Next Kansas governor would be a surgeon, Brownback loyalist

Jeff Colyer has been a loyal lieutenant governor to GOP Gov. Sam Brownback since 2011 and is preparing to become Kansas governor after nearly a decade of helping fellow conservative Republicans shape health care policy.

Colyer is a plastic surgeon who squeezed in international medical relief missions in disaster and war zones.

Colyer would be elevated to governor once Brownback resigns to become President Donald Trump’s ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. The White House announced Wednesday that it would nominate Brownback.

The 57-year-old Colyer already was seen as a potential Republican candidate for governor next year because Brownback was term-limited.

Colyer often was the administration’s spokesman on health issues and served in the state Legislature before first running on Brownback’s ticket in 2010.

Colyer may deviate little from Brownback’s policies.