Sam Brownback: podcast appearances and interviews

Samuel Dale Brownback, born on September 12, 1956, in Garnett, Kansas, is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat. He has served as a United States senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011 and as the 46th governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018. Brownback is a member of the Republican Party and has held various significant roles in government and diplomacy. He earned a degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State University in 1978 and a J.D. from the University of Kansas in 1982. Before entering politics, he worked as an attorney in Manhattan, Kansas, and served as Kansas's Secretary of Agriculture, appointed in 1986 by Democratic governor John W. Carlin. Brownback ran for Congress in 1994, defeating Carlin in the general election, and served one term representing Kansas's 2nd congressional district. In 1996, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in a special election, succeeding Bob Dole, and was re-elected in 1998 and 2004. He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 but withdrew before the primaries and endorsed John McCain. In 2010, Brownback opted not to seek reelection to the Senate and was elected governor of Kansas. His tenure included significant tax cuts known as the Kansas experiment, which resulted in budget shortfalls and budget cuts in education and transportation. He also took stance against the Affordable Care Act and implemented legislation related to abortion. Brownback was narrowly re-elected in 2014 amid political opposition. In 2017, the Kansas Legislature repealed his tax cuts, leading to increases enacted over his veto. On July 26, 2017, Brownback was nominated as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom by the Trump administration. Confirmed in January 2018, he resigned as governor effective January 31, 2018, and was sworn in as ambassador on February 1, 2018, serving until January 2021.