Derek Schmidt Bio
Derek Larkin Schmidt (born January 23, 1968) is an American lawyer and Republican politician serving as the U.S. representative for Kansas’s 2nd congressional district since 2025. He previously served as the 44th attorney general of Kansas from 2011 to 2023, after a decade in the Kansas Senate. A graduate of the University of Kansas, the University of Leicester, and the Georgetown University Law Center, Schmidt has built a career around state litigation, regulatory challenges, and conservative legal priorities.
Schmidt gained national attention through high-profile court actions, including arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, and as the 2022 Republican nominee for governor of Kansas, a race he narrowly lost to Democratic incumbent Laura Kelly. He currently represents southeast Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Early Life and Background
Derek Larkin Schmidt was born on January 23, 1968, in Independence, Kansas, in the United States. He grew up in the Sunflower State, an environment that helped shape his later interest in state government and conservative policy. Schmidt is a Lutheran, a reflection of his Midwestern family background.
He attended the University of Kansas, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990. Seeking a broader academic perspective, he later completed a Master of Arts in international politics at the University of Leicester in England. Schmidt then returned to the United States to study law, earning a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center.
His academic record combined training in international affairs, political science, and law, providing a foundation for a career that would blend policy work with courtroom advocacy.
Path to US Politics
After law school, Schmidt began his public service career in Washington, D.C., working as a legislative assistant to Republican U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas. The role introduced him to federal policy-making and the legislative process, sharpening his understanding of how political ideas become law.
He returned to Kansas to serve as an assistant Kansas attorney general and later as special counsel to Governor Bill Graves. These positions gave him direct experience in state-level legal affairs and executive branch operations, preparing him for elected office.
In 2000, Schmidt successfully ran for the Kansas Senate, representing the 15th district. By 2004, his colleagues had elevated him to Senate majority leader, a post he held through 2010, signaling both his policy influence and his ability to build coalitions within the state legislature.
Derek Schmidt Career
Early Career (2001–2011)
Schmidt spent his first decade in elected office in the Kansas Senate, representing the 15th district from 2001 to 2011. He chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee, an influential position in a state where farming and ranching are central to the economy. In 2004, he became Senate majority leader, a role that allowed him to shape the legislative agenda.
During this period, Schmidt sponsored a proposal to repeal the state’s ban on for-profit prisons, though the bill did not pass. He supported Kansas’s version of Jessica’s Law, a tough-on-crime measure, but his insistence on adding a provision allowing private prisons ultimately stalled the final bill. In 2010, he launched a successful bid for state attorney general.
Kansas Attorney General Breakthrough (2011–2023)
Derek Larkin Schmidt was elected the 44th attorney general of Kansas in November 2010, defeating the incumbent, Democrat Steve Six, after winning the Republican primary against Ralph DeZago. A key campaign issue was the Affordable Care Act, with Schmidt pledging to join other states in challenging the law’s constitutionality. He took office on January 10, 2011.
Schmidt won re-election in 2014 against Democratic labor lawyer A. J. Kotich, and in 2018 against Democrat Sarah G. Swain, securing a third term. In 2016, he created a new Fraud and Abuse Litigation Division to prosecute financial crimes and elder abuse. The following year, his colleagues elected him to a one-year term as president of the National Association of Attorneys General, beginning in 2018.
As attorney general, Schmidt argued several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He successfully argued Kansas v. Cheever (2013) and Kansas v. Carr (2015–2016), both involving the death penalty. He also gave oral argument in Kansas v. Garcia (2019–2020), a case in which the Court ruled 5–4 that federal immigration law did not preempt Kansas’s identity-theft and fraud statutes as applied to noncitizens. He hired Toby Crouse as Kansas solicitor general, who later was appointed by President Trump to the Kansas federal district court.
U.S. House of Representatives Era (2025–Present)
On April 26, 2024, Derek Schmidt announced his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Kansas’s 2nd congressional district, seeking to succeed retiring Representative Jake LaTurner. He won the seat and was sworn in to the 119th United States Congress on January 3, 2025.
During his early tenure in the House, Schmidt voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He continues to focus on federal policy matters affecting Kansas, including agriculture, energy, and regulatory reform, drawing on his two decades of state-level legal and legislative experience.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of Schmidt’s signature achievements was the creation of the Fraud and Abuse Litigation Division in 2016, aimed at protecting vulnerable Kansans from financial exploitation. He also gained national recognition for his role in the multistate challenge to the Affordable Care Act and for joining Republican attorneys general in litigation against the Obama and Biden administrations on issues ranging from environmental regulation to immigration policy.
Derek Schmidt Career Wins
Derek Larkin Schmidt’s career has been defined by a series of electoral and legal victories, including three statewide wins for Kansas attorney general and a successful campaign for the U.S. House in 2024. His track record also includes U.S. Supreme Court arguments and a leadership role in the National Association of Attorneys General.
Attorney General Highlights
Schmidt first won the office of Kansas attorney general in 2010, defeating the Democratic incumbent, and went on to win two more terms in 2014 and 2018. He served a one-year term as president of the National Association of Attorneys General beginning in 2018. His most recent statewide win came in 2024, when he was elected to represent Kansas’s 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Other Wins & Achievements
In addition to his electoral successes, Schmidt argued and won two U.S. Supreme Court death-penalty cases, Kansas v. Cheever and Kansas v. Carr, and was elected Senate majority leader in the Kansas Legislature. He was also the 2022 Republican nominee for governor of Kansas, winning the primary with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and former Senator Bob Dole.
Derek Schmidt Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Derek Schmidt is married to Jennifer Schmidt. He is a Lutheran, reflecting his religious upbringing. The couple’s family life has been based in Kansas, where Schmidt has spent most of his professional career.
Personal Life
Beyond his public service, Schmidt is known for his steady presence in Kansas political and legal circles. His academic and professional journey, from Independence, Kansas, to the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court, reflects a deep commitment to his home state and to the conservative legal causes he has championed throughout his career.