A Wichita native, state Senator Donald Betts is a young man who overcame early obstacles to become a leader in the Kansas legislature. When he was a child, Donald, his mother and his brother were homeless several times until they moved to Las Vegas where his grandfather offered them a place to stay. During junior high and high school, Donald lived in the Vegas projects which were filled with violence, drugs and prostitution. He attended school and worked in casino arcades to support his family. He saw his school friends succumb to drugs and crime. His brother eventually spent time in prison. After Donald graduated from high school, he returned to Wichita where he worked his way through college at Friends University and was elected student body president. Upon graduation he became a counselor for at-risk juveniles working in both the juvenile justice and Wichita public school systems. He has served his state legislative districts in both the Kansas House and Senate.

            Now Donald wants to serve in Congress for both those who struggle to make a living and those who are watching the living they make shrink with each passing month. He is weary of the Bush Administration’s indifference to the plight of so many Americans and its insensitivity to health care for children, a faltering economy, ending the war in Iraq and so many other issues that need to be addressed. Donald is dismayed at how the 4th District incumbent congressman consistently supports the President with his votes. A man of faith, Donald has strong family values. With his help, his mother and brother now live and work in Wichita. He is newly married to Tania, an Australian businesswoman. They met when he was chosen by the American Council of Young Political Leaders to study government in Australia. Tania is in the process of becoming an American citizen.

            Donald is a member of St. Mark Methodist church in Wichita. He is a Wichita alumnus of Kappa Alpha Psi.  He has also been honored as a Fellow at the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development and the Kansas Health Foundation, as well as his achievements with the American Council of Young Political Leaders, Leadership Kansas.  In 2007, we was chosen as one of the Wichita Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” and as the Progressive State Network Legislator of the Year.  In 2008, he was the recipient of the Val Wall Circle of Friends Arc Inner Circle Award.