, S. 2938: Voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (Public Law 117-159) (U.S. House Clerk, 2022a).
August 12, 2022, H.R. 5376: Voted for the Inflation Reduction Act (Public Law 117-169) (U.S. House Clerk, 2022b).
March 7, 2024, H.R. 7511: Voted for the first House version of the Laken Riley Act, which passed but did not become law (U.S. House Clerk, 2024a).
April 20, 2024, H.R. 8035: Voted for a Ukraine security supplemental (part of Public Law 118-50) (U.S. House Clerk, 2024b).
April 20, 2024, H.R. 8034: Voted for an Israel security supplemental (part of Public Law 118-50) (U.S. House Clerk, 2024c).
January 22, 2025, S. 5: Voted for the revised Laken Riley Act (Public Law 119-1) (U.S. House Clerk, 2025a).
April 10, 2025, H.R. 22: Voted against the SAVE Act and its documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements for federal voter registration (U.S. House Clerk, 2025b).
July 3, 2025, H.R. 1: Voted against the Republican tax and spending law (Public Law 119-21) (U.S. House Clerk, 2025c).
February 3, 2026, H.R. 7148: Voted for a broad appropriations package including temporary Department of Homeland Security funding (one of 21 Democrats voting yes) (U.S. House Clerk, 2026b).
Her overall voting pattern is strongly Democratic on issues such as taxes, infrastructure, health care, climate, labor, and civil rights. Her votes on immigration and national security represent some of the clearest departures from the priorities of the party’s progressive wing.
Endorsements and Public Assessments
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and LGBTQ Equality PAC endorse Davids as a 2026 candidate.
Advocacy group scorecards further illustrate her voting alignment:
League of Conservation Voters: 94% (2025) and 95% (lifetime)
AFL-CIO: 100% (2025) and 99% (lifetime)
Human Rights Campaign: 100% (118th Congress)
Reproductive Freedom for All: 100% (2025)
Heritage Action: 0% (119th Congress) and 3% (lifetime)
These scores do not offer a neutral evaluation of job performance, as each organization selects and weighs votes according to its specific priorities. However, taken together, they demonstrate that Davids’ voting record, while occasionally including bipartisan or enforcement-oriented votes, largely aligns with the priorities of labor, environmental, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ advocacy organizations (AFL-CIO, 2026; Heritage Action, 2026; Human Rights Campaign, 2024; League of Conservation Voters, 2026; LGBTQ Equality PAC, 2026; LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, 2026; Reproductive Freedom for All, 2026).
Controversies and Democratic Criticism
Criticism of Davids from within the Democratic Party centers on whether her political moderation, which helped her hold a formerly Republican district, has become an obstacle to addressing key issues such as immigration enforcement, healthcare costs, housing, climate change, and U.S. support for Israel.
Immigration and ICE
Davids’s history with ICE began with a disputed position during her first congressional campaign. In a 2018 interview, she appeared to agree when asked whether she supported defunding or abolishing the agency. She later clarified her remarks, stating she did not support abolishing ICE. Instead, she endorsed secure borders, lawful immigration pathways, and reforms intended to prevent family separation (KMBC, 2018).
Her congressional record has since moved firmly away from abolition. Davids voted for the March 2024 House version of the Laken Riley Act, joining 36 other Democrats, and supported the revised legislation again in January 2025.
The enacted law mandates federal detention of certain undocumented immigrants accused of specified crimes and grants states expanded authority to challenge federal immigration decisions. Critics argue that mandatory detention based solely on an arrest or accusation can deny due process to individuals who have not been convicted (U.S. House Clerk, 2024a, 2025a).
In February 2026, Davids was one of 21 Democrats who voted for H.R. 7148, a broader government-funding package that included temporary funding for the Department of Homeland Security. While the measure covered numerous departments and federal programs, it did continue DHS funding, including the federal immigration-enforcement system (U.S. House Clerk, 2026b).
Simultaneously, Davids has opposed particular detention projects, including CoreCivic’s detention operation in Leavenworth and a proposed 7,500-bed facility in south Kansas City. Supporters view these actions as an effort to distinguish border enforcement from private and excessively large detention facilities. Critics, however, see a contradiction between opposing detention centers near her district and supporting legislation that preserves the enforcement system, thereby creating demand for detention space (KCUR, 2026).
