Steve Abrams is a Republican former member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 32nd District. He was a member of the Boardof Education for Unified School District 470 in Arkansas City, Kansas. In 1995, he was elected a member of the Kansas State Board of Education, representing District 10. He served as chairman for the Kansas State Board of Education from 2005 to 2007. In 2009, he became the senator for Kansas Senate District 32. Reelected without Democratic opposition in 2012, by narrowly winning the Republican primary over Miranda Allen by 461 votes, he chose not to run for reelection in 2016. He was replaced by Larry Alley, who had lost House District 78 races to Democrat Ed Trimmer in 2012 as an Independent, and very narrowly in 2014 as a Republican.
Biographical information
Abrams was born in Arkansas City, Kansas, and is married. Abrams is a resident of Arkansas City, Kansas. He has a D.V.M. from Kansas State University and has been a veterinarian since 1978.
Religious beliefs
Abrams believes that the Earth is about 10,000 years old. Abrams also believes that the biblical account of Genesis is factually literal and in the historicity of the Old and New Testaments. He supports the anti-evolutionistCreationist and Intelligent Design views of man's origins. Abrams is also a member of the Family Life Services anti-abortion "Crisis pregnancy center", in Arkansas City, Kansas.
While serving as chairman of the Kansas State Board of Education in 2005, Abrams supported the adoption of standards that would bring into question the theory of evolution, the preferred one being Creation or "Intelligent Design". His tenure included the hiring of controversial Education Commissioner Bob Corkins, a former Koch think tank director whom the Topeka Capital Journal noted "didn't bring...any education credentials whatsoever," to the position. Republican state Sen. John Vratil, characterized Corkins' hiring as education commissioner as "sort of like making Saddam Hussein president of the United States." The executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, Paul Houston, had written a letter referring to Corkins as an "amateur."
During the Kansas State Senateelection campaign of 2008, the Abrams Campaign collected a total of $42,191. His Democratic opponent Winfield's Greta Goodwin, lost the race despite having campaign funds of $78,528. Some of the top contributors to Abrams's 2008 campaign included the Kansas Republican Senatorial Committee, the Fourth District Republican Committee, the Kansas Republican Party and the National Rifle Association. Koch Industries was a supporter of Abrams. Koch Industries donated $2,000, the maximum that was legally allowed at the time from an individual, company or organization. Political parties are able to donate larger amounts to their own candidates. Koch Industries also donated to the Kansas Republican Senatorial Committee and the Kansas Republican Party which in turn donated to the Abrams campaign.
