The Chamber in Hays, Kansas, in partnership with Fort Hays State University, is pleased to host the 2026 U.S. House, 1st District Election Forum for voters throughout Ellis County and the surrounding area.
The forum will feature the three candidates participating in the 2026 general election for Kansas’ 1st Congressional District:
- Congressman Tracey Mann (Republican), incumbent
- Lauren Reinhold (Democrat)
- Steven Jacob (Libertarian)
The forum will provide an opportunity for voters to hear directly from the candidates about issues important to residents of the 1st Congressional District. The event will be moderated by a faculty member and a student representative from Fort Hays State University and will focus on providing a structured, nonpartisan setting for candidates to respond to questions from the community.
Forum Format
- Each candidate will have two minutes for opening remarks.
- Candidates will have 90 seconds to respond to each question.
- A candidate who is directly called out by another candidate may receive 45 seconds for a rebuttal.
- Each candidate will have two minutes for closing remarks.
- An official timekeeper will help enforce response times so the forum can cover as many topics as possible during the 60-minute program.
Questions & Moderation
Members of the public are invited to submit questions for consideration by Friday, October 2 to sarah@hayschamber.com.
Questions will not be provided to candidates in advance. The moderators will endeavor to cover a broad range of topics relevant to voters within the 1st Congressional District during the 60-minute forum.
Moderators will establish and maintain appropriate decorum throughout the event.
Media & Recording
Invitations will be extended to local media outlets to attend and cover the forum.
Event Partners
This event is presented in partnership with:
- FHSU Student Government Association
- FHSU Department of Communication Studies, Law & Political Science
- FHSU Student & Belonging
- FHSU Docking Institute of Public Affairs
- FHSU American Democracy Project
- Tebo Library
- Tiger Media Network
- The Chamber in Hays, Kansas
Fees & Registration
This event is free and open to the public. No registration fee is required. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Fort Hays State University Docking Institute of Public Affairs and The Chamber in Hays, Kansas.
Special thanks to our event sponsor:
Midwest Energy, Inc.
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