Another member of the Estes family will represent Kansans as Susan Estes won her race for a seat in the Kansas House.
Estes, a former teacher, is married to U.S. Congressmen Ron Estes, who also won his race Tuesday night.
Susan Estes defeated Democratic challenger Matt Fox, a middle school teacher and wrestling coach in Douglass, with 56% of the vote.
The seat is part of the 125-member Kansas House of Representatives. District 87 represents portions of east Wichita.
Estes ran for the seat when incumbent Republican Renee Erickson announced her candidacy for a seat in the Kansas Senate. Erickson also won Tuesday night.
Estes has long been active in the Wichita community, sitting on various boards and committees.
She previously served as president of the Wichita Public Library Board and co-chair of the Metropolitan Area Planning Committee. She currently serves on the Wichita Public Library Foundation’s board of directors.
She hopes her community involvement will help her in Topeka.
“I am grateful for the experiences that I’ve had in the community and being a very hands-on member in my community,” Estes said. “What that’s going to do in Topeka is allow me to carry with me the experiences and needs of our community.”
Estes says that her main priority is helping the Kansas economy. She wants to open up businesses safely, lighten regulatory load and reduce spending in order to lower taxes.
“We have so many businesses that are struggling,” Estes said. “I am committed to doing everything to help business survive.”
David Garcia is an intern in the KMUW News Lab. He is a senior in Wichita State University's Elliott School of Communication.