Drew Cranmer, a Libertarian, is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Kansas' 4th Congressional District in the Nov. 3 general election. He faces Republican Ron Estes and Democrat Katy Tyndell.
Asked why he is running, Cranmer said in our questionnaire: "I believe voters deserve another option aside from Republicans and Democrats. For too long, Congress has ceded authority to the President. If elected, I would seek to reassert the Constitutional authority of Congress, particularly in matters of war and the economics. My staunch opposition to the Iran War was one of the biggest motivating factors for me to run for office."
Candidate information
Hometown: "Husband and father from Wichita, Kansas," Cranmer said in our questionnaire.
Party: Libertarian
Education: "I hold a Bachelor's of General Studies (BGS) from Wichita State University with an emphasis in Psychology, Sociology, and Criminal Justice and a minor in Political Science. I graduated from Bishop Carroll Catholic High School in Wichita in 2004," Cranmer said.
Occupation: "I currently work as a Data Engineer for a beverage distributor based in the Midwest. I've previously worked as Lead Data Engineer for a small consulting firm in Wichita as well as a Report Developer and Database Administrator. I've been in the technology field since 2016," Cranmer said.
Family: "My wife is a substitute teacher for the Maize School District, and my son is a sophomore at Maize South," Cranmer said.
Previous elected office: "I haven't previously held any elected or appointed offices," Cranmer said.
Experience and public service
Asked about accomplishments that qualify him for office, Cranmer said in our questionnaire: "I previously served as Outreach Director then President of the WSU Students for Liberty, a student group I helped establish on campus. I'm currently in the process of forming a nonprofit called the Sunflower Privacy Alliance focused on protecting Kansans' privacy rights and opposing government surveillance like automated license plate readers (ALPRs), digital ID, central bank digital currency, age-verification laws, and anti-VPN legislation."
On the issues
Top priority: Cranmer identified restoring congressional war powers as his top issue. "Everything else, from debt to inflation to our liberties, is downstream of a government that can start wars without a vote," he said in our questionnaire.
Cost of living: "I would support a full audit of the Federal Reserve and push for greater transparency with regard to monetary policy." Cranmer said, "Creating money out of thin air by monetizing debt is the primary driver of inflation, and the American people deserve to know why their purchasing power is being continually eroded."
Immigration: "I believe any laws already on the books should be enforced, but I would seek to drastically reform immigration policy to reduce wait times and streamline the path to citizenship," Cranmer said.
Federal spending: "I don't believe Washington has a revenue problem (justifying more taxes); I believe it has a spending problem and that the only feasible solution is broad cuts across the board," Cranmer said in our questionnaire.
Health care: "Washington created this mess; more Washington won't fix it," Cranmer said. He said Congress should "expand HSAs and let Americans buy insurance across state lines."
Energy: "Energy is best shaped by free markets, not Washington. Subsidies and mandates pick winners and raise costs for Kansas families," Cranmer said.
Cranmer is certified for the Nov. 3 ballot, according to BallotReady election data.
