U.S. House, Kansas 1st Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Kansas's 1st Congressional District?
Tracey Mann has the strongest record in Kansas's 1st Congressional District. Tracey Mann scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Lauren Reinhold at 56, as of October 6, 2026. Tracey Mann's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lauren Reinhold's highest marks are communication and roots in the constituency. Steven Jacob (3 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Libertarian
Steven Jacob
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Tracey Mann
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 63
Democratic
Lauren Reinhold
56 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Steven Jacob
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Tracey Mann
- Mark against2026-08-13
Filed a periodic transaction report Aug. 13, 2026 for his wife's August and September 2024 trades in five tech stocks, past the STOCK Act's 45-day window.
Sources: NOTUS, Aug. 14, 2026, House Clerk financial disclosure index, 2026
- On the record2026-10
Did not attend an Oct. 10, 2026 Women for Kansas forum with his two challengers, telling organizers he had another engagement.
Source: The Lawrence Times, Oct. 4, 2026
- On the record2021-01
Voted Yea on both House objections to state electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
- On the record2018
Was appointed lieutenant governor of Kansas by Gov. Jeff Colyer in 2018.
Source: Ballotpedia, Tracey Mann
- Credit2025-02
Holds an annual listening tour with town halls across the district; the fourth began in February 2025.
Sources: Office site, In the News, Feb. 6, 2025, The Lawrence Times, Feb. 1, 2023
Lauren Reinhold
- On the record2025
Lost her Social Security Administration job in the 2025 federal workforce cuts and then ran for Congress.
Source: Kansas Reflector via The Lawrence Times, Jan. 5, 2026
- Credit2026-08-04
Won the Aug. 4, 2026 Democratic primary over Collin McRoberts.
Source: KWCH, Aug. 4, 2026
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. Annual House disclosures are on file (2025 report filed Aug. 13, 2026). An Aug. 13, 2026 report covered his wife's 2024 stock trades; see the Record. No House Ethics finding or FEC fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure index, 2025 annual report, House Clerk financial disclosure index, 2026 periodic transaction report, NOTUS, Aug. 14, 2026
Lauren Reinhold. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC from Jan. 1 to July 15, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00932855
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. No public record found.
Lauren Reinhold. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. Holds annual listening-tour town halls across the district, including an in-person Lawrence town hall in 2023. Did not attend an Oct. 10, 2026 Women for Kansas forum, citing another engagement; no 2026 general election debate found.
Sources: Office site, In the News, Feb. 6, 2025, The Lawrence Times, Feb. 1, 2023, The Lawrence Times, Oct. 4, 2026
Lauren Reinhold. Took part in a Kansas Democratic Party candidate forum in Topeka on March 8, 2026 and was set to attend an Oct. 10, 2026 Women for Kansas forum in Lawrence.
Sources: Topeka Capital-Journal via Yahoo News, March 12, 2026, The Lawrence Times, Oct. 4, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. Served as lieutenant governor of Kansas in 2018 and in the U.S. House since January 2021 with no formal censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Lauren Reinhold. About 30 years as a legal aid and immigration attorney and federal employee, with no formal conduct finding found.
Source: Kansas Reflector via The Lawrence Times, Jan. 5, 2026
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. Voted Yea on both House objections to state electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021. He took office that month and is not among the signers of the Dec. 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus brief.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Lauren Reinhold. Served as a federal employee at the Social Security Administration until 2025, with no official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Kansas Reflector via The Lawrence Times, Jan. 5, 2026
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. In his third term in the U.S. House since 2021, after serving as lieutenant governor of Kansas.
Lauren Reinhold. Attorney since 1996 with 16 years of federal service at the Social Security Administration; no elected office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Lauren Reinhold, Kansas Reflector via The Lawrence Times, Jan. 5, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Steven Jacob. Lists general positions on the national debt, ending wars and compromise in Ballotpedia's survey.
Tracey Mann. Chairs the House Agriculture subcommittee on livestock, dairy and poultry and publishes issue pages on his office site.
Source: GovTrack, Tracey Mann
Lauren Reinhold. Published positions in Ballotpedia's survey and on her campaign site, centered on economic issues, in general terms.
Source: KWCH, Aug. 4, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Steven Jacob. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Tracey Mann. Publishes a newsletter, holds telephone town halls and listening tours, and posts issue pages. Did not complete Ballotpedia's survey.
Sources: Office site, Ballotpedia, Tracey Mann
Lauren Reinhold. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, publishes positions on her campaign site and took part in a primary forum.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Lauren Reinhold, KWCH, Aug. 4, 2026, Topeka Capital-Journal via Yahoo News, March 12, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Steven Jacob. Lawrence High School graduate and retired City of Lawrence employee.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Steven Jacob (Kansas), The Lawrence Times, Oct. 4, 2026
Tracey Mann. Born in Quinter, Kansas, and lives in Salina, both in the district. FEC by-state totals through July 15, 2026 show about 77 percent ($650,880 of $846,924) of contributions from Kansas.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Tracey Mann, FEC candidate page, contributions by state
Lauren Reinhold. Lived in Topeka as a child and has lived in Kansas since 1993, in Lawrence. FEC by-state totals through July 15, 2026 show 48 percent ($14,647 of $30,457) of itemized contributions from Kansas.
Sources: Kansas Reflector via The Lawrence Times, Jan. 5, 2026, The Lawrence Times, Oct. 4, 2026, FEC candidate page, contributions by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026, with no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00460659
Lauren Reinhold. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC with no administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00932855
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates him Below Expectations for the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 of 0.383 against a benchmark of 1.460). His one enacted bill as sponsor named a post office.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, Tracey Mann
Lauren Reinhold. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. Missed 7 of 2,915 roll call votes, 0.2 percent, from January 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Lauren Reinhold. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. District offices in Manhattan and Dodge City, help with federal agencies and veterans' casework, plus annual listening-tour town halls.
Sources: Office site, Office site, Services, Office site, In the News, Feb. 6, 2025
Lauren Reinhold. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of minus 0.32846 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 194.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Lauren Reinhold. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Steven Jacob. No public record found.
Tracey Mann. No public record found.
Lauren Reinhold. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Kansas's 1st Congressional District?
Tracey Mann has the strongest record in Kansas's 1st Congressional District. Tracey Mann scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Lauren Reinhold at 56, as of October 6, 2026. Tracey Mann's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lauren Reinhold's highest marks are communication and roots in the constituency. Steven Jacob (3 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Kansas's 1st Congressional District in 2026?
Steven Jacob (Libertarian), Tracey Mann (Republican, incumbent), Lauren Reinhold (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Steven Jacob a good candidate for Congress?
Steven Jacob has public evidence on 3 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Tracey Mann a good candidate for Congress?
Tracey Mann scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Lauren Reinhold a good candidate for Congress?
Lauren Reinhold scores 56 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 60 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Kansas race scored, and the Kansas 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.