Two GOP-held congressional seats in Kansas are up for grabs this election, according to a national website that tracks races.
Democrats, who have not won a congressional race in Kansas in a decade, could prevail in the 3rd District, which covers the Kansas City suburbs, or the 2nd District, which includes Lawrence and Topeka.
RealClearPolitics, a site that aggregates polling data, shifted both races Wednesday from “leans Republican” to “tossup” in its electoral map for the 2018 election.
The site rates 201 seats in the nation as Democratic or leaning Democratic. And it rates 204 seats as Republican or leaning Republican.
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That leaves 30 seats, including two in the Kansas City region, as potentially deciding which party controls the House next year.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder’s campaign holds a significant cash advantage in the race. Yoder had nearly $1.8 million cash on hand at the start of the year, roughly ten times more than any Democratic candidate.
“Kevin treats every race as a toss up, even though no Democrat has cracked 41% of the vote in this district against him," said C.J. Grover, Yoder's spokesman, in an email.
Yoder, an Overland Park Republican, was first elected to Congress in 2010. The district, which narrowly went for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, has been a top target for Democrats since last year.
Brent Welder, one of five Democrats vying for the nomination to take on Yoder, took credit for the ratings change in an email to supporters Thursday. The email cited a poll that had Welder leading Yoder in a head-to-head matchup.
U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, the Topeka Republican who represents the 2nd District, is retiring at the end of this congressional session.
Democrat Paul Davis, who unsuccessfully sought the governor’s office four years ago, has outraised every Republican candidate in the race combined. His campaign touted the ratings change in a fundraising email Thursday.
“This is a huge shift, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the work of supporters just like you. But we can’t afford to take a break — we have to keep this momentum going,” the email said.
Republicans both at the national and state level have voiced concerns about losing the seat in recent weeks.
State Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, a Leavenworth Republican seeking the seat, has called on the six other GOP candidates to drop out of the race to solidify GOP support around his campaign ahead of the general election.
Davis won the district as a candidate for governor.
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