Nancy Boyda (born August 2, 1955) is an American chemist and politician. She is a former
Democratic U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for . On November 4, 2008, Boyda was defeated for re-election
to a second term by Kansas State Treasurer
Lynn Jenkins
Lynn Haag Jenkins (born June 10, 1963) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for , in office from 2009 to 2019. She previously served as Kansas State Treasurer from 2003 to 2008, in the Kansas House of Repre ...
.
Early life, education, and career
Boyda graduated with honors from
William Jewell College
William Jewell College is a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and endowed with $10,000 by William Jewell. It was associated with the Missouri Baptist Conventi ...
in
Liberty, Missouri
Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Missouri, United States and is a suburb of Kansas City, located in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 30,167. Liberty is home to Willi ...
, where she received dual degrees in chemistry and education. She began her career in 1978 working as an analytical chemist and field inspector. Boyda grew up in a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
family and later became a Democrat in 2003.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
;2004
In 2004 she ran against Republican incumbent U.S. Congressman
Jim Ryun
James Ronald Ryun (born April 29, 1947) is an American former Republican politician and Olympic track and field athlete, who at his peak was widely considered the world's top middle-distance runner. He won a silver medal in the 1500 m at the 1 ...
in
Kansas' Second District. Boyda criticized Ryun's support for
school vouchers
A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...
and his lack of support for public schools. She said she had left the Republican Party because it had become too conservative. Ryun criticized her for taking part in
protests against the Iraq War
Beginning in late 2002, and continuing after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, large-scale protests against the Iraq War were held in many cities worldwide, often coordinated to occur simultaneously around the world. After the biggest series of demon ...
. Boyda spent $1.1 million on her campaign, $300,000 of it her own money. Ryun spent $1.2 million.
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
carried the district 59%-39% and Ryun defeated Boyda 56%-41%. The only county Boyda had won during the election was
Crawford
Crawford may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia
* Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario
United Kingdom
* Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England
* Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...
.
;2006
Boyda challenged Ryun again in 2006. The district was low on both national parties' political radars. Boyda was helped by the successful re-election bid of
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebeli ...
, who won 57% to 40%. Ryun was a strongly conservative Republican and the
Republican Party of Kansas had been rife with infighting between conservatives and moderates; moderate Republicans seem to have defected to both Sebelius and Boyda. There was also the issue of Ryun's purchase of a
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
townhouse from Tom DeLay associates at a price well below market value. She defeated Ryun by 51% to 47%.
;2008
In January 2007,
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives.
The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Republican caucuses of the House and S ...
Chairman
Tom Cole
Thomas Jeffery Cole (born April 28, 1949) is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party and serves as Deputy Minority Whip. The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) fro ...
announced that the NRCC intended to target Boyda in 2008. Ryun announced that he would try to get his old seat back, and Republican leaders reportedly assured him that he would win. On April 4, 2007, State Treasurer
Lynn Jenkins
Lynn Haag Jenkins (born June 10, 1963) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for , in office from 2009 to 2019. She previously served as Kansas State Treasurer from 2003 to 2008, in the Kansas House of Repre ...
officially announced she would run in the Republican
primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Works
* ...
. She defeated State Senator
Dennis Pyle
Dennis D. Pyle (born February 4, 1961) in Hiawatha, Kansas is an independent member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 1st district since 2005. He ran for governor of Kansas in the 2022 election.
Legislative career
Pyle was a member of ...
in the primary.
Boyda and Jenkins were opposed in the general election by
Libertarian Party
Active parties by country
Defunct parties by country
Organizations associated with Libertarian parties
See also
* Liberal parties by country
* List of libertarian organizations
* Lists of political parties
Lists of political part ...
candidate
Robert Garrard
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
and
Reform Party candidate Leslie Martin. Boyda announced that, unlike in 2006, she would not seek assistance from the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises ...
for her 2008 campaign. She said that "Kansas voters should control Kansas campaigns" and that Kansans should be able to "run our election without Washington interference". The National Republican Congressional Committee spent heavily on behalf of Jenkins, who defeated Boyda 51% to 46%. In April 2009, DCCC Chairman
Chris Van Hollen
Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maryland since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Van Hollen served as the U.S. representative for ...
said that Boyda left him a message saying that she regretted turning down the organisation's assistance and asked Van Hollen to play the message to any vulnerable Democrat who was considering turning down the committee's assistance. Van Hollen said that Boyda "has been very clear about the fact that she made a mistake... she clearly felt that not participating
ith the DCCC's helpwas a good part of the reason she failed."
