Jerry Moran

Rep-Kan. 1st District

House Incumbent

Born May 29, 1959

Biography

Jerry Moran was born in Great Bend, Kan., and resides in Hays, Kan. Moran graduated from Plainville High School in 1972. He attended Fort Hays State University for two years and earned a degree in economics in 1976 from the University of Kansas. He also earned his law degree from KU in 1981.

Moran lived and practiced law for 15 years. Moran says he was bitten by the political bug in the summer of 1974 when, between his sophomore and junior years in college, he served as an intern in the Washington office of U.S. Rep. Keith Sebelius, a Republican who then represented the 1st District of western Kansas.

He served eight years in the Kansas Senate, including two as its majority leader before he was elected to the U.S. House in 1996, and re-elected in 1998.

Moran and his wife, Robba, have two daughters, Kelsey and Alex.

Profile

In the House, Jerry Moran has focused a good deal on agriculture policy. His predecessor, Pat Roberts, now a U.S. senator, was chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.

He's broken with other Republicans over sanctions against Cuba, fighting to remove them on food and drug sales. He also has been especially concerned about how rural hospitals are reimbursed for providing services to the elderly under the federal Medicare program, viewing reimbursement rates as inadequate.

"Rural hospitals are smaller and often serve a more elderly population, making them rely on Medicare more than their urban counterparts," he said in pushing legislation on the issue.

Campaigns

Jerry Moran won his first term in the Kansas Senate in 1988, defeating 16-year Democratic incumbent Joe Norvell by just 141 votes out of 26,784 cast. He was unopposed for re-election in 1992.

Moran was elected Senate majority leader by his Republican colleagues for the 1995 session and held that post again in the 1996 session.

He defeated two opponents, R.W. Yeager of Norton, Kan., and Bert Fisher of Lyons, Kan., to win the GOP nomination to Congress in Kansas' August 1996 primary election. Moran received 76 percent of the vote. He also won the general election, receiving 74 percent of the vote against Democrat John Divine.

Moran was re-elected in 1998 by defeating Democrat Jim Phillips with 81 percent of the vote. He had no Democratic opponent in 2000. He faces no major party opposition this year as well.

Last year, Moran was considered the leading Republican candidate for governor, someone who could unite moderates and conservatives. However, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he decided to run for re-election to Congress, saying, "Every generation has an opportunity to leave a legacy," he said then. "If we can leave a legacy that the world is a safer place, that would be a good thing for the generation I'm part of."

Contact

To reach Jerry Moran or staff in Washington, call 202-225-2715, or in Kansas, call 785-628-6401.