TOPEKA — Longtime Republican legislator Dan Hawkins declared Tuesday his intention to run for Kansas insurance commissioner in an announcement laced with pro-Trump sentiments.

Hawkins, an insurance agent from Wichita, followed the announcement with an event in downtown Topeka attended by fellow legislators, government officials and lobbyists, the early supporters of a nearly two-year campaign. He is the first candidate for insurance commissioner to announce he will seek the office in 2026.

“As I considered my next steps and how I can continue to serve my fellow Kansans, it became clear that my decades of experience helping individuals and small businesses navigate the complexities of the insurance industry could be especially beneficial to people across the state,” he said in a statement.

Hawkins, 64, was first elected to the House in 2012, and he has served as House speaker, the chamber’s top leadership position, since 2023. During the most recent legislative session, Hawkins led a supermajority of House Republicans who were set on enacting conservative legislation. They successfully overrode a flurry of vetoes by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Hawkins is a husband, father and grandfather. He is a graduate of Emporia State University and a veteran of the Kansas National Guard, and he has been in the insurance business for three decades, specializing in employee benefits. While in public office, Hawkins has been a staunch opponent of Medicaid expansion, the state-level process that would allow low-income adults to be covered under the public insurance program.

His campaign for insurance commissioner is rooted in conservative Republican values. The first words that appear on his campaign website are: “PRO-LIFE. PRO-GUN. PRO-TRUMP.” He characterized the hallmark of his time as House speaker as leading “the charge to stop Laura Kelly’s radically liberal agenda.”

Hawkins will seek the GOP nomination in the 2026 primary. His current term as a legislator expires at the end of 2026.

The insurance commissioner oversees the Kansas Insurance Department, which regulates insurance companies that operate in the state. Hawkins said creating a “competitive insurance environment” in Kansas would be his objective if elected. He believes deregulation would increase consumers’ options, lower costs and make insurance issues easier to navigate.

“No Kansan should be denied coverage,” he said. “Just like President Trump has made it his mission to make life miserable for foreign cartels, it will be my job as insurance commissioner to do the same for any insurance company that does not follow the law.”

In a statement of substantial interest filed April 22, Hawkins reported that he receives commissions from six insurance companies, ranging from medical to dental to life insurance. He is on the payroll at his own insurance agency, the Hawkins Group, and at Conrade Insurance Group, which is based in Newton.

Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, is Hawkins’ campaign treasurer.

“One only needs to talk with Dan for a few minutes to see his love for our state and its people,” Eisenhower said in a statement. “The insurance industry can be very complex and confusing and it’s important that Kansans have an advocate in the insurance department.”

Hawkins’ announcement is the latest in a trickle of candidacy declarations. Current Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt hasn’t said whether she will seek a third term. She is expected to join a crowded governor’s race.

Most recently, former Gov. Jeff Colyer, who filled former Gov. Sam Brownback’s position in 2018 after Brownback left for a post in the first Trump administration, filed paperwork assigning a treasurer to a gubernatorial campaign but hasn’t made a formal announcement.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab and conservative podcaster Doug Billings have also declared intentions to run as Republicans. Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican, and Lt. Gov. David Toland, a Democrat, also are widely expected to run for governor.