Israel, Gaza, and Pro-Israel Political Funding
In April 2024, Davids voted for H.R. 8034, a package providing approximately $26 billion for Israel and related humanitarian and regional assistance. Roughly $17 billion was allocated for Israeli military and missile-defense needs. The measure passed 366–58 and became part of Public Law 118-50 (U.S. House Clerk, 2024c).
She did not cosponsor H.Res. 786, the October 2023 resolution calling for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. This resolution had 18 Democratic cosponsors and did not receive a House vote. While not cosponsoring it is not equivalent to casting a vote against it, Davids declined to join that particular ceasefire effort (Congress.gov, 2023).
Her campaign’s acceptance of pro-Israel political funding has made these policy decisions more controversial. Campaign critics have categorized $36,504 from the previous election cycle as associated with AIPAC and $118,581 as coming from a broader collection of pro-Israel political sources. These are not official FEC funding categories and depend on how individual donors and committees are classified.
Federal records establish that Davids receives substantial support from PACs and other political committees, including those advocating stronger U.S.-Israel relations. A contribution documents financial support; it does not prove that the donor directed the recipient’s vote. Nevertheless, critics argue that accepting large amounts of interest-group money raises questions about access and independent judgment on military assistance and Gaza policy (Federal Election Commission, 2026a, 2026g).
Health Care and Progressive Priorities
Davids supports protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act, reducing prescription-drug costs, and defending coverage for people with preexisting conditions. However, she has not supported replacing the existing system with Medicare for All.
Critics argue that her incremental approach keeps private insurers at the center of the healthcare system and does not guarantee care for every person. Supporters contend that building on the Affordable Care Act is more politically achievable and avoids forcing people from existing coverage arrangements (Sharice Davids for Congress, 2026).
Davids also did not join the congressional Green New Deal resolution. While her environmental score from the League of Conservation Voters remains high, and she supported the Inflation Reduction Act and federal clean-energy investment, critics on the left argue that these actions fall short of the structural response required by climate change.
The same tension appears across her record. Davids’s supporters describe bipartisanship and incremental legislation as necessary for representing a politically mixed district and producing results. Her critics, however, describe that approach as accepting limits imposed by corporate power, Republican opposition, and the existing political system.
Sarah Preu
Background and Experience
Sarah Preu, a technology and communications project manager, owns a technical communications business. Her professional background includes work with Siemens and Cerner. Preu states that she has lived in the district for approximately 25 years but has not held elected office (Johnson County Post, 2026a, 2026b).
Her professional experience has provided her familiarity with project management, corporate communication, and technology. Her campaign presents this work as preparation for evaluating complex federal programs, technical policy, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence. Her strength lies in the clarity and breadth of her platform. Her principal challenge will be demonstrating how someone without elected or legislative experience can build the coalitions necessary to advance that platform through Congress.
Economic, Labor, and Health-Care Platform
Preu supports Medicare for All and the elimination of insulin charges. She argues that health care should be a public guarantee rather than a benefit dependent on employment, income, or an insurance company. Her labor platform includes a $17 federal minimum wage, passage of the PRO Act, stronger collective-bargaining protections, and limits on the share of family income consumed by child care.
She advocates for greater federal investment in public housing, rent stabilization, stronger tenant protections, and measures aimed at reducing housing insecurity. These positions assign more responsibility to the federal government than the housing policies typically advanced by moderate congressional Democrats. Her campaign also calls for changes intended to shift economic power from corporations and wealthy donors toward workers, tenants, and consumers (Sarah Preu for Congress, 2026).
Immigration and Civil Rights
Preu calls for abolishing ICE, ending workplace and neighborhood immigration raids, and creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. While abolishing ICE would not eliminate all federal immigration law, Congress would still need to decide which agency would assume responsibility for customs enforcement, immigration investigations, detention decisions, and removal proceedings.
She supports restoring federal abortion protections, passing the Equality Act, banning assault weapons, and requiring universal background checks.Her civil rights platform also emphasizes protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and communities subject to discriminatory enforcement (Sarah Preu for Congress, 2026).
Housing, Climate, and Technology
Preu supports significant public housing investment, rent stabilization, and stronger tenant protections. Her climate platform includes green manufacturing, electrical-grid modernization, expanded public transportation, and environmental requirements for data centers.
