Kevin Yoder

Kevin Wayne Yoder (born January 8, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Kansas's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2019.

Yoder graduated from Hutchinson High School and, in 1999, from the University of Kansas with a dual major in English and Political Science.

He served as KU Student Body president, president of the Kansas Union Memorial Corporation Board of Directors, and as a board member of the KU Athletics Corporation.

Yoder worked as a law clerk for Payne and Jones from 2000 to 2001, then as a special assistant in the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Counternarcotics in 2001.

In 2002, he received a J.D. degree from the University of Kansas Law School where he served for two years as Student Bar Association President.

Yoder has served on the KU Law School Board of Governors.

A Republican, Yoder was the Kansas State Representative for the 20th district from 2003 to 2011.

Yoder was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives (20th district) on January 13, 2003.

He succeeded Gerry Ray.

He was then subsequently re-elected to the office three times.

The district includes portions of Overland Park and Leawood.

As chair of the Kansas State House Appropriations Committee, he had the responsibility to balance the budget, cut government spending, oppose raising taxes, and allocate over $13 billion in state revenue to public schools, universities, prisons, social services and highways.

Yoder also served on the Judiciary Committee from 2003 through 2011.

He joined Speer and Holliday LLP, a small law firm in Olathe, as an associate and became a partner in 2005.

Yoder is a member of the American Council of Young Political Leaders and the Kansas Bar Association, and has served on the board of directors of the Johnson County Bar Association.

He was a 2007 graduate of Leadership Kansas.

On December 15, 2009, Yoder announced his intention to run for the open seat in the United States Congress.

In March 2010, the committee introduced its budget plan.

The proposed plan was defeated by a bipartisan group of moderate Republicans and Democrats in May 2010.

On August 3, 2010, he won the Republican primary with 45% of the vote, running against former State Representative Patricia Lightner, Dave King, Garry R. Klotz, Daniel Gilyeat, Jerry M. Malone, Craig McPherson, John Rysavy, and Jean Ann Uvodich.

He received the endorsement of The Kansas City Star, which stated, "He believes government spending has to be controlled and is best used when it spurs economic growth, a good stance in this jobless recovery. His experience as the Kansas House appropriations committee would serve him well in Congress".

Yoder also received endorsement from the NRA Political Victory Fund.

During the general campaign, Yoder set up the website stephenemoore.com in the name of Stephene Moore, his Democratic opponent, and the wife of Dennis Moore, the retiring congressman.

Yoder used the site to raise questions about her campaign and issue policy positions.

Moore's campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission about the website on grounds that an "unauthorized committee" is not permitted to use the name of a candidate in the title of a special project or message if it "clearly and unambiguously" shows opposition to the named candidate.

The FEC dismissed the complaint against Yoder on a 3-2 party-line vote, with Republican commissioners voting in Yoder's favor and Democratic commissioners voting in Moore's favor.

In the general election, with 59% of the vote, Yoder won against Democratic nominee obstetrics nurse Stephene Moore and Libertarian nominee Jasmin Talbert.

He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, served as president, and received the 2012 Order of Achievement award from Lambda Chi Alpha.

While at KU, Yoder interned with the Kansas State Legislature.

In the election of 2012, Yoder ran for re-election.

He faced no opposition in the 2012 primary election.

In the general election, Yoder was endorsed by The Kansas City Star, and faced Libertarian nominee Joel Balam, a college professor.

Yoder won with 68% of the vote.

In the election of 2014, Yoder again ran for re-election.

He faced no opposition in the 2014 primary election.

In the general election, Yoder faced Democratic nominee Kelly Kultala, a former member of the Kansas Senate.

In his 2018 reelection bid, he was defeated by Democrat Sharice Davids by a nine percent margin.

Yoder was born and raised on a grain and livestock farm in Yoder, Kansas, a small farming town outside of Hutchinson.

He is the son of Susan Elizabeth Peck (née Alexander) and Wayne E. Yoder.

His ancestry includes Northern Irish, German, and English.