Sheriffs Endorse Republican Craig Bowser for Kansas Senate

Craig Bowser • March 6, 2024

Craig Bowser today earned key endorsements out of Brown and Jackson Counties in his bid for the Kansas Senate. Brown County Sheriff, John Merchant, and Jackson County Sheriff, Tim Morse, endorsed Republican Craig Bowser over the incumbent independent candidate.


“Craig Bowser is a strong conservative ready to defend our Constitution and fight for public safety,” said Sheriff Merchant. “I’m proud to endorse Craig for Kansas Senate and I look forward to working with him to keep our citizens safe.”


Bowser, a resident of Jackson County, is a retired military officer who worked for a veteran’s advocacy organization in Manhattan before returning to his family farm in Holton.


“Craig Bowser is the kind of leader we need in the Kansas Senate.  He is a conservative ready to defend our Constitution and fight for public safety,” said Sheriff Morse. “I’m proud to endorse Craig for Kansas Senate and I look forward to working with him.”


Bowser is facing a former Republican turned Independent in Dennis Pyle from Brown County. Pyle mounted an independent campaign for governor that delivered the race to Democrat Laura Kelly in 2022.


“Coming out of the military where I was responsible for security and policing in hostile environments, I have a profound respect for what our law enforcement officers do every day to keep us safe,” said Bowser. “I appreciate the support of law enforcement officials like Sheriff Merchant in my bid for the Kansas Senate.” 


Kansas Senate District 1 includes all of Atchison, Doniphan, Brown, Jackson, and Nemaha counties as well as parts of Leavenworth, Jefferson, and Marshall counties. 

< Older Post

Craig Bowser Pushes Back on Removal of Kobach from State Committee

By Craig Bowser • July 13, 2023
First Congressional District Vice Chairman, Craig Bowser, is opposing the Kansas Republican Party Rules Committee’s proposal to eliminate key officials from the GOP state executive committee. The proposal would remove Attorney General Kris Kobach and Senator Roger Marshall, as well as representatives of college, minority, and women’s Republican organizations from the leadership of the Republican Party. In a public statement, Bowser said “The Kansas Republican Party is a big tent party, and removing the voices of so many Republican activists and elected Republican officials is damaging to the Republican brand locally, statewide, and nationally. The Republican party is the party of Abraham Lincoln and we’ve always attracted people with our universal messages of faith and freedom. I stand with our state party chairman and the district chairs who have requested that the rules committee rescind its recommendation to change the rules and eliminate this vital representation from the executive committee.”  Bowser, a native of Jackson County, is running for the State Senate in District 1.

Craig Bowser Launches Campaign for Senate District One

By Craig Bowser • December 15, 2022
Craig Bowser of Holton launched his campaign for Senate District One this week. Craig Bowser is a fifth generation Kansan raised on a ranch near Holton. After graduating from Holton High School, Bowser earned a bachelor’s degree from Emporia State University and an MBA from Washburn University in Topeka. “I’m running for the State Senate to return conservative leadership to the first senate district,” said Bowser. “We do not currently have a Republican senator, and the alternative isn’t conservative. I’m the conservative Republican ready to serve.” Bowser appointed Bryan Clark of Atchison as his campaign treasurer. Clark serves as the president of the Kansas State Troopers Association. Bowser previously worked in Manhattan at the Service-member Agriculture Vocation Education (SAVE) Farm. After concluding his work there in 2021, he returned to his farm in Holton and started work at the Kansas Department of Revenue in Topeka. After earning his degrees, Bowser joined the U.S. Army Reserves where he served for 24 years. After completing multiple combat tours in Iraq, Bowser used his G.I. Bill to earn his doctorate in strategic security from Henley Putnam School of Strategic Security. During his time in the military, Bowser served as a civil affairs officer, working with political leaders and citizen groups where he was instrumental in establishing freedom and democracy. Bowser helped to facilitate the first free elections in Iraq in 2005. He was awarded the prestigious Meritorious Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State during one of his combat tours. In 2018, Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer appointed Bowser to the statewide Commission on Emergency Planning and Response. In 2019 he completed the Kansas Republican Leadership Series. Bowser is currently the vice chairman of the Kansas First Congressional District Republican Party. Craig Bowser has not only served as a leader in the Army but has also held leadership positions in a variety of companies and industries such as transportation, utilities, nuclear, government, and agriculture. Today, Bowser works for the State of Kansas as an information security officer in Topeka. Craig and his wife Erin live on their farm near Holton.