KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has been tapped for an ambassadorship by President Donald Trump a little more than a month after the Kansas governor saw his signature tax policy dismantled by the state's Legislature.
Trump announced Brownback's appointment as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom Wednesday evening. Brownback had long been expected to be named to the post.
Brownback was first elected governor in 2010 after a failed presidential run and 15 years in the U.S. Senate, overseeing Kansas' transformation into one of the leading laboratories for conservative policies.
He ushered into law new abortion restrictions, controversial welfare reforms and an aggressive tax-cutting strategy. He entered office with more than 60 percent of the vote, but he'll leave office as one of the least popular governors in the nation.
Brownback will be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, a Johnson County plastic surgeon who played a key role in Brownback's decision to privatize the state's Medicaid system during his first term.
