Ponka-We Victors (born July 7, 1981, in

Ponca The Ponca ( Páⁿka iyé: Páⁿka or Ppáⁿkka pronounced ) are a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca ...

and Tohono O'odham) is a community support worker from

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

, who has been a Democratic member of the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafti ...

, representing District 103, since 2011. She is one of three Native Americans in the Kansas legislature.

Background

Victors is a member of the

and Tohono O'odham tribes of Native Americans, and a lifelong resident of Wichita. She earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

from Newman University in 2005, and a Master of Public Administration from

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

in 2008.

Elected office

Victors, who had worked as a Congressional intern, had been a long-time backer of Delia Garcia, the incumbent Representative from Kansas's 103rd congressional district. In 2010, Garcia supported Victors in filing as the only candidate for the 2010 Democratic primary election hours before the filing deadline. Victors became the presumptive winner of the seat. No

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 ...

candidate has run for the seat since 1998, when incumbent Democrat Thomas Klein polled 57% of the vote in a three-way race. Victors ran unopposed in the November general election. In 2012, she beat challenger Angela Martinez in the Democratic primary and was again unopposed in the November general election.

"Illegal immigrants" speech

In 2013, Victors drew national attention when, during a hearing on a bill to deny

in-state tuition Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...

to Kansas high school graduates who were

undocumented immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

, she addressed

Kansas Secretary of State The secretary of state of Kansas is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kansas. The current secretary of state is the former speaker ''pro tempore'' of the Kansas House of Representatives, Scott Schwab, who was sworn in on Ja ...

Kris Kobach and other advocates of the bill, saying, "I think it's funny, Mr. Kobach, because when you mention illegal immigrant, I think of all of you."Planas, Roque. "Kris Kobach Slammed By Native American Rep. Ponka-We Victors: ‘When You Mention Illegal Immigrant, I Think Of All Of You'"
'' Huffington Post'' March 21, 2013

Career

Victors is a social worker at Behavioral Link.

References

External links

Official House website

Project Vote Smart biography

Project Vote Smart legislative profile
* Campaign contributions
2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Victors, Ponka-We 1981 births 21st-century American women politicians American social workers Living people Democratic Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives Native American state legislators in Kansas Native American women in politics Newman University, Wichita alumni Politicians from Wichita, Kansas Ponca Tohono O'odham people Wichita State University alumni Women state legislators in Kansas 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native Americans 20th-century Native Americans 20th-century Native American women 21st-century American politicians