Why Eric?
Tested Leadership. Kansas Values.
Eric Jenkins isn't a career politician — he's a retired Army Colonel, a longtime public servant, and a Shawnee community leader who has spent his life fighting for the people around him. He brings the same disciplined, principled approach to government that he brought to his military career.
Meet Eric
A Life of Service to Kansas
Retired Colonel, U.S. Army — 34 Years Service
Active & reserve duty including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Commander of a Special Forces A-Team and an MP Battalion. Legion of Merit recipient.
Shawnee City Council President (2021–2023)
Served on Shawnee City Council 2015–2023, including as Council President
Shawnee Planning Commissioner
Over 20 years guiding responsible development
FEMA Career Professional
Three decades protecting communities from disaster
U.S. Army War College Graduate
BA from Missouri State · MA from UNC Charlotte
Family Man & Community Member
Married with 5 children · Member, Saint Joseph Church
Eric Jenkins was born at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas — a fitting birthplace for a man whose life would be defined by service.
From the earliest days, duty and community shaped who he is. Over the decades since, he has worn many hats: soldier, combat veteran, planner, emergency management professional, local elected official, and above all, family man.
Eric's military career spanned 34 years of active and reserve duty, retiring as a Colonel.
He deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, commanded a Special Forces A-Team and a Military Police Battalion, and earned the Legion of Merit — one of the nation's highest non-combat military decorations. That experience — demanding accountability, making hard decisions with real consequences, and leading teams under pressure — is what sets him apart from career politicians who have never had to meet a payroll, manage a budget, or command in a crisis.
His professional career at the Federal Emergency Management Agency gave him a ground-level view of what government can and cannot do.
He saw bureaucracy at its worst and communities at their best. He came away believing firmly that local solutions, personal responsibility, and limited government produce far better outcomes for families than Washington mandates ever will.
Eric has served on the Shawnee City Council since 2015 and spent more than 20 years on the city's Planning Commission before that.
He has been a consistent voice for fiscal restraint, opposing unnecessary spending increases and pushing back when government overreaches. That record of principled conservatism is exactly what Kansas's 3rd District needs in Congress.
Eric and his wife are proud parents of five children and members of Saint Joseph Church.
He is running for Congress because he believes the 3rd District deserves a representative who shows up, works hard, and puts Kansas families ahead of Washington's agenda.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives write and vote on federal laws, including the federal budget. Each represents one district and serves a two-year term. Tax bills must start in the House, only the House can impeach federal officials, and members oversee federal agencies through their committees.