LEAWOOD, Kan. — A week after handing over the reins as Kansas governor, Jeff Colyer returned to his previous full-time job as a plastic surgeon in Leawood.
Despite holding the governership for a year in Topeka, Colyer occasionally worked in the medical position even during his time in office and performed surgeries.
For the former governor, his role in the medical field helped prepare him for office.
“As a doctor, I meet people in the worst situations and sometimes their best. You have to really listen,” he said. “Some of these patients are in a car accident or suffer a gunshot wound. That’s part of the real world. You don’t always get to see that in politics.”
After holding the top office in the state government, Colyer spoke with 41 Action News about his term.
Following the departure of former governor Sam Brownback last January, he believed his top success in the role was his handling of the school funding issue in the state.
“We had tough decisions to make and we really were trying to change the course of the state,” he said. “We dealt with the school problem. We’re to a place where we can fix the school problem and be done with it.”
While Colyer wanted to continue on as governor, his time in office was cut short following his defeat in the Republican gubernatorial primary last summer.
The former governor said losing by only a few hundred votes was a letdown but pulling out of the race was something he felt he needed to do.
“I was disappointed we didn’t win. I think we’d be in a different place over the next few years,” he said. “I think we would have had a fair chance of prevailing (in a recount). To do that, I would have had to spend half a million dollars on a recount, millions on lawyers and lawsuits all over the place. Ruth and I looked at each other and said we can go, we can do this, and we might even win with that challenge but the state is going to be better. If we go and do that, I’m putting myself in front of the state.”
Months later, many now ask what the future could be for Colyer in the political world.
With some mentioning him as a possible candidate in the U.S. Senate race to fill the seat currently held by Senator Pat Roberts, he responded to the claims on Thursday.
“We’re going to look at it,” he said. “There’s a lot of time. I’m busy. I’ve got a lot of opportunities. I’ve got some other projects I’m working on.”
While Colyer’s focus will now be on helping patients, he offered some advice for Gov. Laura Kelly.
“Listen to Kansans first. Do the right thing even when no one is looking,” he said. “You have to listen to people and help folks.”
