Jeff Colyer

Jeff Colyer
Born	Jeffrey William Colyer 6/3/1960
Birthplace	Hays, Kansas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Surgeon, politician
Title	47th Governor of Kansas
Known for	47th Governor of Kansas
Education	University of Kansas (MD)
Spouse(s)	Ruth Gutierrez
Children	3

Jeffrey William Colyer (born June 3, 1960) is an American surgeon and politician who served as the 47th governor of Kansas from January 31, 2018, to January 14, 2019. Born in Hays, Kansas, Colyer built a career in plastic and reconstructive surgery before entering public life as a Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives and later the Kansas Senate. He served as the 49th lieutenant governor of Kansas under Sam Brownback from 2011 to 2018, ascending to the governorship when Brownback resigned to become United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Colyer sought a full term as governor in the 2018 Republican primary but narrowly lost to Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, who subsequently lost the general election to Democratic nominee Laura Kelly. Educated at Georgetown University, Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge, and the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Colyer combined a medical career with extensive humanitarian work before transitioning to politics. As of 2025, Colyer has announced his candidacy for governor in the 2026 Kansas gubernatorial election, campaigning on promises to attract high-wage jobs and improve public schools.

Early Life

Jeffrey William Colyer was born on June 3, 1960, in Hays, Kansas. He grew up in Kansas and would later pursue a path that combined medicine and public service. His father, James Daniel Colyer, was a figure in the Kansas community.

Colyer's early years in western Kansas shaped his later political identity. Hays, a small city in Ellis County, provided a rural Kansas upbringing that Colyer would frequently reference throughout his political career. His roots in the state remained a central part of his public persona, and he continued to maintain ties to the Hays community well into his political career, returning to Fort Hays State University in October 2025 to share his vision for the state with students.

Education

Colyer earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He subsequently studied at Clare Hall, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, where he received a Master of Arts degree. He completed his medical education at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, earning his Doctor of Medicine degree. This combination of education at three distinct institutions — an undergraduate liberal arts education at Georgetown, graduate study at Cambridge, and medical training at the University of Kansas — provided Colyer with both international academic credentials and deep ties to the Kansas educational system that would later figure prominently in his political career.

Career

Medical Career

Colyer trained and practiced as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He was affiliated with the Great Plains Skin Center in the Kansas City area, where he practiced dermatologic and plastic surgery. His medical career included humanitarian surgical missions in conflict zones and developing countries, work that earned him recognition in medical and humanitarian circles. In profiles, Colyer was frequently identified as a physician who had performed reconstructive surgery on patients affected by war and natural disasters in various countries.

His medical background became a defining characteristic of his political identity. Throughout his legislative and executive career, Colyer was commonly referred to as "Dr. Jeff Colyer" or "Jeff Colyer, M.D." in official communications and media coverage, and he leveraged his healthcare expertise when addressing policy issues related to medicine, public health, and healthcare reform in Kansas. In his 2026 gubernatorial campaign, Colyer has described his blend of medical and political experience as preparation for the governor's office, framing his candidacy as offering voters "a prescription for change."

Kansas House of Representatives

Colyer entered electoral politics by winning a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 48th district. He served from January 8, 2007, to January 12, 2009, succeeding Eric Carter in the seat. His time in the state House provided his initial experience in Kansas governance and legislative processes. Upon his departure from the House, he was succeeded by Marvin Kleeb.

Kansas Senate

In 2009, Colyer moved to the Kansas Senate, representing the 37th district. He served from January 12, 2009, to January 10, 2011, having succeeded Dennis Wilson in the seat. His tenure in the Senate, while relatively brief, positioned him within the Republican political establishment in Kansas. When Colyer departed the Senate in 2010 to join the Brownback administration, he endorsed Raymond Merrick as his successor. Merrick subsequently took the seat and would later become Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives.

Lieutenant Governor of Kansas

Colyer was selected by Sam Brownback as his running mate in the 2010 Kansas gubernatorial election. Following the Brownback-Colyer ticket's victory, Colyer was inaugurated as the 49th lieutenant governor of Kansas on January 10, 2011, succeeding Troy Findley.

As lieutenant governor, Colyer served under Brownback for two terms, a period that spanned significant policy developments and political controversy in Kansas. The Brownback administration pursued an aggressive program of income tax cuts that became a major topic of national political debate. Brownback and Colyer won re-election in 2014, defeating Democratic challenger Paul Davis. The 2014 race was closely watched, with polling indicating a competitive contest between Brownback and Davis.

During the 2014 campaign, the race featured sharp exchanges between the candidates. Closed law enforcement records became the subject of political controversy during the contest.

In an earlier episode during Colyer's time as lieutenant governor, the Kansas State Objections Board — of which the lieutenant governor is a member — considered a challenge to Barack Obama's placement on the Kansas ballot in the 2012 presidential election. The challenge, rooted in "birther" claims questioning Obama's eligibility, was ultimately dropped, and Obama appeared on the Kansas ballot.

