Submitted
Kansas State Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, represents the state’s largest district centered in northwest Kansas with a total square mileage twice the size of New Jersey.
The 40th District senator said being a farm owner and operator keeps him very familiar with agricultural issues important to the state and particularly his district.
“It’s one of the greatest honors of my life to be able to advocate for the western part of this great state,” said Billinger, who travels throughout the vast district and back to Topeka on a regular basis.
Billinger is not only an agriculture advocate but also understands small business as owner and operator of a successful retail manufactured home business in his earlier career.
“I am a common-sense conservative, family man with grown children and school-aged grandchildren who knows and values and importance of education," he said, describing himself as “pro-life, pro-business and pro-Second Amendment.”
Billinger began his political service as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives in 2011 before being elected to the Senate in 2017 where he serves as vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee and chair of that group’s Corrections and Labor and Human Rights Subcommittees. He is also the vice chair of the Joint Committee on State Building Construction and vice chair of the Financial Institutions, Insurance Committee and Pensions and Benefits. Billinger also serves as a member of the Agricultural Committee.
Rick has been married to his wife, Rita, for 44 years. They have three grown children and five grandchildren and have lived in northwest Kansas for their entire lives.
Democrat Larry Dreiling of Hays also has announced his candidacy for the seat.