Ty’s Story
The Man in the Arena is not the timid soul who waits for the perfect moment. He is the battle-tested, proven leader who steps forward when the odds are against him, accepts the criticism that comes with leadership, and refuses to abandon his principles when the pressure is greatest.
That has defined Ty Masterson’s public service from the very beginning.
When Masterson was first elected to the Kansas Senate in 2008, conservatives were on defense. Kansas had a liberal Democratic governor, Kathleen Sebelius, while the Senate was controlled by a coalition of Democrats and left-wing Republicans who often aligned with her agenda. For many, the practical choice was to accommodate the political establishment.
BATTLE TESTED
Masterson chose a different path. When he entered the arena, he stood unapologetically for limited government, lower taxes, constitutional liberty, and the belief that elected officials should answer first to the people.
Conservatives gained momentum in 2013, only to see many of those gains reversed after the 2016 elections. Reduced to little more than a determined remnant within the Senate, many would have accepted defeat and waited for political fortunes to change, or perhaps even compromised their own principles.
FOUNDING THE KANSAS TRUTH CAUCUS
Instead, Masterson fought back. He joined his colleagues, including Johnson County’s own Sen. Mary Pilcher Cook, to help found and build the Kansas Truth Caucus, a bicameral coalition of principled center-right legislators committed to advancing conservative ideas.
Masterson chaired the Truth Caucus for four years, helping grow it from a handful of members into a respected force within the Kansas Legislature. Under his leadership, the caucus championed conservative principles, expanded its influence, and, despite never holding a majority, helped enact significant conservative reforms. Its success demonstrated that steadfast convictions, disciplined leadership, and persistence can overcome political setbacks and produce lasting results.
WINNING THE SENATE
Masterson understood that lasting change required not only winning arguments but winning elections. He was a driving force in rebuilding the Republican Senate caucus, helping conservatives challenge entrenched incumbents and supporting successful primary and general election campaigns that reshaped the Senate in 2020.
In 2024, when Gov. Kelly and her left-wing allies spent millions trying to break the Republican supermajority, Masterson was undeterred. Not only did Republicans hold the supermajority, they expanded it — and now the Senate has the strongest conservative majority in its history.
PROVEN LEADERSHIP
His colleagues recognized both his leadership and the work that made it possible, unanimously electing him twice as Senate president.
Even with Laura Kelly as governor for all six years, Masterson refused to accept divided government as an excuse for inaction. He worked with the governor when possible and/or necessary, yet he was also not afraid to advance the conservative agenda when she was a roadblock—overriding her vetoes about 100 times!
The result is one of the most successful conservative legislative records in modern Kansas history. The record includes historic tax relief, stronger protections for life, parents’ rights, women’s sports, public safety, law and order, election integrity, health care access, religious liberty, free speech, and other constitutional freedoms. A comprehensive list of accomplishments and his record can be found here.
These accomplishments led a national organization of thousands of conservative state legislators, dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets, and federalism, to elect him as its national chairman.
DARE GREATLY
Theodore Roosevelt wrote that, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena” who “spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
Ty Masterson’s record exemplifies the tradition Roosevelt spoke of. Through perseverance, principle, and the willingness to fight when victory was uncertain, he entered the arena and helped change the direction of Kansas.