Her technology proposals are unusually detailed for a congressional campaign. They include mandatory safeguards for high-risk artificial intelligence systems, a right to human review of consequential automated decisions, and labeling requirements for deepfakes.
These proposals respond to concerns about automated discrimination, employment decisions, misinformation, and the energy and water demands of large data centers. Implementation would require Congress to define which systems qualify as high risk, which agencies would enforce the standards, and what legal remedies would be available to people harmed by automated decisions (Sarah Preu for Congress, 2026).
Foreign Policy
Preu supports an arms embargo on Israel, renewed U.S. participation in the Iran nuclear agreement, repeal of existing congressional authorizations for military force, and restored American support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Her foreign policy platform would represent a substantial departure from current bipartisan policy toward Israel. It would also require congressional and executive action beyond the authority of one House member.
Her campaign connects these positions to a broader argument that Congress has surrendered too much war-making authority to presidents and has not imposed sufficient human rights conditions on military assistance (Sarah Preu for Congress, 2026).
Endorsements
Preu’s campaign publishes endorsements from CAIR Action, Progressive Democrats of America, the organization’s Kansas chapter, Track AIPAC, Progressive Voter Network, Cannabis Justice Coalition, several local elected officials, and civic-education creator “Mr. Beat.”
Republican Candidates
Eric Jenkins
Eric Jenkins served on the Shawnee City Council (2015-2023), including a term as president, and on the city planning commission. His campaign highlights 34 years of active-duty and reserve Army service, including Special Forces and military-police command, with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and a career with FEMA (Eric Jenkins for Kansas, 2026; KCUR, 2026).
Jenkins won the 2018 Republican primary for Kansas House District 18 but lost the general election to Democrat Cindy Neighbor (5,831 to 5,070). In 2023, he lost his Shawnee Ward 2 council reelection to Jeanie Murphy (1,516 to 1,253) (Kansas Secretary of State, 2018b; KCUR, 2026).
Jenkins advocates for lower taxes, spending restraint, deficit reduction, and preserving Trump-era tax cuts. He supports stronger border enforcement, legal immigration pathways, an “all of the above” energy policy, protection of gun, speech, and religious-liberty rights, and greater state and local control.
In 2019, Jenkins opposed a Shawnee nondiscrimination ordinance protecting sexual orientation and gender identity; it passed 5–2. In 2022, he supported a symbolic resolution backing restrictions on transgender athletes despite public opposition (Johnson County Post, 2019; KCUR, 2022).
His campaign argues his military leadership, disaster-response work, and local-government experience prepare him for Congress. However, his public record offers voters specific decisions to evaluate, particularly concerning LGBTQ protections, local governance, and the distinction between long public service and outsider politics.
Chase LaPorte
Chase LaPorte is an Army veteran and small-business owner. His campaign states he served over seven years, achieved the rank of sergeant, and completed three deployments to Iraq. He notes involvement with the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Shriners (Chase LaPorte for Congress, 2026; Johnson County Post, 2026b).
LaPorte briefly sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2022 before withdrawing. He began the 2026 cycle as a U.S. Senate candidate against Roger Marshall, then switched to the 3rd District House race (KCUR, 2026).
His campaign emphasizes congressional term limits, spending restraint, cost of living, regulation, veterans’ issues, and public safety. It offers fewer details on policy implementation related to taxes, health care, agriculture, immigration, and major federal programs.
Following U.S. strikes connected to Iran, LaPorte called the decision hasty and cautioned against a ground war. Earlier campaign materials described him as anti-abortion and supportive of a biblically defined view of marriage and family, though these positions receive less attention on his current campaign website (Chase LaPorte for Congress, 2026; KCUR, 2026).
His strategy frames his previous campaigns as persistent and argues military and business experience are more crucial than conventional governmental experience. His challenge is demonstrating how his broad campaign themes would translate into specific federal legislation and budget decisions.
Libertarian Candidate
Steven A. Hohe
Steven A. Hohe is a businessman, Air Force veteran, and a recurring Libertarian candidate. He has not held elected office but has appeared on the district’s congressional ballot three times and ran for the Kansas House in 2024 (Kansas Secretary of State, 2020b, 2022b, 2024b).
In past campaigns, Hohe advocated for reducing federal power, returning many social services to the states, replacing income taxes with a consumption-tax model, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and reducing overseas military involvement. He also stated he would preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Hohe declined KCUR’s 2026 interview request, and an accessible current platform was not available. His earlier positions establish his past approach but do not confirm every detail remains unchanged (KCUR, 2026).
