Chris Steineger (born January 8, 1962) is an American politician from Kansas. He represented the 6th district of the Kansas Senate, based in Kansas City, from 1997 until 2013.
He has worked for U.S. Representative Jim Slattery in Washington, D.C., been an assistant in the city administrator's office in Kansas City, and a tax auditor and collector with the Kansas Department of Revenue.
Early life
Steineger was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and grew up in Muncie, a township on the edge of the city limits. His father was former senator Jack Steineger, a veteran of the Kansas Legislature for 28 years. His mother Margaret served on various community boards. Steineger previously served as a board member for Kaw Valley Arts and Humanities Inc., the Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center, the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation and the International Relations Council of Kansas City.
In 2003, he lived for three months in Japan on a Japan Society Fellowship studying Japanese agriculture, food processing, and food marketing. In 2004, Steineger studied European health care systems in Brussels on a Fellowship with the European Union Visitors Program. In 2006, Steineger lectured on American government, politics, elections, and campaigns at the Chinese Foreign Relations University in Beijing. In 2007, he went to Cuba and presented information on American wetlands policy at the Caribbean Wetlands Symposium. That same year, he studied energy and health care systems in Israel as a Fellow with the American Jewish Committee's Project Interchange.
International work and studies
Steineger has visited more than 50 countries, including China, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, India, Israel, Cuba, Turkey, Dubai, Oman, and southeast Asia. He has traveled extensively in west and east Europe, including Germany visits with DAAD and German Chamber of Commerce. In 2003, he studied for three months in Japan on a Japan Society Fellowship studying Japanese agriculture, food processing, and food marketing. In 2004, Steineger studied European health care systems in Brussels on a fellowship with the European Union Visitors Program.
In October 2006, he lectured on American government, politics, elections, and campaigns at Chinese Foreign Relations University in Beijing. In 2007, Steineger visited Cuba and gave a presentation on American wetlands policy at the Caribbean Wetlands Symposium. He also studied energy and health care systems in Israel as a fellow with the American Jewish Committee's “Project Interchange.” In 2011, he gave 17 lectures in northern Germany forecasting the 2012 US elections.
Government and politics
Steineger worked in all three levels of American government, Federal, State, & Local. During the Reagan years, Steineger worked on Capitol Hill as a Congressional staffer. He worked in the Kansas Dept. of Revenue as an auditor, and in the city managers office in Kansas City, Kansas. He has been an elected senator; agency staffer; and campaign staffer.
He passed many bills and amendments, most notably the casino gaming legislation, in a 10-year effort to build a coalition of business; labor; newspapers; Democrats and Republicans. Steineger was also an advocate for Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway. He was an outspoken critic of the State Capitol renovation when it ballooned from a $100 million project into a $350 million project.
2010 Secretary of State primary
Steineger ran unsuccessfully for Kansas Secretary of State (KSOS) in 2010, losing the Democratic primary to incumbent Chris Biggs, 49,238 60.2%, to 32,518 39.7%. During the campaign, it was revealed that in 2006, Mike Sager, Steineger's Campaign Finance Director, who had previously been fined $9,000 for campaign ethics violations, was indicted for a felony count of stealing $22,500 from his own Missouri campaign and "...a misdemeanor count of filing false campaign finance reports in order to subsequently cover up the theft."
Party switch
After many years as a Democrat, Steineger switched parties and joined the Republican party in 2010. He self describes as “Libertarian Conservative” and supports policies including a simplified tax code; deregulation of small business; public school choice; privatization & outsourcing of government services; welfare reform. With a libertarian view, he staunchly supports the rights of individuals to make their own choices without interference by politicians or bureaucrats regarding abortion; firearms ownership; smoking; drinking; gambling; marriage; seat belt, and helmet usage.
Elections
Steineger won election to the Kansas Senate in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.