Ponka-We Victors

Ponka-We Victors (born July 7, 1981, in Ponca and Tohono O'odham) is a community support worker from Wichita, Kansas, who has been a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing District 103, since 2011.[1] She is one of three Native Americans in the Kansas legislature.[2]

Ponka-We Victors
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 103rd district
Assumed office
January 10, 2011
Preceded byDelia Garcia
Personal details
Born (1981-07-07) July 7, 1981
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
NationalityPonca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma-Tohono Oʼodham Nation
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceWichita
Alma materWichita State University
Newman University
ProfessionCommunity Support Worker
Websitehttp://www.votevictors.com/

Background

Victors is an enrolled member of both the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, and a lifelong resident of Wichita.[3] She earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Newman University in 2005, and a Master of Public Administration from Wichita State University in 2008.[4]

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 candidate has run for the seat since 1998, when incumbent Democrat Thomas Klein polled 57% of the vote in a three-way race.[5] Victors ran unopposed in the November general election.[6]

In 2012, she beat challenger Angela Martinez in the Democratic primary and was again unopposed in the November general election.[7][8][9]

"Illegal immigrants" speech

In 2013, Victors drew national attention when, during a hearing on a bill to deny in-state tuition to Kansas high school graduates who were undocumented immigrants, she addressed Kansas Secretary of State 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."[10][11]

Career

Victors is a social worker at Behavioral Link.

References
  1. "Representative Ponka-We Victors". Kansas Legislature, 2015-2016 Legislative Sessions. Kansas Legislative Information System and Services. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  2. Dennis Zotigh (21 November 2014). "Meet Native America: Ponka-We Victors, Kansas State Representative". National Museum of the American Indian. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  3. "41st Annual Great Plains Symposium" (PDF). Chief Standing Bear: The Trail Ahead. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  4. "Get to Know Ponka-We". Ponka-We Victors for State Representative 103 District. Ponka-We Victors for Kansas House. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  5. "Koranda, Jeannine. "Wichita's 103rd District has a new state representative: Ponka-We Victors" [[Wichita Eagle]] June 10, 2010". Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  6. Official Kansas House of Representatives General Election Results, 2010
  7. Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidates for the 2012 primary (official)"
  8. C-SPAN, "Kansas – Summary Vote Results" Archived 2013-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Kansas Secretary of State, 2012 Unofficial Kansas General Election Results". Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  10. Marso, Andy. "Emotions flow during immigrant tuition hearing; Indian lawmaker to Kobach: Who's the illegal immigrant here?", Topeka Capital-Journal March 20, 2013
  11. 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
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