Campaign Phone
314-324-5405
Personal Biography
Ethan is a dad, husband, attorney, and graduate of the Shawnee Mission School District who is running for re-election to the Kansas Senate, where he has earned a reputation as a bipartisan problem solver who builds coalitions to deliver results for District 7. He is a Member of the Senate Judiciary, Tax, Transportation, and Utilities Committees as well as the Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight. Ethan lives in Fairway with his wife, Jenna, and their two sons.
Education
J.D., cum laude, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law; B.S. with Honors, Washington University in St. Louis; A.A. Garden City Community College
Community/Public Service
Kansas Senator, District 7 (2021-present). Non-voting member, Board of Directors, GoodLife Innovations, which provides high-quality care for adults with disabilities in Johnson, Douglas, Allen, and Sedgwick counties (2023-present).
I have a proven record of working across the aisle to deliver results for our community. In my first-term, I've fully-funded our public schools, cut taxes for every Kansan, brought new jobs and businesses to our county, and protected reproductive and LGBTQ rights. I’ve also served in a way that is transparent and accessible, holding a public town hall every single month I’ve been in office – that’s 44 consecutive monthly town halls. Additionally, I send a weekly newsletter every week the legislature is in session.
I am one of only two attorneys in the Kansas Senate, and one of the few legislators with first-hand economic development experience, gleaned from my work in two senior leadership positions in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
1. Supporting public education: We must continue to fully-fund our public schools. We also need to fully fund Special Education, increase teacher pay, and improve our early childhood system.
2. Lowering taxes and the cost of living: I’m proud to have supported over $2 billion in tax cuts, including eliminating taxes on Social Security and groceries, cutting property and income taxes, and doubling the Child Care Tax Credit. I will continue to lower property taxes.
3. Growing our economy and creating jobs: I have supported a range of economic development policies that have led to record growth. I voted for the legislation that brought Panasonic to Johnson County and the bill to attract the Chiefs and Royals. I will continue this progress.
The legislature needs to reform its processes to be more accountable to and transparent with, the citizens it serves. It needs to eliminate the “Gut and Go” process, where the contents of a bill are stripped out and new – often unvetted – legislation is inserted. It also needs to eliminate the practice of bundling multiple bills together. Instead, legislators should be able to cast a “yes” or “no” vote on a single bill, with a single subject matter. Finally, the legislature needs to make sure that the public is given adequate notice of all hearings so the public can testify in-person or submit written testimony, and supporters and opponents of legislation should be provided equal time to testify at hearings.
I not only support making changes to Kansas election laws and voting systems to make voting easier, but I’ve led the way in this effort. I introduced a bill to enact same day voter registration, so an eligible voter could register to vote on Election Day or during Early Voting and vote that same day. I also introduced a bill that would allow Early Voting to begin 40 days before Election Day instead of the current 20. For Kansans who vote by mail, I introduced legislation to allow any voter to be a permanent advance voter and have a ballot mailed to them every election. And for younger Kansans, I introduced a bill that would allow 16-year-olds to register to vote and automatically be added to the voter rolls when they turn 18.
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