Dale Helwig
From Ballotpedia
Dale Helwig
Kansas House of Representatives District 1
Tenure
2025 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
0
Predecessor
Elections and appointments
Education
Personal
Contact
Dale Helwig (Republican Party) is a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing District 1. He assumed office on January 13, 2025. His current term ends on January 11, 2027.
Helwig (Republican Party) ran for election to the Kansas House of Representatives to represent District 1. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Helwig completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Dale Helwig's career experience includes working as a cattle rancher. He has also worked in construction and in the HVAC industry. Helwig earned an associate degree from Coffeyville Community College in 1993 and a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University in 1995.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
Democratic primary election
Republican primary election
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Helwig in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Dale Helwig completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Helwig's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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My wife and I have been married for 28 years and have 3 wonderful children. We live on our family farm that was established in 1912, where we raise cattle. Besides working on the farm, I have worked 10 years in the construction industry building and repairing homes, 7 years installing heating and air units, and 10 years with Kansas State University Research and Extension as the Cherokee County Agricultural Agent. As a KSU employee I worked with agricultural producers, local businesses, home owners, and schools. I continue that effort as the current Cherokee County Economic Development Director.
I have no agenda, but am guided by my faith in the Lord and only wish to do the right thing. I am pro-life, pro-business, and support the 2nd amendment. I believe that your money is not for the government to take or give. Taxes have long been a burden in Kansas and the government should be fiscally responsible.
It is my desire to serve the people of this district for their betterment and the betterment of this great state.
Welfare reform is essential at both the federal and state levels. Too often, the success of government programs is measured by the number of people who rely on them. However, true success should be defined by how many individuals are able to transition off assistance because they've been empowered with the tools and opportunities to thrive independently.
I believe in providing a hand up, not a handout. The goal of welfare programs should be to help people achieve self-sufficiency, not to keep them dependent on assistance. Equality should focus on providing equal opportunities for everyone, not guaranteeing equal outcomes.
President Reagan. I always admired his wit and ability to communicate with all audiences, whether they agreed with his position or not. He was firm in his convictions and put America first.
I believe honesty is extremely important even if the truth may not be popular.
I have had several different occupations in my life that have given me a wide range of experiences. Those experiences have allowed me to meet people from different backgrounds and schools of thought. I have been able to communicate and thrive in those environments, which I believe is essential in working with people with different political views. Those experiences have also allowed me to see how policy and laws affect people lives. Therefore, I want to be careful about the legislation that is passed, because there can be unintended consequences. I am firm in my faith in the Lord, which is the foundation of my moral belief. I believe being honest and trustworthy is of utmost importance. My goal is to be an example that my kids and others can look at and say, "That is the type of person I want to be."
To uphold the oath of office. That the representative work for the betterment of the people and not personal gain.
As a child I remember President Reagan being shot. I was 8 when President Reagan was shot.
Besides working on our family farm, my first job was cultivating soybeans for a farmer with a six row cultivator. The tractor did have an umbrella, so I was pretty high-tech. That job was the beginning of a lot of similar jobs that help me develop a strong work ethic and an appreciation of how our food is grown.
It should be a working relationship, where ideas and thoughts are shared. From there rational discussions occur to find the best course of action that are beneficial to the citizens of the state. Playing politics needs to be put to the side and make decisions based on facts not ideology.
It seems a lot of the problems for the states trickles down from the federal government. Healthcare is a major issue along with immigration. Federal overreach and the decisions made in Washington effects everyone, even down to the county level. As a state, we need to try and limit some of the damage done by the federal government.
Education spending for Kansas will continue to be a top priority. Enrollment in public schools is down, yet spending is up. Apparently spending more money is not working. We need to see what is wrong with the system and fix it. The money is not making it to the teachers on the front-line. I believe a quality teacher should be given a quality salary, but somewhere we are missing the mark.
No, I believe the best person is someone who has private business experience. A person who understands how decisions made in Topeka or Washington affect the businesses and citizens of the state.
Yes. One person does not know everything. Talking and learning from each other, I believe will make better policy. Legislators may not always agree with each other, and that is fine. That is an opportunity to see things from a different perspective and look at the problem from multiple angles. This gives a chance to see unintended consequences of a policy and in the end make better laws and policies.
Just because legislators don't agree does not mean they can't have a conversation and work the issues out.
Building relationships in and across party lines is imperative to develop good policy and laws.
Yes. There should always be a balance of power. That is why there are three branches of government. However, I would be very cautious of ever granting anyone emergency power. I believe there are safeties in place to prevent the need for that ever happening.
Kansans for Life
Kansas Farm Bureau
Kansas Chamber of Commerce
Kansas Bankers Association
Agricultural committees as I have spent my entire life working in the agricultural industry.
I would also like to work on the welfare reform committee. I have worked with many organizations and individuals that work with and in that realm. I believe the current system makes people dependent on the government instead of helping them out of the situation they may find themselves. I believe in a hand up and not a handout. I want to see people succeed and live the American dream. I believe it needs to be a more progressive system that incentivizes individuals to improve their situation but doesn't penalize them as they move forward.
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Campaign finance summary
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Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 22, 2024
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Daniel Hawkins
Majority Leader:Chris Croft
Minority Leader:Brandon Woodard
Representatives
Republican Party (88)
Democratic Party (37)
