Colin McRoberts

Colin McRoberts earned a bachelor's degree from Trinity University in 2001 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 2004.

His career experience includes working as a teacher.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a negotiation expert, not a professional politician. I began my career as a lawyer, going to court for family businesses and suing hedge funds and banks for fraud. But before long I decided to make my career about building better deals instead of fighting over bad ones.

I joined a small company that specializes in negotiation and began advising dealmakers all over the world. I have helped negotiators in dozens of countries, including some of the world’s biggest companies, nonprofits, and even military and diplomatic teams.

Along the way I met a young scientist and Golden Gloves boxer. When we married, we were lucky enough to be able to choose where we wanted to settle down. We chose Kansas. We’ve been here ever since, raising our son who was born here. We live in Lawrence, along with my wife’s extended family.

I gave up my globetrotting career when our son was born, to spend more time with the family. I currently teach business law and negotiation at the University of Kansas School of Business.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The last two years have proven that safe seats lead to weak representatives. Our incumbent Congressman is running on his party identity and pure partisanship instead of real accomplishments, values, or principles. Kansans have had enough.

I’m running to end trade wars to reduce the cost of living. I promise to fight for accountability for incompetent and corrupt members of the government. And I pledge to stand up for the programs that made Kansas prosperous and secure, like food aid that fed the world with Kansas crops and research that brought the best and the brightest to our farms and neighborhoods.The First District has been a red district. I’m a Democrat, and I know this is a hard fight—that’s why I entered the race. I saw the need for a strategic campaign that can improve the politics of our district in the long run.

There’s no such thing as a single election. Every choice we make, as candidates or voters, affects future races as well as this one. So we’re helping plant county-level parties in unorganized parts of the state, training a cadre of young campaign professionals, and building alliances with independent and nonpartisan organizations.

Winning the election is a means to an end: transforming the First District into a place where candidates have to compete on the merits, instead of naked partisanship.One of the most important federal programs for Kansas over the past generation has been USAID. This aid program saved literally millions of lives around the world through medical and food assistance. The crops that USAID used to feed the world came from Kansas, boosting farm incomes and turning our crops into life for the meekest and most desperate people on the planet.

Elon Musk, persuaded by conspiracy theories that USAID was an evil thing, decided to attack it. And rather than standing up for it, my opponent helped him kill it.

Many thousands of people, mostly children, have died as a result. They died for a lie, and to please the world's richest man. There must be a political price for those who helped him, like my opponent.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My family has deep roots in the sciences, and we have seen first hand the destruction that incompetent political operatives have done to scientific and medical research programs in Kansas. Clinical trials for new cancer drugs, experiments to develop drought-resistant crops, and other critical advances have been set back by decades by people who only care about looking like they're saving money but can't count the real cost. I will stand up for education and the sciences.

Immigration brings prosperity to Kansas. I support a return to the compromise that promised stronger border enforcement in exchange for more and better paths to legal residency and citizenship for the people who want to bring their talents and hard work to our shores.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

As a Kansan, I admire the fire and the passion of John Brown. And I'm inspired by Sharice Davids, who came from nowhere to become a generational leader for Kansas.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity. The only thing any candidate ever really has to offer is their judgment. If their principles lead them to only make decisions in their own personal best interests, or let them excuse lying, they aren't fit for the job.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A willingness to stand up to both major parties.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to be remembered as the kind of man people were glad to see in hard situations, because they knew I was there to work.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The duty and the privilege of being a check and a balance on the other branches of government.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Driving out the spirit of dishonesty and corruption that has become normalized in politics over the last decade.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

John Carlin, the 40th Governor of Kansas

Matthew Beat, the online educator "Mr. Beat"