Hohe will not compete on August 4. Kansas minor parties nominate federal candidates by caucus or convention, and the official candidate list places him directly in the general election (Johnson County Election Office, 2026; Kansas Secretary of State, 2026a).
Campaign Finance
The figures below come from Federal Election Commission records. Candidate committees, candidate loans, joint fundraising committees, party committees and independent expenditures are legally different categories. They should not be combined as though they were controlled by the same campaign.
Sharice for Congress
Davids’s reliance on PAC and large-dollar fundraising has also drawn criticism unrelated to Israel. Her current-cycle donor list includes committees connected to organized labor, aviation, agriculture, construction, engineering, insurance, health care, telecommunications, trial lawyers and major corporations. Disclosed committees contributing as much as $10,000 include:
AFLAC PAC
American Association for Justice PAC
Burns & McDonnell PAC
Cox Enterprises PAC
CRH Americas PAC
Dairy Farmers of America PAC
National Air Traffic Controllers Association PAC
Fair Shot PAC
Jobs Education & Families First PAC
Way Back PAC
That range complicates any simple description of her funding as exclusively corporate. Some committees represent workers, professional associations or ideological organizations. Others represent companies and regulated industries. Critics argue that reliance on PACs and donors capable of giving thousands of dollars can give institutions greater access than ordinary constituents. Davids’s supporters argue that competitive congressional races require large financial operations and that receiving a lawful contribution does not establish control over her decisions.
Sharice for Congress has served as Sharice Davids’s principal campaign committee since February 2018. From its creation through July 15, 2026, it reported approximately:
Total receipts: $28,214,004.90
Total contributions: $26,797,922.90
Individual contributions: $21,120,364.30
PAC and other political-committee contributions: $5,637,458.68
Party-committee contributions: $40,099.92
Candidate contributions and loans: $0
Total disbursements: $26,489,793.01
Cash on hand on July 15, 2026: $1,724,211.89
Current debt: $0
Across her entire campaign history, individuals supplied approximately 78.81% of contributions. PACs and other political committees supplied approximately 21.04%, while party committees supplied approximately 0.15%. Davids has never reported using personal contributions or candidate loans to finance the committee.
2017–2018 Election Cycle
During Davids’s first campaign for Congress, the committee reported:
Total receipts: $4,860,761.14
Total contributions: $4,432,898.06
Individual contributions: $3,996,428.93
PAC and other political-committee contributions: $431,469.13
Party-committee contributions: $5,000
Candidate contributions and loans: $0
Total disbursements: $4,852,128.71
Ending cash: $8,632.43
Debt: $38,827.66
Individuals supplied 90.15% of contributions during Davids’s successful first campaign. PACs and other political committees supplied 9.73%. This was the only completed election cycle in which the committee ended with reported debt.
2019–2020 Election Cycle
During Davids’s first reelection campaign, the committee reported:
Total receipts: $5,790,837.15
Total contributions: $5,457,503.82
Individual contributions: $4,137,407.34
PAC and other political-committee contributions: $1,309,877.60
Party-committee contributions: $10,218.88
Candidate contributions and loans: $0
Total disbursements: $5,320,319.13
Ending cash: $479,150.45
Debt: $0
Individuals supplied 75.81% of contributions, while PACs and other political committees supplied 24%. The committee eliminated its earlier debt and ended the cycle with nearly $480,000 available.
2021–2022 Election Cycle
During Davids’s second reelection campaign, the committee reported:
Total receipts: $7,894,095.76
Total contributions: $7,422,700.06
Individual contributions: $5,844,958.27
PAC and other political-committee contributions: $1,567,731.79
Party-committee contributions: $10,010
Candidate contributions and loans: $0
Total disbursements: $8,309,622.97
Ending cash: $63,623.24
Debt: $0
This was the committee’s most expensive completed election cycle. Individuals supplied 78.74% of contributions, while PACs and other political committees supplied 21.12%. Spending exceeded receipts because the campaign used cash carried forward from 2020.
