Get to know: Sandy Spidell Neumann Democratic candidate running for U.S. Senate for Kansas
KANSAS (KQTV) -- Sandy Spidell Neumann is a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Kansas. She has never held elected office before, but spent 40 years in corporate America, including 22 years at a Fortune 250 company.
"I just saw what chaos was going on and the need for someone who really knows how to fight and deliver results," Neumann said. "I've spent a 40 year career in corporate America. This kind of stuff would never fly in corporate. People that aren't delivering results, in a corporate setting, you either hit your numbers or you don't. I know that I come from a discipline that can actually listen to people, put a plan together, and execute a plan."
Neumann said she has always been a problem solver, tapped to clean up issues and put better processes in place.
She holds Series 7 and 24 licenses, meaning she can trade and supervise traders.
"If any ship needs righting, it's D.C.," Neumann said. "It was bad before Trump 2.0, and now it's just open corruption. The fact that they're insider trading and manipulating the market, I'm so appalled. It's not just egregious behavior, it's denigrating our democracy. We need strong people that know how to speak truth to power and aren't just bobbleheads behind the administration."
On the top issues facing Kansans, Neumann lists healthcare, public education and veterans affairs.
"Health care, with undoing the ACA premium tax credits, it made health care unaffordable for a lot of people," Neumann said. "We've got more rural hospitals at risk of closing in Kansas than any other state. When those rural hospitals close, the whole town suffers. That actually causes death."
She said more tax dollars need to go to rural schools.
"I'm a proud product of public schools. I wouldn't be where I am without that sound footing," Neumann said. "Vouchers take from the poor and give to the rich. Especially in rural environments where there aren't even private schools, you're moving tax dollars from rural areas into environments where there are private schools."
Neumann also cites the war in Iran and tariffs as major concerns, arguing they are hurting Kansas families and farmers.
"The unauthorized war in Iran, Congress never voted," Neumann said. "Our founding fathers were brilliant in how they put checks and balances. We've got to hold people accountable to adhering to the Constitution. This is wrecking havoc with everyday Americans. Input costs for our farmers with fertilizer and everything else. They won't even know if they're going to have a market to sell to."
Neumann's family homesteaded in Kansas and farmed in Burlingame, and she said that connection to rural Kansas is part of why she's running.
"I'm also a competitive athlete, I ran the mile," Neumann said. "It's one of those races where you have to go out with the pack, stay on the leader's outside shoulder, and on that last curve, you take what they give you. You just don't look back. That's how I'm wired. I bring a different game."
Neumann acknowledges the strong Democratic field but said her decades of experience at the highest levels of corporate America set her apart.
"I have competed at the very top levels of everything I've done, studying economics at the University of Chicago, getting my MBA at Northwestern, working at a Fortune 250," Neumann said. "The Senate is not a starter role. I've got 45 years worth of experience. When you're used to delivering results that get reported to Wall Street on a quarterly basis, that's a different animal. I know how to fight, and I fight at a different level."
