Joe Claeys | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Kansas Senate from the 27th district | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Chase Blasi (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Republican |
| Relatives | J.R. Claeys (brother) |
| Education | Kansas State University Fort Hays State University |
Joseph Claeys is an American politician and former psychologist serving as a member of the Kansas Senate from the 27th district since 2025.
Early life and education
[edit]Claeys graduated from Kansas State University and earned a master’s and education specialist degree from Fort Hays State University.[1]
Career
[edit]Claeys was a school psychologist for 16 years and taught at Wichita State University for six years.[1]
Kansas Senate
[edit]Elections
[edit]After redistricting placed incumbent state senator Chase Blasi in the 26th district, Claeys announced his campaign for the open 27th district in 2024.[1] He was unopposed in the Republican primary election and defeated Democrat Jennifer Herington in the general election with 61% of the vote.[2][3]
Tenure
[edit]In 2025, Claeys opposed a bill that would ban school district employees from using a student's preferred name or pronouns without parental permission. He called the bill a violation of the First Amendment, stating "In my opinion, the Legislature needs to get out of the pronoun business entirely,” and that it would create "a litigation minefield" turning “classrooms into courtrooms” and "teachers into defendants."[4] He supported SB 51, which would create a sales tax exemption for the construction or remodeling of data centers.[5]
Electoral history
[edit]| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Joe Claeys | 4,280 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 4,280 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Joe Claeys | 20,833 | 60.27 | |
| Democratic | Jennifer Herington | 13,733 | 39.73 | |
| Total votes | 34,566 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Personal life
[edit]Claeys lives in Maize, Kansas. His brother, J.R. Claeys, served as a member of the Kansas Legislature from 2013 to 2025 until he resigned to become Administrator of the USDA's Rural Business-Cooperative Service.[6][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Mesa, Blaise (October 7, 2024). "Jennifer Herington and Joe Claeys are running for open Senate seat". The Beacon. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ Richardson, Bryan (November 4, 2024). "General election 2024: Full Kansas Legislature results". State Affairs. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ a b Swaim, Chance (October 7, 2024). "Dozens of open seats in the Kansas Legislature could tip the scales of power in Topeka". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ Kaminski, Anna (February 19, 2025). "Kansas pronoun bill sparks bipartisan concerns of turning 'classrooms into courtrooms'". Kansas Reflector. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ Alatidd, Jason (February 24, 2025). "Kansas is missing out on data center projects. Can sales tax breaks change that?". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ Cooper, Brad (July 12, 2023). "The two Claeys". Sunflower State Journal. Retrieved June 15, 2025.