U.S. House, Kansas 4th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Kansas's 4th Congressional District?
Ron Estes has the strongest record in Kansas's 4th Congressional District. Ron Estes scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Ron Estes's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Drew Cranmer (3 of 15 criteria) and Katy Tyndell (7 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Libertarian
Drew Cranmer
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Ron Estes
63 / 100
Public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 42
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 56
Democratic
Katy Tyndell
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- 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.
Drew Cranmer
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Ron Estes
- On the record2021-01
Signed the Dec. 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus brief and 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, U.S. Supreme Court docket No. 155, Original, amicus brief
- On the record2011 to 2017
Served two terms as Kansas state treasurer after six years as Sedgwick County treasurer.
Source: Ballotpedia, Ron Estes
- Credit2025-07-04
Two bills he sponsored, on stock attribution rules and the HITS Act, were enacted as part of the July 4, 2025 reconciliation law.
Sources: GovTrack, H.R. 2186 (119th Congress), GovTrack, Ron Estes
Katy Tyndell
- On the record2026-09-30
The Kansas Republican Party asked the FEC to investigate whether her campaign took in-kind help from Leading Kansas, a nonprofit she co-founded; she called the allegations false.
Source: High Plains Public Radio (Kansas Reflector), Oct. 1, 2026
- Credit2026-08-04
Won the Aug. 4, 2026 Democratic primary over Chris Carmichael.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. House financial disclosure for 2025 filed Aug. 10, 2026. No House Ethics finding or FEC administrative fine found. One 2023 report of savings bond purchases was filed about five months after the transactions; no news report of it was found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure index, 2025 annual report, House Clerk periodic transaction report 20023779, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00632067
Katy Tyndell. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC from March 3 to July 15, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. A Kansas GOP complaint to the FEC filed Sept. 30, 2026 is pending; see the Record notes.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00941658
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. No public record found.
Katy Tyndell. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. No public record found.
Katy Tyndell. Took part in a July 17, 2026 primary debate and scheduled a large town hall in Sedgwick County for Sept. 30, 2026.
Source: High Plains Public Radio (Kansas Reflector), Oct. 1, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. Sedgwick County treasurer, two terms as Kansas state treasurer and nine years in the U.S. House, with no formal censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Ron Estes
Katy Tyndell. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. Voted Yea on both House objections to state electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021, after signing 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, U.S. Supreme Court docket No. 155, Original, amicus brief filed Dec. 11, 2020
Katy Tyndell. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. U.S. representative since April 2017; Kansas state treasurer 2011 to 2017; Sedgwick County treasurer before that.
Sources: GovTrack, Ron Estes, Ballotpedia, Ron Estes
Katy Tyndell. Wichita attorney who helps run a family business; describes two decades in oil and gas operations, small business and public policy, including drafting federal legislation. No elected office.
Source: KSNT via Yahoo News
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Drew Cranmer. Positions in Ballotpedia's survey on war powers, balanced budgets and limited government, in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Drew Cranmer
Ron Estes. Chairs the Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee and sits on the Budget and Joint Economic committees; posts issue pages on his office site.
Source: GovTrack, Ron Estes
Katy Tyndell. Positions on affordability, tariffs, farmers and the Iran war, in general terms, in Ballotpedia's survey and interviews.
Source: KSNT via Yahoo News
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Drew Cranmer. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Source: Ballotpedia, Drew Cranmer
Ron Estes. Publishes an e-newsletter and issue pages on his office site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, Ballotpedia, Ron Estes
Katy Tyndell. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, took part in a primary debate and held a town hall.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Katy Tyndell, High Plains Public Radio (Kansas Reflector), Oct. 1, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Drew Cranmer. Wichita software engineer; graduated from Bishop Carroll Catholic High School and Wichita State University.
Sources: KMUW, July 20, 2026, Ballotpedia, Drew Cranmer
Ron Estes. Born in Topeka and a longtime Sedgwick County officeholder. FEC by-state totals through July 15, 2026 show about 72 percent ($503,468 of $694,879) of contributions from Kansas.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Ron Estes, FEC candidate page, contributions by state
Katy Tyndell. Wichita attorney and business owner. FEC by-state totals through July 15, 2026 show about 66 percent ($128,259 of $195,217) of itemized contributions from Kansas.
Sources: The Community Voice, Aug. 10, 2026, FEC candidate page, contributions by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. 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 C00632067
Katy Tyndell. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC with no administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00941658
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates him Below Expectations for the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 of 0.463, benchmark 1.202). Raised to 2 under E14: his H.R. 2186 was enacted in the July 4, 2025 reconciliation law.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 2186 (119th Congress), GovTrack, Ron Estes
Katy Tyndell. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. Missed 108 of 4,857 roll call votes, 2.2 percent, from April 2017 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Katy Tyndell. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. Wichita district office; offers help with federal agencies, grants and veterans' affairs.
Source: Office site
Katy Tyndell. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of minus 0.70461 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 269.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Katy Tyndell. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Drew Cranmer. No public record found.
Ron Estes. No public record found.
Katy Tyndell. 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 4th Congressional District?
Ron Estes has the strongest record in Kansas's 4th Congressional District. Ron Estes scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Ron Estes's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Drew Cranmer (3 of 15 criteria) and Katy Tyndell (7 of 15 criteria) have 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 4th Congressional District in 2026?
Drew Cranmer (Libertarian), Ron Estes (Republican, incumbent), Katy Tyndell (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Drew Cranmer a good candidate for Congress?
Drew Cranmer 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 Ron Estes a good candidate for Congress?
Ron Estes scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria: character 42 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Katy Tyndell a good candidate for Congress?
Katy Tyndell has public evidence on 7 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.
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.