Erik Murray is a proud Kansan who was raised in Kansas City, Kansas. Growing up, he attended Fellowship Christian Church with his grandmother, went to St. Patrick’s Catholic School, and graduated from Sumner Academy.

Erik was taught to face challenges head-on and keep going even when others give up. Erik’s father worked his way up from poverty and went on to lead economic development in Kansas City, and his mom was a public-school teacher and administrator who instilled in him a passion for education and our schools. His parents’ example also inspired his own career as an entrepreneur. Erik started from scratch and worked his way up, building multimillion-dollar businesses and creating jobs that transform communities.

He thinks about what can be built.

When Erik travels around Kansas, he sees communities that have been overlooked and left behind by our leaders for too long. Neighborhoods like the one he grew up in are ignored, housing and healthcare costs are skyrocketing, rural hospitals are at risk of shuttering, and the farm economy is in free fall thanks to bad decisions made by politicians in Washington, DC. All across Kansas, people are working harder than ever and getting less and less in return.

Erik is on a mission to change that. Politicians see these challenges and think small; Erik thinks about what can be built, something he has spent his career doing — expanding opportunity, creating jobs, and transforming communities.

Now, Erik is running for U.S. Senate because he knows it’s time we stop electing the same old politicians who let our communities falter, the economy decline, and healthcare become less accessible and more expensive. Kansans deserve someone in the Senate who can deliver real, purposeful change for working families and believes hard work should be rewarded and families from every zip code should thrive.