2023–2024 Election Cycle
During Davids’s third reelection campaign, the committee reported:
Total receipts: $5,977,870.92
Total contributions: $5,825,588.73
Individual contributions: $4,289,568.53
PAC and other political-committee contributions: $1,521,190.16
Party-committee contributions: $14,830.04
Candidate contributions and loans: $0
Total disbursements: $5,638,238.37
Ending cash: $403,255.79
Debt: $0
Individuals supplied 73.63% of contributions, while PACs and other political committees supplied 26.11%. This was the highest PAC share of any completed Davids campaign cycle.
2025–2026 Election Cycle Through July 15, 2026
During the current cycle, the committee reported:
Total receipts: $3,690,439.93
Total contributions: $3,659,232.23
Individual contributions: $2,852,001.23
PAC and other political-committee contributions: $807,190
Party-committee contributions: $41
Candidate contributions and loans: $0
Total disbursements: $2,369,483.83
Cash on hand: $1,724,211.89
Debt: $0
Individuals supplied 77.94% of contributions, while PACs and other political committees supplied 22.06%. Of the individual money, $1,732,028.99 was itemized and $1,119,972.24 was unitemized. The committee entered the final weeks before the primary with the largest cash balance it had reported at the end of any period summarized here.
Overall, Davids’s campaign operation grew from a heavily individual-funded first campaign into an established congressional committee combining individual fundraising with substantial PAC support. The committee has received more than $5.63 million from PACs and other political committees since 2018, but individuals have remained its dominant source of contributions in every election cycle. (Federal Election Commission, 2026a).
Committee for Sarah Preu for KS
From March 1 through July 15, the committee reported:
Total receipts and contributions: $21,415.02
Individual contributions: $18,438.02, or 86.10%
Candidate contribution: $1,740, or 8.13%
Kansas Democratic Party in-kind contribution: $1,237, or 5.78%
PAC contributions: $0
Loans: $0
Total disbursements: $8,817.60
Cash on hand: $12,598.42
Debt: $0
The candidate contribution covered the federal filing fee. The Kansas Democratic Party contribution was reported as an in-kind contribution rather than money transferred to the campaign’s bank account (Federal Election Commission, 2026b, 2026h).
Eric Jenkins for Congress
From April 1 through July 15, the committee reported:
Total receipts: $18,916.39
Total contributions: $17,126.39
Individual contributions: $7,126.39, or 41.61% of contributions
Restoring Our Nation PAC contributions: $10,000, or 58.39% of contributions
Candidate loan: $1,790
Total disbursements: $6,632.79
Cash on hand: $12,283.60
Debt owed by the committee: $1,790
The $1,790 candidate loan is debt that the committee may repay. It is not a candidate contribution and should not be included in the contribution percentages (Federal Election Commission, 2026c, 2026i).
Chase LaPorte
No current campaign-committee report was located for LaPorte through July 28. That leaves no federally verified totals for his receipts, individual contributions, PAC funding, candidate funding, spending, cash or debt.
The absence of a report does not by itself establish a violation. Federal registration and reporting obligations depend on whether a candidate or campaign crosses the applicable legal thresholds and on how campaign activity is structured (Federal Election Commission, 2026f).
Steven A. Hohe
No current campaign-committee report was located for Hohe through July 28. As a result, there are no federally verified figures available for his 2026 receipts, spending, cash, debt or personal financing (Federal Election Commission, 2026f).
What Voters Are Deciding
The Democratic primary in this district presents a clear divergence in governing philosophies.
Representative Sharice Davids seeks reelection, leveraging eight years in Congress, current assignments on the Agriculture and Transportation committees, a record of enacted legislation, institutional endorsements, four general-election victories, and over $1.72 million in campaign funds. Her voting record largely aligns with labor, environmental, reproductive-rights, and LGBTQ organizations.
However, Davids’s record also includes positions that have drawn scrutiny from some Democratic voters. She has distanced herself from her apparent 2018 support for abolishing ICE, voted for both versions of the Laken Riley Act, and supported a 2026 funding package that included temporary DHS funding. She backed military assistance for Israel, declined to support the 2023 ceasefire resolution, accepts substantial PAC and pro-Israel political support, and advocates for expanding the Affordable Care Act over adopting Medicare for All. While she supported major clean-energy legislation, she did not cosponsor the Green New Deal resolution. Supporters view these decisions as pragmatic representation of a district with more registered Republicans than Democrats. Critics, however, argue that political caution, institutional fundraising, and an emphasis on bipartisanship have moved her too far from policies they believe Democratic voters need.
