Dennis McKinney (born July 24, 1960) is a former Kansas State Treasurer. He was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives where he represented the 116th House District for ten terms, the last six as the Democratic Party's leader (Minority Leader) in the Kansas House. In January 2017, he was a Democratic candidate for the party's nomination as the 4th District of Kansas nominee in the U.S. House of Representatives. At the Democrats' 4th District nominating convention February 10, 2017, he narrowly lost to James Thompson. Early life, education & career McKinney, the youngest in a fourth-generation family of settlers was born in the Coldwater, Kansas hospital. He was raised on a farm astride the Comanche and Kiowa county line, south of Greensburg, Kansas, which is the county seat of Kiowa County. He graduated with a B.A. from Wichita State University, where he also earned a master's degree in Public Administration (MPA). He and his wife Jean (a public school paraprofessional), reside on the south side of Greensburg, where they raised daughters Kelly and Lindy. Despite heavy involvement in politics, McKinney continued his career in farming and ranching through 2017. Political & public service career Kiowa County Commission From January 1989 through May 1992, prior to serving in the Kansas Legislature, McKinney was a Kiowa County Commissioner. Kansas House of Representatives After being appointed to a vacancy in his district's seat in the Kansas House of Representatives in May 1992, he was subsequently re-elected to the seat for nine more terms. His 116th Kanss House District covers a large portion of rural south central Kansas, including Kiowa county, Barber County, Comanche County, Kingman County, northern Harper County, and southeastern Ford County.<ref name="unlikely">"McKinney says he's unlikely to make Greensburg post permanent," January 31, 2011, Pratt Tribune,''' Pratt, Kansas, retrieved February 10, 2017</ref> During his tenure, McKinney was noted largely for promoting public education, and pushing to preserve funding for education and health services, particularly for the elderly and disabled. He particularly emphasized "constituent services" to district constituents needing a personal advocate in Topeka to help solve their problems with state government. He was elected by fellow Democrats as the Minority Leader in that body, leading the House Democrats from January 2003 until his resignation from the Legislature in December 2008. As Leader, he served on Legislature leadership councils, including the State Finance Council, the Calendar and Printing Committee, the Interstate