[5] In 2006, he chose to run in the Republican primary for the 3rd congressional district, a seat held at that time by four-term Democratic incumbent, Dennis Moore.

Schwab faced banker Chuck Ahner of Overland Park, Thomas Scherer of Merriam and Paul Showen of Shawnee.

He said he was not interested in rolling back voting standards supported by then-incumbent Secretary of State Kris Kobach, but that his experience as House Speaker pro tem and as chair of the elections and insurance committees qualified him for the position.

[10] During his tenure as Secretary of State, Schwab maintained that there was no issue with voter fraud or election security, a position at odds with that of former president Donald Trump.

Schwab filed to run for reelection in 2022[11] and won the GOP nomination,[12] defeating a primary challenge from former Johnson County commissioner Mike Brown by 55% to 45%.

[18][19] Schwab's 10-year-old son, Caleb, died after being decapitated on August 7, 2016 in an accident on the Verrückt water slide at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City waterpark.