Tenure
Boyda, as a freshman, introduced a bill, , to deny pensions to members of Congress convicted of bribery, conspiracy or perjury charges. The Bill passed in the House of Representatives on January 23, 2007, by a vote of 431–0. Boyda also applied to join the House
Blue Dog Coalition
The Blue Dog Coalition (commonly known as the Blue Dogs or Blue Dog Democrats) is a caucus in the United States House of Representatives comprising centrist members from the Democratic Party. The caucus was founded as a group of conservative De ...
, a caucus of conservative Democratic representatives. She was unable to join as adding her would have put the Blue Dogs over their membership limit of 47.
On May 10, 2007, Boyda voted against , a measure, "to provide for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces and defense contractors from Iraq." However, she continues to support gradual troop withdrawal while funding troops until they return.
;Environmental record
Boyda supported research toward renewable forms of energy, particularly
ethanol
Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl ...
and
biodiesel
Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with ...
production that could benefit Kansas agriculture.
;Armed Services Committee hearing in July 2007
Congresswoman Boyda made news on July 27, 2007 by leaving a Congressional hearing while a retired Army general testified about US progress in Iraq. Retired Army General
Jack Keane
John M. "Jack" Keane (born February 1, 1943) is a retired American four-star general, a former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is a national security analyst, primarily on F ...
had testified that since the troop surge began, U.S. forces "are on the offensive and we have the momentum." He also said security has improved in every neighborhood and district in and around Baghdad, and that "cafes, pool halls, coffee houses that I visited are full of people". Boyda said she left the
House Armed Services Committee
The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of Defe ...
hearing during the testimony of General Keane because "there was only so much that you could take," and continued to say she felt Keane's picture of the situation in Iraq was inappropriately "rosy."
[Hananel, Sam]
"Boyda defends decision to leave Iraq hearing"
''The Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
''. ''The Topeka Capital-Journal
''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett.
History
The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jour ...
''. July 31, 2007.
Her Chief of Staff Shanan Guinn said, "She was frustrated with how the administration is handling the war, that no one wants to have a real conversation about ways to move forward and our brave men and women overseas are being played like a political ping pong ball."
Boyda later told the ''
Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury'', that she did not "walk out" of the meeting. Instead, she "stepped into a little room" adjacent to the meeting for five minutes, then returned. She hoped to draw a distinction between politely excusing herself and storming out of the room.
Committee assignments
*Armed Services Committee
**
Subcommittee on Military Personnel
**Subcommittee on Readiness
*Agriculture Committee
**Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research
**Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry
**Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
Post-congressional career
Following her term in Congress, Boyda was named by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
as the
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Personnel at
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
, and was sworn into the position on July 20, 2009.
2020 U.S. Senate campaign
It was reported in April 2019 that Boyda was exploring a candidacy for the Kansas Senate election in 2020. She subsequently announced her candidacy to seek the Democratic nomination on July 1, 2019. During campaign stops she said finance practices and gerrymandering are big reasons why politicians don't "work across the aisle," and she said her whole campaign is dedicated to breaking gridlock.
Boyda withdrew from the race saying she would begin a non-profit to break partisan divide as opposed to running for the Senate.
Personal life
Boyda was married to Steve Boyda, a
Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
veteran and police officer. She has two children and one granddaughter. She lives on a small farm outside of Baldwin City, Kansas.
See also
*
Women in the United States House of Representatives
Women have served in the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber, since the 1916 election of Republican Jeannette Rankin from Montana, the first woman in Con ...
References
External links
Nancy Boyda for Senate 2020 U.S. Senate campaign site
Nancy Boyda for Congress Archived House campaign site
*
Profileat
SourceWatch
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. CMD publishes ExposedbyCMD.org, SourceWatch.org, and ALECexposed.org.
History
CMD was founded in 1993 by progr ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyda, Nancy
1955 births
21st-century American chemists
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
American United Methodists
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas
Female members of the United States House of Representatives
Living people
Politicians from St. Louis
Politicians from Topeka, Kansas
United States Department of Defense officials
William Jewell College alumni
Women in Kansas politics
Chemists from Missouri
Candidates in the 2020 United States Senate elections