Joe Claeys

Joseph Claeys is an American politician and former psychologist serving as a member of the Kansas Senate from the 27th district since 2025.

Early life and education Claeys graduated from Kansas State University and earned a master’s and education specialist degree from Fort Hays State University. He was unopposed in the Republican primary election and defeated Democrat Jennifer Herington in the general election with 61% of the vote.

Tenure In 2025, Claeys opposed a bill that would ban school district employees from using a student's preferred name or pronouns without parental permission. He called the bill a violation of the First Amendment, stating "In my opinion, the Legislature needs to get out of the pronoun business entirely,” and that it would create "a litigation minefield" turning “classrooms into courtrooms” and "teachers into defendants." He supported SB 51, which would create a sales tax exemption for the construction or remodeling of data centers.

Electoral history

Personal life Claeys lives in Maize, Kansas. His brother, J.R. Claeys, served as a member of the Kansas Legislature from 2013 to 2025 until he resigned to become Administrator of the USDA's Rural Business-Cooperative Service.