Zachary Werhan

Zachary Werhan earned a high school diploma from Trinity Academy. He earned a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University in 2015 and a graduate degree from Wichita State University in 2020. His career experience includes working as a mental health counselor.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a fifth-generation Kansan, and I'm so grateful to call this state home. My wife and I are raising two daughters together in Wichita's Crown Heights neighborhood, and that's really at the heart of why I'm running. I'm a clinician, not a career politician — I run a counseling practice here in Wichita, and every day I get to sit with real Kansans and really listen to what they're navigating: healthcare worries, addiction, family stress. I believe listening is the most important skill in public service, and it's one I've practiced for years. Affordability weighs on the families I see — healthcare costs, property taxes that keep climbing while relief gets promised and never delivered. And as an addiction counselor, I've seen how untreated mental health and addiction quietly touch so much else: our hospitals, our schools, our streets. My hope for Kansas is simple: practical, caring policy that matches the good, hardworking people who live here, so our children choose to stay and build their lives right here at home.

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?

Affordability is what weighs on the families I talk with most — healthcare costs, and the taxes funding a system that isn't working for them. Twenty-eight Kansas hospitals are at immediate risk of closing, more than any other state. I see this every day, not from the outside, but as a clinician inside the system — and that means I'm accountable for getting it right. I'll work toward three things: fair Medicaid reimbursement so providers can stay open, less red tape, and rooting out waste. Kansans deserve care that doesn't break their budget.Our property tax bills have climbed two sessions in a row, while Topeka kept promising relief that never came. I believe in real fiscal discipline — if families have to live within a budget, our government should too. I'll work for a thoughtful cap on local spending growth tied to inflation, paired with raising the state's share of the school levy exemption, so the relief we find never comes at the cost of our children's classrooms or the safety of our neighborhoods.The biggest threat I see in our community isn't just crime itself — it's what quietly drives it. Fentanyl is taking young lives across Kansas, sometimes from a single pill. Untreated addiction and mental illness fuel crime that real treatment could prevent. As an addiction counselor, I want to champion genuine investment in treatment, fentanyl awareness, and care that reaches people early — alongside fully supporting our law enforcement. I believe safer streets start with healthier neighbors.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

A few areas genuinely drive me. Behavioral health and addiction policy is closest to my heart professionally — as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Addiction Counselor, I've seen how untreated mental illness touches healthcare, schools, and public safety alike. I'm equally passionate about K-12 education, especially honest school funding and student mental health. Fiscal policy matters too — property tax relief paired with real government discipline. And I care about restoring public trust in our institutions, from elections to how we govern. Different issues on the surface, but they all come back to one thing: a Kansas where families can genuinely thrive.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Kansans For Life