RepublicanIn office since Nov 2020

Tom Kessler

Kansas State Representative, District 96 since 2020. Ran for re-election in 2026; the count goes on.

Kansas State Representative, District 96

Official website Wikipedia

In office: 6 yrs; Since 2020
Bills became law: 1; 12 sponsored, 2025–2026 session
Votes missed: 0.3%; Chamber median 1.2%
With party: 99%; On votes splitting the parties
Last margin: +9.4; Won 2024

Source: Wikidata, congress-legislators and Open States; 99chambers legislative recordsUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 1:52 PM ET

Committees

As of 2026-10.

Federal and State Affairs · chair
Federal and State Affairs Special · chair
State-Tribal Relations · chair
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
Taxation

Source: Open States committeesUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET

Legislation

2025–2026 session · 12 sponsored · 1 became law

BillIntroCmteHouseSenateLaw

HB 2029 Reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes.
Roads and Highways · Became law Apr 2026

HB 2599 Exempting minor-owned businesses from paying sales tax on the first $10,000 of sales from tangible personal…
Economic Development · Failed in the House Apr 2026

HB 2005 Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing an income tax credit or refund for…
Military · Failed in the House Apr 2026

Source: Open States billsUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:22 PM ET

Voting record

2025–2026 session · placement by roll-call votes

Where Kessler sits in the Kansas House of Representatives

Kessler is closer to the center than 21% of the chamber's Republicans.

Closest: Blake Carpenter, Megan Steele, Kristey Williams

Source: 99chambers roll-call scalingUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:50 PM ET

With Kessler’s party

Votes with the chamber's Republicans99%

Black tick: the average of Republicans in the Kansas House of Representatives.

Source: 99chambers legislative scores from roll calls and cosponsorships

Key votes

Votes chosen for their effect, not their side: Kessler’s vote, each party’s majority, and the result. An orange vote differs from most Republicans.

Date	Bill	Kessler	Rep. majority	Dem. majority	Result
Apr 11, 2026	HB 2763: Requiring school districts to provide elementary students with a certain amount of daily…	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 74–47
Apr 10, 2026	SB 430: Adding mitragynine to schedule I of the uniform controlled substances act and reconciling…	No	Yes	No	Passed 78–44
Apr 10, 2026	HB 2111: Senate Substitute for HB 2111 by Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources -…	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 71–49
Apr 10, 2026	HB 2515: Establishing the Kansas legal tender act and providing for an income tax subtraction…	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 76–44
Apr 10, 2026	HB 2043: Providing a protest petition to contest certain increases in property tax revenues and…	Yes	Yes	No	Passed 87–35

Source: 99chambers key votes from Congress.gov, Voteview and Open States roll calls

Career

Offices held, and every time Kessler was on a ballot. Filled marks are general elections won; hollow marks are primaries; an orange outline is a loss.

202020212022202320242025202620272028Kansas House of Representatives, District 96

Source: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)

Elections

Margin against the seat’s presidential baseline: how the seat voted for president in the same or nearest year.

Year	Race	Result	Margin	Seat	+/−
2026	Kansas House District 96	Counting	D+11.5	R+7.7	−19.2
2024	Kansas House of Representatives, District 96	Won	R+9.4	—	—
2022	Kansas House of Representatives, District 96	Won	—	—	—
2020	Kansas House of Representatives, District 96	Won	R+6.5	—	—