Michael D. Argabright (born July 1963) is an American politician, farmer, and educator serving as a member of the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of about 73,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

for the 17th Senate district.

Early life and education

Argabright was born in July 1963 in

Atwood, Kansas Atwood is a city in and the county seat of Rawlins County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,290. History In 1875, T.A. Andrews and J.M. Matheny traveled to Rawlins County and started a town si ...

, and grew up on his family's farm. He attended

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education in 1988, a Master's degree in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management in 1994, and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership and Administration in 2014. He also completed administrative licensure coursework at

Emporia State University Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. E ...

Career in education

Argabright spent 35 years in education. His career included work as a teacher, football coach, and in various administrative roles. He served as superintendent for Eureka USD 389 and later led Southern Lyon County USD 252 for 17 years. During his tenure, Argabright served as president of the Kansas Schools Superintendents' Association and held roles with organizations such as United School Administrators of Kansas and the

American Association of School Administrators The American Association of School Administrators (AASA), founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 14,000 educational leaders across the United States. AASA's members are chief executive officers and senior-level administrato ...

Career in politics

In November 2024, Argabright was elected as a Republican to the

representing the 17th District, with his term commencing in January 2025. In the Senate, Argabright has been assigned to committees focusing on education, insurance, the judiciary, transportation, and veterans affairs. Argabright has stated that he supports

Medicaid expansion Under the public healthcare policy of the United States, some people have incomes too high to qualify in their state of residence for Medicaid, the public health insurance plan for those with limited resources, but too low to qualify for the pr ...

in Kansas, a policy that is opposed by the Kansas Republican leadership.

Personal life

Argabright is married to Carla, a teacher, and they have three adult sons. He operates a farm, raising

Charolais cattle The Charolais () or Charolaise () is a French breed of taurine beef cattle. It originates in, and is named for, the Charolais area surrounding Charolles, in the Saône-et-Loire department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern Fr ...

, and is a member of organizations such as the Kansas Livestock Association and Kansas

Farm Bureau The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), more informally called the American Farm Bureau (AFB) or simply the Farm Bureau, is a United States–based 501(c)(5) tax-exempt agricultural organization and lobbying group. Headquartered in Wash ...

. Argabright is

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and attends a local Catholic church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Argabright, Mike 1963 births Living people Wichita State University alumni 21st-century members of the Kansas Legislature Educators from Kansas Farmers from Kansas Republican Party Kansas state senators