Lynn Jenkins

"The Great White Hope," a Phrase that originated in the early 1900s, was a reference to any boxer whites hoped would finally defeat the World Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, who was black.

Jenkins later apologized, clarifying her remarks and saying that "I was explaining that there are some bright lights in the House, and I was unaware of any negative connotation. If I offended somebody, obviously I apologize."

Only one month earlier she had voted for a resolution urging President Obama to pardon black U.S. boxer Johnson, which had text that explained the meaning of the Phrase "The Great White Hope".

Jenkins responded by saying she had voted for the resolution without reading it first.

Before her tenure in Congress ended, Jenkins set up the lobbying firm LJ Strategies.

Lynn Haag Jenkins (born June 10, 1963) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for KS's 2nd congressional district, in office from 2009 to 2019.

Jenkins was ranked as the 96th most bipartisan member of the House during the 114th United States Congress by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy.

She was elected state treasurer in 2002, at which time she began serving in a number of organizations, including as president of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST).

Lynn's brother is Chris Haag and she also has a sister.

She previously served as Kansas State Treasurer from 2003 to 2008, in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2000 and the Kansas Senate from 2000 to 2002.

She is a member of the Republican Party.

She is a founder of Maggie's List, a political action committee designed to increase the number of conservative women elected to federal public office.

Her opponent in the Republican primary was former U.S. Representative Jim Ryun, who served five terms before being defeated in 2006 by prior Democratic incumbent Nancy Boyda, who ran for reelection.

In the campaign between Jenkins and Ryun, he criticized her for having voted for tax increases while a state legislator, and she criticized him for having supported earmarks.

Jenkins was seen as more moderate than Ryun and received the support of the Republican Leadership Council.

On April 4, 2007, Jenkins announced that she had filed papers with the Federal Election Commission as a first step of running for the U.S. House of Representatives for Kansas's 2nd congressional district.

The primary was held on August 5, 2008.

Jenkins won the Republican nomination by approximately 1,000 votes.

In the general election, Jenkins went on to defeat Boyda 51%–46%.

Jenkins won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic candidate Cheryl Hudspeth, 63%–32%.

Jenkins won re-election to a third term, defeating Democratic candidate Tobias Schlingensiepen, 57%–39%.

At a town hall on August 19, 2009, Jenkins commented on President Barack Obama's policies, saying, "Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope."

Jenkins said to the crowd.

"I suggest to any of you who are concerned about that, who are Republican, there are some great young Republican minds in Washington."

Jenkins then gave the names of several young, white Republicans.

She was named to the Ways and Means Committee when the Republicans gained control of the House for the 112th Congress.

In June 2013, after the United States farm bill failed again, Jenkins claimed she was disappointed in House Republicans, who were divided over the issue.

She blamed the failure in the House on the inability to find common ground, stating that there are still too many Democratic and Republican members who allowed politics to trump progress.

In December 2017, Jenkins voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Jenkins says the bill will provide tax relief to middle-class Americans and create more jobs.

She also claims the bill will improve the economy and therefore will "pay down our national debt," despite the bill being anticipated to add over $1 trillion to the national debt.

She registered the firm in Kansas on November 20, 2018.

Jenkins' spokesperson said that Jenkins did not intend to actively seek clients until her congressional term had ended.

Jenkins was assigned to the Committee on Financial Services including the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises and the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.

Jenkins announced in January 2017 that she would not be running for re-election in 2018 and she left the House when her term expired on January 3, 2019.

Jenkins was born in Holton, Kansas, and is a sixth-generation Kansan.

She was raised on a dairy farm in Holton, where she attended high school.

Later she graduated from Kansas State University and Weber State College with an accounting major and an economics minor.

She is a Certified Public Accountant.

Jenkins served for two years in the Kansas House of Representatives and for one term in the Kansas Senate.