A December 2016 profile described Colyer as a "doctor turned lieutenant governor" and explored his trajectory from medicine to politics.

Governor of Kansas

On January 31, 2018, Colyer became the 47th governor of Kansas when Sam Brownback resigned to accept the position of United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Tracey Mann was subsequently appointed as lieutenant governor under Colyer.

Colyer's time as governor was brief, lasting less than a year. He inherited an administration that had been shaped by Brownback's fiscal policies, which had generated both support among tax-cut proponents and criticism from those who argued the tax reductions had created budget shortfalls for state services including education and infrastructure. As governor, Colyer sought to establish his own policy agenda while managing the political landscape left by his predecessor.

Colyer announced his candidacy for a full term as governor, entering the 2018 Republican primary. His chief opponent was Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state who had gained national attention for his advocacy of strict voter identification laws and immigration enforcement. The primary election proved to be one of the closest in Kansas gubernatorial history. Kobach narrowly defeated Colyer, and Colyer conceded the race. Kobach subsequently lost the November 2018 general election to Democratic nominee Laura Kelly, who succeeded Colyer as governor on January 14, 2019.

2026 Gubernatorial Campaign

In May 2025, Colyer formally announced his candidacy for governor of Kansas in the 2026 election cycle, seeking to return to the office he had held in 2018–2019. He appointed a campaign treasurer in advance of filing for the Republican nomination.

Colyer's 2026 campaign has focused on economic development, pledging to bring high-wage jobs to Kansas, and on improving public schools. He has also aligned himself with President Donald Trump. Campaign finance reports from the 2026 cycle revealed that Colyer was among several candidates who made significant personal loans to their campaigns, with reports indicating that millionaire candidates in the race were augmenting their fundraising with personal funds.

The campaign has not been without controversy. In July 2025, Governor Laura Kelly criticized Colyer for linking a fundraising appeal to tornado and storm damage that had struck multiple Kansas counties. In November 2025, a Kansas Reflector commentary critiqued Colyer's use of the term "wokeism" in his campaign rhetoric, arguing that he had offered limited substantive policy proposals, particularly on education.

In October 2025, Colyer spoke at Fort Hays State University, his birthplace's local university, sharing his vision for the state's future with students.

Personal Life

Colyer is married to Ruth Gutierrez, and the couple has three children. The family has resided in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Colyer's medical practice was based in the Kansas City area, where he was affiliated with the Great Plains Skin Center prior to his full-time entry into politics.

Colyer's identity as a physician has been a consistent element of his public life, and he has continued to reference his medical career and humanitarian surgical work as formative experiences that inform his approach to governance. Campaign finance disclosures from his 2026 gubernatorial bid indicate that Colyer possesses significant personal wealth, as he was described among "millionaire candidates" who made substantial personal loans to their campaigns.

Recognition

Colyer's service as governor of Kansas, though brief, placed him in the historical record as the state's 47th governor. His ascension to the governorship through the line of succession — rather than through direct election — made him one of several Kansas governors to assume the office without winning a gubernatorial general election.

His medical and humanitarian work prior to entering politics earned him recognition within the medical community. As a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who performed operations in conflict zones and disaster areas, Colyer built a reputation in international medical humanitarian circles that he later brought to bear in his political career.

The 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary between Colyer and Kris Kobach received national media attention due to its extremely narrow margin. The closeness of the result and the subsequent general election outcome — in which Kobach lost to Laura Kelly — led to significant discussion within Republican political circles about the dynamics of the Kansas GOP and the consequences of primary election outcomes.

Legacy

Colyer's political legacy is intertwined with the broader legacy of the Sam Brownback administration in Kansas. As Brownback's lieutenant governor for seven years and his immediate successor as governor, Colyer was closely associated with the Brownback era's fiscal policies, including the controversial income tax cuts that defined Kansas politics during the 2010s. His brief tenure as governor — less than a year — limited his ability to establish a distinct policy record separate from that of his predecessor.

The 2018 primary loss to Kris Kobach became a significant moment in Kansas Republican politics. Some analysis suggested that Colyer's defeat and Kobach's subsequent loss in the general election contributed to Democrats winning the Kansas governorship for the first time since Kathleen Sebelius had held the office. The sequence of events — a sitting governor losing a primary to a more conservative challenger, who then lost the general election — became a case study in Republican primary dynamics.

Colyer's 2026 gubernatorial campaign represents an attempt to return to the governor's office with a mandate achieved through direct election. His campaign has emphasized economic development and education — themes that suggest an effort to define a political identity beyond the Brownback-era policy framework. Whether Colyer succeeds in securing the Republican nomination and ultimately the governorship in 2026 will determine whether his legacy extends beyond that of a brief, transitional governorship.

His career trajectory — from physician and humanitarian surgeon to state legislator, lieutenant governor, governor, and renewed candidate — represents an unusual path in American politics, combining medical credentials with extensive executive and legislative experience at the state level.