KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Prasanth Reddy won the Republican primary election, and is now challenging Democrat incumbent Rep. Sharice Davids.
Kansas Congressional District 3 is a highly anticipated race as Davids seeks her fourth term in Congress.
In 2022, Kansas Congressional District 3 was redistricted after Republicans pushed for greater constituent representation.
The new redistricting lines hold voters from Wyandotte, Johnson, Miami, Anderson, and Franklin counties.
Reddy is new to the campaign trail.
As a first-generation immigrant from India, Reddy has an extensive resume, making him a favorable candidate on the GOP ticket.
After immigrating to the United States, specifically Kansas, with his family as a young boy, he attended public schools in the Sunflower State.
"I think the country is going in the wrong direction," Reddy said in an interview with KSHB 41's Ryan Gamboa. "I want to try to help."
Reddy attended Kansas State University, earning undergraduate degrees in microbiology and psychology. He went on to earn a medical degree and practiced cancer medicine.
Reddy also earned a masters degree in public health through a National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Curriculum Award program and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School.
Following 9/11, he enlisted in the United States Air Force Reserve and currently serves as a lieutenant colonel.
Now, Reddy is campaigning for Kansan's vote on election day to further his resume with a seat in Congress.
Davids and Reddy agreed to one-on-one interviews with KSHB 41 and were asked a series of questions based on important issues in their campaigns.
The economy and cost of goods
Reddy remained true to his conservative values, pushing for a free market economy.
"Fundamentally, this is a spending problem," Reddy said. "There are things that we can do to decrease inflationary pressure. Some of that looks at fraud, waste, and abuse across the government to figure out where we can appropriately spend taxpayer's dollars to meet the needs of the people. There are other adjacent policies like energy policy — energy prices out of control with some of the policies that Sharice Davids has supported and certainly the Biden-Harris agenda. These are going to put pressure on the supply chain."
Reddy explained the government can continue to print money but is prioritizing the federal budget to cut cost.
"Every small business and every business in every district across the country — we have to work within our budget," Reddy said. "Anything we can do to stimulate the economy is important while reducing regulatory burden; reduce tax burden is important both at the individual level and business level."
Reddy told KSHB 41 his Harvard Business School education puts him in the position to accordingly handle federal finances.
"Price caps, while the intent is good, often they lead to product shortages," he said. "In the short term, if there is price gouging, let's use the legislation that is on the books to cut price gouging."
Reddy added he envisions entrepreneurship and innovation to stimulate the American economy.
"Do I think the economy is the worse in the world? No. Do I think we can do a lot better than we're doing today? Yes," he said. "If we put the right economic incentives and allow individuals and give them a chance to become entrepreneurs, that’s where we’re going to unlock the American economy."
Affordable childcare
In a series of questions regarding affordable childcare in Kansas Congressional District, Reddy told KSHB 41 creating a competition in the childhood marketplace would help alleviate a lack of access.
"The prices are so unbelievably high — I would want to look at what are the other options for childcare services." he said. "It seems to me it costs folks more for childcare than what they are making in the workforce."
KSHB 41 pushed back on where there is a lack of access, and how he would help create affordable options for constituents.
"We should encourage people to get into the childcare marketplace to provide competitive services that will then drive down that current price of childcare," he said.
Healthcare
Voters are taking to the polls casting ballots for candidates addressing affordable healthcare this election.
This week, speaker of the House Mike Johnson took jabs at Obamacare at an event in Pennsylvania, according to an NBC New report.
He promised "massive" healthcare reform if Donald Trump is elected President.
Reddy and Davids have not publicly endorsed a candidate this election cycle.
KSHB 41 attended a Reddy campaign event this October where he answered questions from the public.
A prospective voter asked Reddy if he'd sway party lines in Congress and if he would endorse Johnson.
Reddy answered with a response from a prior question, staying on economics, and not addressing an endorsement of Johnson.
KSHB 41 asked Reddy in the sit down interview that as a physician on the receiving end of healthcare payments, what is his stance on affordable healthcare.
"It’s unacceptable," he said.
Reddy went on about his work studying the disparities between racial minorities in healthcare.
He also circled back to promoting medical research throughout the state of Kansas and in the 3rd District.
"If we get clinical trials into those rural areas, what that will do is it will create a new revenue stream for hospital systems struggling rural areas," he said.
He says it's a healthcare implementation problem.
