TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas formally launched a reelection campaign Monday tied to reinforcing the role of Congress in controlling the rising cost of living for consumers and to moderate disruption within the federal government caused by executive branch overreach.
Davids, who has served the eastern Kansas district since 2018, expects primary and general election challenges. Fairway Democrat Sarah Preu and Republican Chase LaPorte of Mission also have filed for the 3rd District seat in Congress.
“There are a lot of people so dissatisfied with the chaos they see coming out of Washington. I hope to continue to serve the Kansas 3rd and be a voice of reason, get stuff done and try to do everything possible to make life more manageable, less chaotic and make sure we’re actually brining down costs,” Davids said during a news conference after filing in the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.
She pointed to the economic pinch point of rising fuel prices in wake of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. She said it would be important for the U.S. House to do its part to address decisions of Republicans to diminish health coverage, weaken public education and deploy tariffs harmful to the agriculture sector.
“Kansans are struggling and it matters to have people in D.C. who are actually trying to focus on the needs of the people of Kansas and not, you know, political gamesmanship and bickering,” Davids said.
Davids, 45, filed to seek a fifth term. She won four previous campaigns by securing at least 53% of the vote. Initially, she defeated incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder. She twice beat GOP nominee Amanda Adkins. Two years ago, she retained the seat in a race against GOP physician Prasanth Reddy.
In 2025 and 2026, the Kansas Legislature has been unable to convene in special session in response to Trump’s request that Kansas’ four House districts be gerrymandered to undermine Davids’ reelection.
During the electoral drama, Davids said she would consider running for U.S. Senate if the state Legislature shattered the 3rd District for benefit of Republicans.
“I was surprised that the Kansas Legislature raised their hands and said that they were willing to try to do it,” she said. “And, then, I was very relieved and happy to see that Kansans made their voices heard. A lot of people reached out to their state legislators. To be honest, there were also Republicans in the state Legislature who said, ‘I’m not going to do this, because it’s not the right thing to do.’ You got to give credit where credit is due.”
Davids said ongoing work in other states to reconfigure congressional boundaries at the behest of Republican and Democratic leadership was a mistake. She said no one should “expect people to feel like their government cares about them if we see legislatures all across the country, and the president of the United States, saying that politicians should be choosing their voters and not the other way around.”
She said one of the first bills she endorsed after sworn into Congress would have forbidden partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts.
The U.S. Supreme Court has since issued rulings affirming the right to states to engage in partisan gerrymandering. There is apprehension among voters that mid-decade redistricting could diminish minority representation in Congress, she said.
“There’s a lot of frustration and anger,” Davids said. “There’s also a lot of fear about what it means for the voters of those southern states. It is especially disheartening to see the gutting of the Voting Rights Act that was put in place for a reason.”
The 3rd District had long been dominated by voter-rich Johnson County as well as the entirety of Wyandotte County. In 2022, in a bid to weaken Davids’ odds of winning reelection, the state Legislature removed the northern half of Wyandotte County from the district and added to the district Republican-leaning Anderson, Franklin and Miami counties.
Davids, the first LGBTQ+ Native American to serve in Congress, is registered with the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. She grew up in the Leavenworth area and earned a degree at University of Missouri-Kansas City and a law degree at Cornell University.
She said she had heard from many Kansans anxious about the federal government tilting toward special interests capable of bending rules.
“People want leaders who listen, tell the truth and actually fix issues instead of making them worse,” she said. “So, as I run for reelection, my focus remains on working with both parties to lower costs and ensure Washington delivers for hardworking Kansans — not billionaires or powerful corporations.”