Douglas County Young Democrats

Campaign websiteMcRoberts' campaign website stated the following:Uncapping the House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives has 435 members, and has since the size was set by Congress in 1913. But in 1913, that was only 225,000 people per representative. Today, our district is three times larger–and some are even bigger.When districts get too large, communities have to compete for attention. When Dodge City, Colby, Manhattan, and Salina are all asking for meetings, even a hard-working Congressman is going to be stretched thin. And the First District hasn’t had a hard-working Congressman in a long time.There’s an amazingly easy fix to this problem. The size of the House isn’t set by the Constitution, just Congress. That means Congress could fix it with a simple bill. One has already been proposed that would reset the average district to 500,000; that’s bigger than districts were the last time the House got resized, but smaller than our giant districts today. It’s a strong compromise. The costs of this fix would be surprisingly small. Congress would need new offices and new salaries, but on the scale of the federal government that’s a tiny amount of money–especially if Congressmen can spend more time working with their constituents, delivering more value at home. Rural districts like ours would particularly benefit; regions like the southwest corner could be represented by a local Congressman who knows their specific industries and problems the best, rather than sharing representation all the way to Lawrence. And the bill would keep the size of districts consistent as the population grows, so we won’t have to go 100 years until the next fix. This is the kind of common sense reform that keeps the machine of government in working order. It’s efficient, it’s effective, and it’s overdue.Affordability: return the tariff power to CongressThe current budget, supported by Tracey Mann and the national GOP, is a disaster for Kansans who rely on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Congress’s non-partisan analysts estimated that if we don’t take action, by 2034 the current budget’s cuts to Medicaid and children’s health insurance will have left over ten million people uninsured. That’s almost one in thirty Americans. The impacts will be widespread. Millions of people will lose insurance, including the elderly, children, and disabled people. The loss of payments will force more hospitals to close, especially hospitals in rural areas that are already financially stressed. Republicans claim they avoided those harms with band-aids like a $50 billion relief package for rural hospitals. But that barely covers the losses those hospitals will face, and expires forever once it’s spent. We desperately need real solutions, not fake ones. These cuts were not done to balance the budget, which Mann and other Republicans have run farther into the red than it’s ever been. They were done to finance tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans. The rest of us will face a tattered safety net, a state with virtually no hospitals outside of its largest cities, and an aging population with less support than ever before. Republicans know exactly how bad this is going to get: they timed their cuts to take effect in 2027, after the midterm elections, so they would not pay a price at the polls for their mismanagement. I will work with Democrats and Republicans to prevent these cuts from taking effect at all. Our social programs are affordable when managed well, and a rational budget can keep us solvent, healthy, and secure for generations to come.Accountability: hold the federal government accountable for incompetence, indecency, and illegalityThe GOP budget is wasting a huge amount of money on political stunts. They poured almost two hundred billion dollars into immigration enforcement alone, more than the annual budget of all other state and federal law enforcement agencies combined. ICE now has more money than the Marine Corps, and they’ve squandered it. Our tax dollars have paid for expensive but inhumane detention facilities that were only open for a few months, illegal operations that violated court orders, detention of citizens and legal immigrants, and a hiring spree that’s spending a fortune to add new ICE agents while the old ones are complaining about not having enough legitimate work to do. I will vote with Democrats and centrists to pass a budget that rightsizes federal law enforcement, redirecting wasteful ICE spending to agencies that actually need the money. We can keep Americans safe without squandering public resources. At the same time, I’ll seek a return to bipartisan immigration reform, creating realistic paths to residence and citizenship.And there are steps we can take to immediately begin protecting our constitutional rights from federal overreach. We can amend 42 USC 1983, the law that lets people sue state and local officials for violating their rights, to include a cause of action against federal agents. That loophole is 150 years old, and should have been closed generations ago. By doing it now, we can give citizens a tool to hold ICE and other agencies accountable when they violate the law, even if the administration wants to let them get away with it.Progress: fight back against political cuts to basic researchAmerican universities, scientists, and technical experts have dominated the global stage for generations. Our universities, laboratories, and businesses are all global leaders in science and technology, and American households are safer, healthier, and wealthier for it. But Republicans are attacking the foundations of that strength, undermining our dominance for the sake of the culture war. Congress has allowed the administration to gut the funding and support needed to keep American experts working in the lab. The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, and Congress used American resources to fund research into cancer cures, Alzheimer’s treatments, crop genetics, basic science, and other vital fields. The Trump administration has illegally “impounded” this money, refusing to spend what Congress allocated in an attempt to look like it is saving money. But rather than saving anything, this illegal policy is costing America billions of dollars in lost research and even lost lives. Congress, under Republican control, refuses to stand up and correct this horrific mistake.Destroying scientific progress to fight the culture war is a terrible mistake. American prosperity thrives on American innovation, and ending our scientific dominance will only make us a poorer and weaker nation. It will take decades to repair the damage that has already been done, and incumbents like Tracey Mann are eager to vote for more cuts to basic science.I will make it a high priority to restore funding to the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, beginning the long and absolutely vital process of rebuilding America’s scientific strength.Agriculture: save Kansas farms and many, many lives by restoring USAIDAgriculture drives the First District. Its huge economic impact benefits every Kansan, even those who don’t work in the field, and our farming culture is part of our heritage. But that culture is under attack.American farmers live in a global economy, and need access to foreign markets to thrive. That access is being threatened by haphazard, incompetent tariffs that should never have been levied. Congress must take back the tariff power from the president, a step that loyalists like