Jo Ann Roth announced her candidacy for State Representative, 113th District, which is located in parts of and Barton and Pawnee counties and all of Rice, Stafford and Rush counties.

Jo Ann and husband Kent reside in the Roth family home located in Ellinwood that was built by Kent’s parents, Walter and June Roth, in 1939.

She was employed by the federal government in the United States Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency (FSA), for a dozen years in Barton County. She was then elected to three terms to the three-member Barton County Committee that oversees the local FSA Office and rules upon any farmer appeals. Following 9/11, Roth went to work with the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, (TSA), until her federal retirement with full benefits.

“Now that I am no longer a Federal Employee under the Hatch Act, I am active in Democratic Politics as County Chair and Legislative Candidate in 2022 and again in this election,” Roth said.

She was a member of Kansas Agriculture & Rural Leadership (KARL IV) 1998-99, touring Kansas Industries and traveling to Washington D.C., and South America, Chili and Argentina. She is currently a member of Kansas Farm Bureau.

“A little about my reasons for seeking public office, I was married to Kent Roth in 1979. After experiencing infertility issues, my husband and I adopted two children, now adults. Many women have shared with me their own stories of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies and infertility. My chief reason for being active in politics is my belief we should not accept an increase in maternal deaths due to politicians denying women bodily autonomy. My core belief is equal rights for all, special privileges for none. Every patient, in consultation with their doctor, should make their own medical decisions, not politicians in Topeka based on whether the patient is a man or a woman.