Dan Lykins
Dem-Kan. 2nd District
House Challenger
Born Jan. 22, 1946
By The Associated Press
Biography
An Atchison native, Dan Lykins is a long-time Democratic activist and fund raiser. He was the president of college students supporting Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign, served on the staff of Democratic Gov. Robert Docking in 1969-72, and was president of the Young Democrats in 1971. He also served as executive director of the state Democratic Party in 1972 and has been its treasurer since 1991.
He was a delegate to Democratic National Conventions in 1968, 1996 and 2000, and the co-chairman of President Clinton's Kansas re-election campaign in 1996. He began practicing law in 1972.
He said he has sympathy for victims in part because a gang of boys in his hometown attacked him when he was 14, costing him the sight in his right eye.
Profile
Dan Lykins has made corporate accountability his main issue in his race against incumbent Republican Jim Ryun in the 2nd Congressional District.
Lykins contends that Ryun has not been concerned enough about combatting corporate misdeeds by Enron, WorldCom and others. One of Lykins' biggest targets is David Wittig, the chief executive officer of Westar Energy Inc., the state's largest electric company, which has seen its stock decline over the past two years and has come under scrutiny from regulators.
Lykins said he decided to run for Congress because of Westar's problems and the national debate over corporate accountability. He said, "I've been upset with CEOs who've been dishonest with the public over the past year." He has proposed that public companies with a monopoly, like the one Westar holds over electric service in much of Kansas, be required to put consumer advocates on their boards of directors.
He also said Congress should make it easier for generic versions of prescription drugs to reach the market by limiting lawsuits by pharmaceutical manufacturers after their patents on a name-brand drug expire.
Campaigns
PAC Contributions
Dan Lykins is making his second run for public office. In 1998, he ran for attorney general, receiving 25 percent of the vote against Republican incumbent Carla Stovall.
Contact
To reach Dan Lykins or staff in Kansas, call 785-235-5678. Email: danlykins@hotmail.com.
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Results and election materials by The Associated Press. Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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