TOPEKA, Kan.—Credit union supporter and volunteer Ron Estes was elected to Congress representing Kansas’ 4th Congressional District in a special election.
The seat was vacant due to former Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) being appointed director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Estes, state treasurer of Kansas, previously served on the ALCO of MidAmerica CU, Wichita, Kan. He won the election with 53% of the vote to Democratic opponent James Thompson’s 46%, CUNA reported.
Estes was strongly supported by the Heartland Credit Union Association, and received the maximum $5,000 donation from the Credit Union Legislative Action Council (CULAC), CUNA’s political action committee, CUNA stated.
He also met with more than 20 credit union leaders from nine credit unions and the league in February to discuss regulatory relief and the importance of maintaining the credit union tax status.
CUNA noted that once sworn in, Estes will join a number of other credit union volunteers or employees in the 115th Congress, including:
- Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), a former board member
- Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA), a former employee
- Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), a former vice president
- Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), a former board member
The CUNA/league system and CULAC raised and contributed nearly $6 million in the 2015-16 election cycle, and helped elect 97% of the 364 candidates supported nationwide. CULAC also continued its bipartisan support, contributing 51% of funds to Republican candidates and 49% to Democratic candidates, CUNA stated.