Alex Herman is a Thomas More Prep. (TMP) graduate and is currently running for Kansas Senate.

On Oct. 26, Herman visited the AP Government class to talk about his political views and background.

“I began getting interested in running after I realized we have a serious problem with treating mental issues,”  Herman said.

Herman is an attorney and mainly focuses in criminal defense and juvenile defense work.

“The number in people in jail has more than doubled in the six years since I’ve been involved with work there,” Herman said. “We’ve been cutting services dealing with mental health, which I believe is a main reason we are seeing an increase of individuals in jail.”

Not only does Herman believe it is morally right to try and treat individuals with mental problems, he also believes it would be financially beneficial.

“Housing people in jail is expensive,” Herman said. “It costs $24,000 a year per person to lock them up. It’s better to let people get treated and be able to live their lives instead of immediately putting them in jail.”

Herman said his main inspiration for running is his mentor, Eber Phelps.

“I wouldn’t have run if I hadn’t met Eber,” Herman said. “Eber is very intelligent when it comes to policy. He instilled in me the importance of making sure our education system is in good shape.”

Originally, Herman said he didn’t know exactly wanted to do for a career but he wanted to be involved with people.

“When I got out of high school, my dad told me I could do whatever I wanted with a law degree,” Herman said. “He neglected to tell me that I could do whatever I wanted as long as it was in law.”

Herman said he would describe himself as a people-person.

“My job is very personally satisfying,” Herman said. “I always knew I wanted to help people in some way. If you ever run for office and you don’t like people, you need to get really good at pretending you do. I’m lucky enough to actually enjoy being around people.”

Herman said he plans to protect citizens but still make smart financial decisions.

“Connecting with people can be the hardest part of campaigning,” Herman said. “If you’re going to represent someone, you need to support and connect with them.”

Students were offered advice from Herman about getting involved with politics.

“It’s so important to stay involved,” Herman said. “You need to get as much information as you can, and learn how to get comfortable with people.”