Tracey Mann will never take. Instead of chaotic and harmful tariffs, Kansas farmers need more support in selling crops for foreign markets. We used to benefit hugely from USAID and other programs that bought food from Kansas to feed the hungry overseas. Tracey Mann voted to kill USAID, at the expense of Kansans, because the national party wanted the money for its own priorities. It wasn’t just an expensive mistake, it was an immoral act. Medical experts estimate that USAID saved over ninety million lives in the last twenty years. If we do not restore the funding that paid Kansans to feed those desperate people, as many as fourteen million people could die, including over four million children.American farmers are more productive than our ancestors could ever have imagined. They have an incredible power to save lives, but only if they can afford to keep farming and only if their crops make their way to the hungry.Tracey Mann worked hard to destroy USAID for the sake of Republican elites. I will work harder to restore its promise, not just to keep farming a viable profession but also to save the lives of literally millions of people.My support for American farmers will also mean rehiring experts wrongfully fired by the USDA to meet arbitrary political targets and working with Democrats and Republicans to overcome the partisan gridlock that has kept Congress from passing a new farm bill since 2018.I also will prioritize a federal Right to Repair bill, promoting a fair and free market in repair services for farm equipment and other property. This will lower the cost of repairs and maintenance for family farms and other small businesses, while creating new jobs and business opportunities in the support sector.Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security: stop the cuts before they startThe current budget, supported by Tracey Mann and the national GOP, is a disaster for Kansans who rely on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Congress’s non-partisan analysts estimated that if we don’t take action, by 2034 the current budget’s cuts to Medicaid and children’s health insurance will have left over ten million people uninsured. That’s almost one in thirty Americans. The impacts will be widespread. Millions of people will lose insurance, including the elderly, children, and disabled people. The loss of payments will force more hospitals to close, especially hospitals in rural areas that are already financially stressed. Republicans claim they avoided those harms with band-aids like a $50 billion relief package for rural hospitals. But that barely covers the losses those hospitals will face, and expires forever once it’s spent. We desperately need real solutions, not fake ones. These cuts were not done to balance the budget, which Mann and other Republicans have run farther into the red than it’s ever been. They were done to finance tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans. The rest of us will face a tattered safety net, a state with virtually no hospitals outside of its largest cities, and an aging population with less support than ever before. Republicans know exactly how bad this is going to get: they timed their cuts to take effect in 2027, after the midterm elections, so they would not pay a price at the polls for their mismanagement. I will work with Democrats and Republicans to prevent these cuts from taking effect at all. Our social programs are affordable when managed well, and a rational budget can keep us solvent, healthy, and secure for generations to come.Personal Freedom: respect the NO vote and individual libertyKansas voted NO on a constitutional amendment that would have stripped us of our right to choose. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion issues play out more in the states than in the federal government. But as a Congressman, I’ll work to protect Kansas’s choice to respect reproductive freedom. That means voting against a federal ban on abortions nationwide and working to protect the privacy of people who seek reproductive healthcare of any kind.Labor: support the rights of workers to freely bargain with employersMy experience in negotiation has made me strongly and proudly pro-union. Organized labor protects American workers by forcing business owners and management to negotiate with the workers who really make things happen. Of all the bargaining tables I’ve seen, the best negotiations are the ones between motivated workers and managers who want to partner to build a better business.Labor is more important than ever as AI, tariffs, and other disruptions ripple through the economy and affect our jobs. As the administration works to undermine the NLRB and turn it into a partisan tool for ending labor negotiations, I will make protecting fair bargaining a cornerstone of my platform.Education: defend teachers and their studentsAs a father of a young boy, I’m deeply committed to promoting public education. I see the benefits to him as he grows up supported by talented, well-trained teachers. But those teachers are being worked incredibly hard for far too little pay, and getting less support from the federal government than ever before. Republicans put the Department of Education in the hands of a wrestling promoter and failed politician who had no experience with education policy and no desire to see the Department succeed. Purely political moves like this reward party elites but come at the expense of students.  As a college professor, I know that our universities are a vital component of American success. Our institutions produce trained innovators and inventors, talented entrepreneurs, doctors, veterinarians, nurses, farmers, and professionals in every field imaginable. Every dollar invested in a university generates a positive return in state and local economies. But universities are under attack by culture warriors who want political control of what they teach. We need to support the academic freedom of universities to teach critical thinking and true facts, and help professors and students navigate a rapidly changing environment. I will support legislation to strengthen the Department of Education and its mission of ensuring equal access to education. I will also work with legislators of both parties to alleviate student loan debt, enabling a new generation of students to grow and prosper with the benefit of an American university education.Equality for all Kansans: live up to our proudest momentsIn the last few years, Republicans have turned to a new and harsh kind of political correctness. The very concept of diversity is being demonized, and Americans are being called the enemy simply for loving or speaking in ways that party elites don’t approve of.An American leader should represent all Americans. I will always prioritize the rights and safety of all Kansans, regardless of race, religion, gender, orientation, or any other characteristic.Kansas’s proudest moments have been those in which we stood up to fight fiercely for our most vulnerable neighbors. Our most shameful moments have been those in which we turned on them. I will lead us from shame back to that pride, standing for every Kansan equally.I support the Disability Plank of the Kansas Democratic Party Platform, which calls for workplace compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, support for disabled students, vocational rehabilitation services, and other critical protections for Kansans with disabilities.— Colin McRoberts' campaign website (July 29, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.