Ryan Gilbert (Kansas)

Ryan Gilbert (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Kansas' 4th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 4, 2026.

Gilbert completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ryan Gilbert was born in Wichita, Kansas. He earned an associate degree in power plant technology. His career experience includes working as a nuclear power plant operator and a legal assistant.^[1]

Elections

2026

Kansas' 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 4 Democratic primary)

Kansas' 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 4 Republican primary)

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for U.S. House Kansas District 4

Incumbent Ron Estes (R), Katy Tyndell (D), and Drew Cranmer (L) are running in the general election for U.S. House Kansas District 4 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Ron Estes (R)
		Katy Tyndell (D)
		Drew Cranmer (L)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Kansas District 4

Katy Tyndell (D) defeated Chris Carmichael (D), Ryan Gilbert (D), and Cole Epley (D) (Withdrew, still on ballot) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kansas District 4 on August 4, 2026.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Katy Tyndell	65.8	26,156
	Chris Carmichael	21.9	8,689
	Ryan Gilbert	7.7	3,069
	Cole Epley (Withdrew, still on ballot)	4.6	1,836

	There were no incumbents in this race. Vote totals may change until results are certified. Source	Total votes: 39,750
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Jordan Mitchell (D)
Daniel Schneider (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Kansas District 4

Incumbent Ron Estes (R) defeated Frank McCollum (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kansas District 4 on August 4, 2026.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ron Estes	80.9	65,201
	Frank McCollum	19.1	15,363

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Vote totals may change until results are certified. Source	Total votes: 80,564
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Ryan Gilbert completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gilbert's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

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?

Born and raised in Kansas. Ryan is proud to call Kansas his lifelong home. At age 36, Ryan is an abuse survivor. The rough start in life didn't stop Ryan from creating a successful business and career. Ryan knows all too well how hard it is in life when you're struggling, and how it feels when you've been overlooked. That's what Ryan will bring to Congress: empathy, common sense solutions, and a fight that will never quit working for Kansans. This is more than just your typical campaign. In the 250th year of this great nation, we need moral strength, responsibility, and results from our elected officials more than ever. Ryan is the candidate who will fight for all of us!
Ryan will fight for accountability, and especially from our leaders. Impeaching bad actors in our federal government for treason and other high crimes and misdemeanors is paramount. We all know right from wrong, and consequences for breaking the law should apply equally to everyone. This isn't a political issue this is a moral one.
It is critical for Americans to survive that we have a living wage, lower rent, and cheaper groceries. We must have wages that reflect the cost of living, and not the amounts that big corporate employers want to pay their employees. This starts with a federal minimum wage that is at least $17 an hour. It is critical we put a rent freeze in place for large corporate landlords to stop the spiraling rent increases. We also need to lower grocery prices by empowering farmers in Kansas, especially our family and small farms. The more product they can get on the market, the lower the costs for everyone.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am most passionate about human rights. Everything we do stems from that. Whether you're talking about bodily autonomy, who you love, the right to be safe from excessive police force, education, or recreational marijuana, I believe strongly that people should have the right to choose and be safe from tyranny.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Gilbert's campaign website stated the following:

Living Wage
It is critical that wages reflect the cost of living, and not the amounts that big corporate employers want to pay their employees. This starts with a federal minimum wage that is at least $17 an hour.
Human Rights
The Government has no business telling anyone what they can do with their body, or whom they can marry. Every individual should be able to work with their doctor to determine what the best medical treatment is for them. Whether its gender affirming care or reproductive rights, they are all human rights deserving of dignity and autonomy safe from an overreaching federal government.
Tax the Rich
Ryan supports taxing millionaires at a rate over 50% and billionaires at a rate over 90%. There is no reason billionaires should exist.
Expand Medicaid and Medicare for all
Expanding Medicaid is critical to our rural communities surviving here in Kansas. It also would improve the quality of life for all Kansans. We must fund the expansion of medicaid if we are going to reduce poverty and protect our vulnerable populations. We also need a single payer healthcare system that provides care for everyone, regardless of their income levels.
Legalizing Marijuana
It is time for the United States to remove marijuana from the drug wars. Several states have taken responsible approaches to legalizing the drug. 40 states now allow medical use and 24 have legalized recreational use. There's no reason why it should remain a federal crime. The legalization of marijuana leads to tax revenue and jobs for our communities.
Rent Freeze
Large corporate landlords are driving up rent for everyday Kansans. I intend to introduce legislation to cap rent increases for these landlords and provide financial assistance for those facing evictions and arrears.
Agriculture
Kansas farmers are bearing the burden of tariffs on imports and exports. This bad economic policy cuts into farmers profits and leaves farmers with a surplus and no market. This policy should be rejected by the Congress. We also need to encourage Community Supported Agriculture programs to expand the local markets. Farmers are the backbone of Kansas, we cannot let them fail.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy doesn't have to clash with private property rights. Landowners deserve to use their land however they choose, whether it be for a mineral lease or a turbine. We have to balance this with protecting our nation's cropland. I plan to invest in urban location of renewable energy sources such as solar to make the best use of our preexisting resources.
High Speed Rail
I am committed to restoring travel efficiency and lowering the cost of travel for Kansas families. There is no reason why high speed rail cannot be in Kansas, and revolutionize how we get around our state and the country. Imagine being able to take a high speed train from Wichita to Kansas City to see the Chiefs play in a brand new stadium. I intend to revolutionize the way we travel.
Responsible Gun Laws
I am a proud gun owner, and will always protect the right to bear arms. With great fire power comes great responsibility, and every sensible gun owner knows this. Licensing of weapons and a national database, are just some of the common sense gun solutions we can put to work for us and keep our kids safe.
Veterans
An outdated VA has made helping veterans near impossible. We need to increase funding to the VA because it is understaffed and under-resourced. Expanding Veteran benefits to allow them a greater selection of doctors is also needed. They didn't get to choose where they were deployed, they deserve the ability to choose where they go to the doctor.
No PAC Money
Ryan's campaign is a grassroots campaign. Money is everything that is wrong with politics today. That is why Ryan pledges not to take any PAC money during his campaign.
Women's Healthcare
As a man I don't believe I should have a say in women's health and the choices they make. Freedom of choice is an important cornerstone of our democracy. I believe my daughters deserve a choice in their healthcare. Members of my campaign worked for Dr. Tiller before he tragically lost his life. The least we can do is fight to restore reproductive freedom.
Abolish ICE
The agency needs to be shut down. There is no redeeming this agency at this point. We need humane immigration enforcement, not a paramilitary force.

— Ryan Gilbert's campaign website (July 29, 2026)

Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Ryan Gilbert campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Kansas District 4	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Election Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.