KANSAS CITY, Mo. — U.S. Rep. Jacob LaTurner (R - KS 2nd District) announced Thursday he will not seek reelection this fall.
LaTurner’s district stretches from the Kansas/Nebraska border south to the Kansas/Oklahoma border, and includes parts of Douglas County, Leavenworth County and other areas in the KSHB 41 viewing area. The district also includes Topeka and Emporia, among other areas.
In a statement released Thursday, LaTurner, 36, said it was “time to pursue other opportunities and have the benefit of spending more time with my family.”
“Suzanne and I are the proud parents of four young children, and for us, the busy schedule of serving in and running for Congress has taken a toll,” LaTurner said. “The unrepeatable season of life we are in, where our kids are still young and at home, is something I want to be more present for.”
LaTurner first won election in 2012 when he was elected to the Kansas Senate. His career continued in 2017 when he was appointed by then-Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback as Kansas State Treasurer. He won election to the position in 2018.
He then set his sights on national office, first exploring a run for U.S. Senate before filing to unset incumbent Republican Steve Watkins in the 2020 race for U.S. House in Kansas’ 2nd District.
LaTurner won the primary and the general election. Kansans re-elected LaTurner to a second term in Congress in 2022.
“It has become fashionable for some to fear for the future of this country and act as though the problems we face and the divisions that exist are insurmountable, but that is just not true,” LaTurner said Thursday. “Undoubtedly the current dysfunction on Capitol Hill is distressing, but it almost always has been; we just didn’t see most of it."
LaTurner said he remains optimistic about the future of the country and that the “vast majority of the people” he has served with “are good and trying to do the right thing.”
“With gratitude in my heart for the people of Kansas, my staff, friends and family, and most importantly, a loving God, who has blessed me beyond measure, I look forward to serving the remainder of my term and look to the future with confidence,” LaTurner wrote.
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