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Dennis Pyle
Dennis D. Pyle (born February 4, 1961) is a Republican member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 1st district from 2005 to 2024.[1] He ran for governor of Kansas in the 2022 election. Legislative careerPyle was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives for the 49th district from 2001 to 2003. He lost a race for reelection to Republican Scott Schwab, who later became the Kansas Secretary of State, but was elected to his Kansas Senate seat in 2004.[1] In 2020, he won his third reelection to his first district position in northeast Kansas with over 70% of the vote.[1] Committee assignmentsPyle served on these legislative committees:[2] but was removed by Senate President Ty Masterson from some of those assignments during the 2022 legislative session when he refused to vote for the Kansas Republican Party's congressional redistricting map.[1]
Sponsored legislationPyle's sponsored bills have included:
Major donorsThe top contributors to Pyle's 2008 campaign, according to OpenSecrets were the Kansas Republican Senatorial Committee, State of Kansas Department of Administration, Kansas Medical Society, Brown County Republican Central Committee, Kansas Republican Senatorial Committee Party.[5] Congressional campaignsIn 2010, Pyle challenged incumbent Representative Lynn Jenkins in the Republican primary for Kansas's 2nd congressional district. He received 43% of the vote. He ran again for the seat in a crowded field in 2018, as Jenkins was retiring, but the race was won by self-financed, one-term Republican Steve Watkins. Ethics complaintOn June 5, 2010, it was made public that a formal ethics complaint had been filed against Pyle, "alleging improper expenditures from his Senate campaign account on a trip to Washington, D.C., to evaluate support for his challenge of U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins."[6] The complaint specifically alleged "Pyle violated state campaign finance laws by using money raised for a state campaign for activities related to possible federal campaign."[7] On June 28, 2010, Pyle was cleared of any wrongdoing.[8] 2022 Gubernatorial campaign
On June 7, 2022, Pyle announced his plan to pursue a campaign for the office of Governor of Kansas because he said, "I am a God-loving American, devoted to the Constitution and protecting our children, and I am entering this race to give Kansans a choice".[9] To reach the ballot requires 5,000 signatures as verified by the three-member Kansas Objections Board.[10] The Board includes the Kansas Secretary of State, Republican Scott Schwab and Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt, along with the governor's General Counsel. The situation with Board's potential conflicts has been scrutinized for some time, in particular by former State Senator Anthony Hensley.[10][11] In August, Pyle turned in almost 9,000 signatures for review.[12] C.J. Grover, the campaign manager for Republican Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, labeled Pyle as a "fake conservative" "who just wants attention." "He stood with pro-abortion legislators to nearly derail the 'Value Them Both' amendment," adding, "...he sided with (Governor) Laura Kelly, Hillary Clinton's lawyers and the ACLU against our Republican majority in the Legislature on redistricting maps." "Now, he's trying to help Laura Kelly and Joe Biden again with a vanity run for governor." Kansas Republican Party Executive Director Shannon Pahls said Pyle is "knowingly providing Laura Kelly the only path to a second term." Pyle in turn described Schmidt and Kelly as "two peas in a pod."[12] The Republican party launched an effort to get signers of Pyle's ballot inclusion petition to withdraw their signatures.[13][14] On August 25, 2022, the Kansas Secretary of State announced that he collected enough valid signatures to be placed on the ballot.[15] 2024 Kansas primary electionDespite changing his affiliation to Independent prior to his candidacy in the 2022 Kansas gubernatorial election, Pyle later reverted his affilation back to the Republican Party. On August 6, 2024, Pyle was defeated in a three-way Republican primary. Pyle placed third in the primary with 22.8% of the vote, thereby losing to Craig Bowser who secured the Republican candidacy for Kansas Senate District 1.[16] Personal lifePyle attended Hiawatha High School and Grace College of the Bible. He is married to Jennifer Pyle, and they farm in Hiawatha. They have six daughters.[17] References
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