Reproductive rights
KSHB 41's analysis of Reddy's stance on issues important to him found he's moderately conservative. We found that to be true in his stance on women's reproductive rights.
"As a doctor, our number one priority as part of the hypocritic oath is to serve our patients," he said. "You always want to start at a place of empathy."
Following his campaign, Reddy has avoided language surrounding his stance on abortion.
On his website, at campaign events and interviews, Reddy has not stated he's anti-abortion.
"I absolutely believe in exceptions, including rape, incest, the life of the mother, and medical emergencies to the mother," he said. "Separate from that, it is the law of the land — per the Supreme Court, this is a state’s rights issue. Our state two years ago made their views clear — I absolutely respect the voters in our district and in our state and where they stand."
Davids sat down with KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne and said she is concerned about "extreme voices from her opponent" regarding abortion.
Reddy responded, "I am generally in favor of letting the people live their lives without political interference as long as we’re not taking away others rights."
Immigration
A fundamental issue in the Reddy campaign surrounds immigration and the nation's southern border.
"My parents did it the right way," Reddy told voters at his October campaign event.
He told KSHB 41 if America cannot secure its border, it cannot secure the "American Dream."
"We have a social compact to our own citizens that you could argue we're failing to meet," he said. "We absolutely need to secure the border because it will reduce some of the drug crisis that we're dealing with, with fentanyl overdoses and safety issues across our district and across this country."
At the same campaign event in early October, a voter asked Reddy if he would incorporate policy punishing employers employing undocumented immigrants.
He told the crowd 11 million people crossing the southern border is an added responsibility and a solution must be fiscally sound.
Reddy also stated he'd push more stringent prosecution of undocumented immigrants, saying, "If you commit a crime, you're out; it's common sense. If we can't agree on common sense, what can we agree on?"
During KSHB's interview with Reddy, he didn't elaborate on specific ideas on how to secure the border.
KSHB reached back out the campaign leadership ahead of publication for further details on his immigration policy. KSHB has not received a response.
Dr. Reddy made his own visit to the U.S.-Mexico border at Yuma, Arizona.
During his interview, Reddy addressed trafficking of illicit drugs into the U.S. KSHB asked on how he'd help stop the flow of fentanyl into Kansas.
"We should put tremendous pressure on the cartels and tremendous pressure to make sure that what's happening to our young kids across this country is not going to happen," he said.
Final push to election day
Candidates in numerous races across Kansas are making a last ditch effort to reach voters.
Following the redistricting of Kansas' 3rd Congressional District, KSHB 41 asked questions pertaining to issues outside the bulk of the district's population.
Reddy told KSHB kitchen table issues is what he is hearing from voters across Miami, Anderson, and Franklin counties.
The most important being the economy, cost of goods, and supporting law enforcement.
"It should not matter who you are — you should be able to feel comfortable that we're applying that law equally, no matter who you are," he said. "Whether you're poor, brown, black, or white."
The farm bill officially expired on Oct. 1, 2024, following two extensions in Congress.
It's a federal spending bill holding important farm safety net programs for agriculture producers. Its cost is projected to reach $1 trillion in the next decade.
Reddy says he will do everything he can to ensure farmers have the support needed.
"Pass the farm bill," Reddy said. "My incumbent opponent — she's on the AG committee. Job number one when you're on the committee is to get that bill passed, not with special interest, but to make sure that your constituents are taken care of."
Following the expiration of the farm bill KSHB 41 talked with Miami County farmer Hayden Guetterman, who utilizes beginning farmer loan programs.
Guetterman, among other farmers, are faced with high input costs, fluctuating markets, and a drought.
He criticized Davids for sitting on the AG committee and voting "no" on a new farm bill.
Davids' office explained to KSHB the proposed legislation did not meed the needs of her constituents, and further negotiations would need to be made.
Her assured there is hope to pass a new Farm Bill before the USDA runs out of money.
Reddy admitted to KSHB he is not well versed in agriculture but says he is willing to learn and listen to understand the demands of production agriculture.
In the 2022 general election, Amanda Adkins, the Republican challenger to Davids, won the rural vote in Anderson, Miami, and Franklin counties, according to CNN.
Adkins was defeated by a total of 40,000 votes.
The last Republican candidate to hold the seat was Kevin Yoder, elected in 2016.
KSHB 41 will follow the both races on Election Night.
To review KSHB's reporting on Davids, click here.
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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.