Craig Musser

Craig Musser earned a bachelor's degree from Shippensburg State University in 1987, a bachelor's degree from Bucknell University in 1987, and a graduate degree from Frostburg State University in 1999.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Craig Musser. I’m not a career politician. In fact, I’m not a politician at all. But I see how our current representatives, instead of serving and representing the will of the people of Kansas, are pushing their personal beliefs and party agenda onto us. I believe Kansans deserve representatives that serve them, not someone’s personal, party or special interests. My parents taught me do what’s right, regardless of personal cost or fear. I learned when we stand up, whether we win or lose, we make a positive impact. So, I’m running for congress to stand up for you and facilitate much needed change in Kansas politics.

My family immigrated from Germany over a century ago. I grew up in Pennsylvania in a middle-class family where I went to public school and attended Church of the Brethren. My parents taught me to work hard, help others in need, be true to my word, live by the golden rule and value education. They sacrificed to send me to college. I went to a Shippensburg State College to earn a Bachelor of Science in Physics and then to Bucknell University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. A few years later, I earned an MBA from Frostburg University. During COVID pandemic, I earned a Master’s Degree in Safety from Eastern Kentucky University and became a Certified Safety Professional.

I have worked a full-time job since starting my chemical engineering degree. I have experience working in various industries

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?

Healthcare

First, preventative healthcare such as blood pressure checks, routine blood tests, cancer screenings, vaccinations and annual physicals. We need to make this universal.

Second, use technology, such as telehealth and monitoring devices. This keeps non urgent and sick patients that can be managed via home care out of the office and hospitals. It allows for better management of chronic diseases. Rural facilities can benefit from this. Kansas has started down this road.

Mental healthcare should be treated with the same urgency and compassion as physical illness. Proper mental healthcare could save substantial money with a little investment.

Redefining nonprofit medicine and simplifying/standardizing billing reduces costs.Social Security. Think about designated funds. Some of us can relate to Christmas or vacation funds. From every paycheck we designate $20 dollars to the fund so we have a little over $1,000 at the end of the year to spend. The trouble is that money is for someone else’s trip. That is what we do with Social Security. We put a chunk of our paycheck into the trust so a person already retired gets their money back.

I recommend Joseph Matthews’ book on Social Security, Medicare and Government Pensions. The book identifies several corrections to make in order for Social Security to stay healthy. The FICA cap should not have a limit or the amount of benefits needs to match what a person paid in. Lastly, adjust when people can retire early.Agriculture

Farming and livestock drive the economy in the first district of Kansas. There are lots of people and local governments tied to how much the farmer spends. Their lives are made easier by having consistency whether it’s regarding markets, raw material costs, regulations, weather, etc. Unfortunately, they don’t control many of those things. This Congress allowed the markets to be taken away. Congress has allowed monopolies to develop on both ends of the process. Congress has allowed big corporation farming to take over.

I know people look at all the government money being spent on farmers, but there is a huge economy driven around their work.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education

People's freedom and antonomy over their bodies

Campaign websiteMusser's campaign website stated the following:Healthcare:Access to preventative care: Preventative health care, such as routine blood tests, cancer screening, and vaccinations, should be universal. This provides a revenue base for rural and urban healthcare facilities.Lowering medical costs for patients: Redefining nonprofit medicine and standardizing billing and reimbursement practices across providers, insurers, and billers to ensure dollars spent go back to the providers and insurers in amounts that benefit both without costing citizens more.Use of technology in healthcare should be encouraged: Providers should be incentivized to use technology, such as telehealth, more broadly to keep non-urgent and sick patients that can be managed via home care out of the office to prevent the spread of seasonal illness and leave more time for in-office care for patients who require it. Mental healthcare should be a priority: Mental healthcare should be treated with the same urgency and compassion as physical illness. Telemedicine can assist prior to in-patient treatments.Access to healthy food and physical fitness: The government should ensure citizens have access to healthy food and physical fitness. The state of Kansas and the nation should work to ensure everyone who wants to eat a healthy diet and participate in physical fitness activities is able to do so. For example, that could be subsidizing farmers to provide healthy foods at lower cost or providing tax incentives to encourage folks involved in any physical activity, whether it be hiking, running, horseback riding, local leagues, etc. to include and provide instruction to members of their communities. We should be open to all ideas when it comes to encouraging our citizens to eat and move their bodies in healthy ways they enjoy.Personal FreedomsKansans are good neighbors. As self-reliant and individualistic as we are, we are also willing to put aside our differences to help each other. We value our privacy and support the rights of others to make the best decisions for themselves and their families without input from the government or fellow citizens who don’t believe the same way they do.If elected, I intend to uphold and defend the rights of citizens to privacy and bodily autonomy by equally supporting all members of our community regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender.Women's RightsThe government should not condescend to women by dictating to them what's best for their lives and their bodies. Every woman is uniquely qualified and wholly capable of defining and following her own path to personal fulfillment and well-being. Women's healthcare decisions belong to women and their doctors, not lawyers, not legislators, and not religious organizations. Our maternal mortality rate reflects a lack of real support, and the mothers of Kansas deserve better than a system that fails them. Every woman in this state deserves access to the healthcare she needs, without barriers or judgement. Being Pro ChildBeing pro-child means that I believe strongly that all children, regardless of the circumstances in which they come into the world, need to be properly supported. It does not mean that we force women to give birth or encourage them to relinquish their children. Keeping children with their families and providing care to children who are displaced and mistreated is critical. We should prioritize the health and safety of our nation’s children and, in doing so, seek to improve our child welfare system. While we should be open to all ideas and points of view, I believe that adult adoptees and former foster youth are our best resource when it comes to understanding what effects our decisions, policy, and placement have on the children currently in the system on which we rely to provide for their well-being.Saving Social SecurityIt’s mandatory that we maintain social security to ensure everyone who has paid in gets the income and benefits their money has provided others. To do that, we must maintain a substantial and well-trained workforce, keep the federal budget in line so we can honor our treasury notes, and remove the cap on FICA. Removing the cap will extend the length of viability of the social security fund.— Craig Musser's campaign website (July 29, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.