U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids is seeking her fifth term representing Johnson County in Congress, but for the first time in her elected career, she is facing a primary challenge.

Two Republicans are also vying for their party’s nomination to take on the Democratic winner in November.

The Aug. 4 primary is partisan, so only voters who have registered as Democrats or Republicans can cast ballots in their respective party’s election.

The top vote-getter in each party’s primary on Aug. 4 will advance to take on each other in November’s general election.

Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District comprises all of Johnson County, half of Wyandotte County to the north, and all of Franklin, Miami and Anderson counties to the south.

The profiles below were compiled using information from the candidates’ websites, their social media accounts and Vote JoCo questionnaires distributed by local chambers of commerce that the candidates responded to.

Rep. Sharice Davids (Democratic)

• Political experience: Sharice Davids of Shawnee has represented Kansas’ 3rd District, including Johnson County, since 2018, when she defeated Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder. She has since won reelection three times, each time by double-digit percentage point margins. Before being elected to Congress, Davids served as a White House Fellow during the Obama administration.
• Personal and professional life: Davids is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Along with Deb Haaland, she was the first Native American woman elected to Congress. She is also the first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Kansas. She often tells the story of being raised in Kansas by a single mother, who was in the U.S. Army. She earned degrees from Johnson County Community College and UMKC before earning a law degree from Cornell University. She also competed as a mixed martial arts fighter.
• Platform: Davids says her top priorities are lowering costs for everyday Americans, expanding access to affordable health care and prescription drugs, and rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure. Among other policies, she says she supports expanding the Child Tax Credit and capping insulin costs. She opposes President Trump’s tariffs, which she blames for raising costs and hurting Kansas farmers. She has pushed back on the Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement and called for “common sense ICE reforms,” pairing enhanced border security with continued legal pathways to citizenship for workers here illegally. She has stopped short of calls to abolish ICE.

Campaign website; Facebook page; Instagram account 

Sarah Preu (Democratic)

• Political experience: Sarah Preu of Fairway is a first-time candidate with no prior elected office experience, according to her campaign website. She says she voted for Davids four times previously and also canvassed for her but decided to run against her this year after she concluded that Davids’ record — particularly some of her votes on ICE funding this year and accepting donations from AIPAC — no longer represents hers or the 3rd District’s values.
• Personal and professional life: Preu was born and raised in Kansas and has lived in the 3rd District for 25 years, raising two children in Johnson County, her campaign website says. She works as an IT and communications project manager and has also worked for corporations like Siemens and Cerner, according to her LinkedIn profile. She says these experiences position her to lead on issues like AI policy.
• Platform: Preu is running to the left of Davids, openly casting herself as a more progressive alternative to the four-term incumbent. On her campaign website, she says she supports Medicare for All, codifying Roe v. Wade into law and abolishing ICE. Her economic agenda includes a $17-an-hour federal minimum wage, measures to strengthen unions and capping costs on childcare. She also proposes federal AI regulations aimed at protecting workers and consumers. She backs an arms embargo on Israel and has pledged to refuse corporate PAC money, particularly from AIPAC, a powerful Israel lobby. She also has called for expanding the size of the U.S. House.

Campaign website; Facebook page; Instagram account 

Eric Jenkins (Republican)

• Political experience: Eric Jenkins of Shawnee previously served two terms on the Shawnee City Council, from 2015 to 2023, including two years as council president. Before that, he spent 20 years on the Shawnee Planning Commission, according to his campaign website. On the city council, he was regularly known for opposing spending increases, pushing for larger property tax rate cuts and questioning the use of economic development incentives.
• Personal and professional life: Jenkins is a retired U.S. Army colonel with 34 years of active-duty and reserve service, according to his answers on a previous questionnaire. On his campaign website, he says his time in the armed forces included deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. He concurrently spent 30 years as a FEMA regional program manager. He is a graduate of the Army War College and holds degrees from Missouri State and UNC-Charlotte. He and his wife have five children.
• Platform: On a prior questionnaire, Jenkins listed his top three priorities as a “peace through strength” national security stance, supporting law enforcement and first responders and minimizing taxes while addressing the national debt. He supports tax cuts passed under the Trump administration and wants to direct tax incentives to small business startups. He opposes what he calls “socialized medicine,” while saying rising drug costs and physician shortages need to be addressed. He says he supports free trade but suggests on his campaign website that some of America’s current trading relationships have been “unfair” and “harmful.”

Campaign website; Facebook page 

Chase LaPorte (Republican)

• Political experience: Chase LaPorte of Mission is making his first campaign run and has not previously served in elected office. On his campaign website, he casts his bid as a grassroots challenge to “career politicians” and “establishment insiders.” He says he has signed a pledge committing to support a constitutional amendment for Congressional term limits if elected.
• Personal and professional life: Born in Carthage, Missouri, LaPorte served in the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2013, including three deployments during the Iraq War, according to a profile on Ballotpedia. He earned an associate degree from Cowley County Community College in Kansas and describes himself as a small business owner. According to his campaign website, he also has affiliations with Shriners, the American Legion and VFW.
• Platform: LaPorte’s central campaign plank appears to be his call for congressional term limits, which he says is his top priority. He also supports cutting what he describes as reckless federal spending, as well as fighting inflation and slashing regulations in order to spur economic growth. His campaign website says he will protect “the sanctity of life,” support law enforcement and stand up for “conservative Kansas values.” He has criticized President Trump’s handling of the war with Iran, telling the Kansas Reflector the military strikes that began the conflict were launched “hastily.” He says the White House needs congressional approval to continue the conflict.

Campaign website; Facebook page