Sarah Preu offers a direct progressive alternative. Her platform advocates for Medicare for All, a $17 minimum wage, abolition of ICE, stronger tenant protections, greater public investment in housing and transportation, broader regulation of artificial intelligence, and an arms embargo on Israel. While Preu’s platform provides detailed policy commitments, she lacks an elected or legislative record to demonstrate her ability to build the coalitions necessary for enactment. Her campaign is funded overwhelmingly by individuals but reported only $12,598.42 in cash as of July 15, operating on a dramatically different scale from the incumbent’s campaign (Federal Election Commission, 2026a, 2026b; Sarah Preu for Congress, 2026).
Republican voters face a choice between two candidates with different types of experience.
Pran K. Jenkins offers decades of service in the Army and FEMA, eight years on the Shawnee City Council, and a conventional conservative platform with federally disclosed campaign finances. His public record also includes opposition to Shawnee’s LGBTQ nondiscrimination ordinance, support for a transgender-athlete resolution, an unsuccessful Kansas House campaign, and a lost council reelection. A single PAC supplied 58.39% of his disclosed contributions (Federal Election Commission, 2026c; Johnson County Post, 2019; KCUR, 2022, 2026).
Chase LaPorte presents himself as a political outsider, emphasizing his military service, small-business experience, support for term limits, and frustration with federal spending and regulation. His campaign provides fewer implementation details, and his previous entries into gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races complicate his “first-time outsider” narrative. With no current FEC report, voters cannot verify his campaign’s fundraising, sources of contributions, or whether he is personally financing it (Chase LaPorte for Congress, 2026; Federal Election Commission, 2026f; KCUR, 2026).
The two primary winners are expected to join Hohe on the November ballot. However, the August 4 primary comes first. Democratic voters will decide whether Davids’s moderation represents effective governing or unacceptable compromise, and whether her record on immigration, Israel, campaign finance, health care, and climate warrants replacing a successful incumbent. Republican voters will determine whether Jenkins’s governmental experience or LaPorte’s outsider identity offers the stronger challenge.
References
AFL-CIO. (2026). Sharice Davids legislative scorecard
Chase LaPorte for Congress. (2026). Official campaign website
Congress.gov.
Eric Jenkins for Kansas. (2026). Official campaign website
Federal Election Commission.
2026a: Sharice for Congress committee records and financial summaries
2026d: Sharice Davids Victory Fund 2026 second-quarter report
2026e: Sharice Davids Victory Fund 2026 Statement of Organization
2026f: Kansas 3rd Congressional District candidate and committee records
2026g: Sharice for Congress PAC and other political-committee receipts
2026h: Committee for Sarah Preu for KS second-quarter report
Heritage Action. (2026). Sharice Davids legislative scorecard
Human Rights Campaign. (2024). 118th Congressional Scorecard
Johnson County Election Office. (2026). Candidates and elected officials
Johnson County Post.
Kansas Legislative Research Department.
Kansas Secretary of State.
KCUR.
KMBC. (2018). Sharice Davids clarifies position on abolishing ICE
League of Conservation Voters. (2026). Sharice Davids national environmental scorecard
LGBTQ Equality PAC. (2026). Sharice Davids endorsement
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. (2026). Sharice Davids endorsement
Reproductive Freedom for All. (2026). Sharice Davids legislative scorecard
Rivera v. Schwab. (2022). Kansas Supreme Court opinion
Sarah Preu for Congress. (2026). Official campaign website
Sharice Davids for Congress. (2026). Official campaign website
U.S. Census Bureau. (2024). American Community Survey profile for Kansas Congressional District 3
U.S. House Clerk.
2021a: Roll Call 72, H.R. 1319
2021b: Roll Call 369, H.R. 3684
2022a: Roll Call 299, S. 2938
2022b: Roll Call 420, H.R. 5376
2024a: Roll Call 66, H.R. 7511
2024b: Roll Call 151, H.R. 8035
2024c: Roll Call 152, H.R. 8034
2025a: Roll Call 23, S. 5
2025b: Roll Call 102, H.R. 22
2025c: Roll Call 190, H.R. 1
2026a: Member profile and committee assignments: Sharice Davids
2026b: Roll Call 53, H.R. 7148
U.S. House Committee on Agriculture. (2025). Sharice Davids subcommittee assignments
U.S. House Historian. (2026). Sharice Davids biography