Second Johnson County lawmaker enters Democratic primary for Kansas governor
A second Johnson County Democratic lawmaker has taken the plunge and announced a bid to become the next governor of Kansas.
State Sen. Ethan Corson of Fairway joined Overland Park Sen. Cindy Holscher in the primary field, launching his campaign in an official statement Tuesday.
“I’m a lifelong Kansan, a dad with young kids, and a proud product of our public schools,” said Corson, 43. “I’m running for governor to create opportunity for the next generation of Kansans, so they can build a life here.”
In short, he said, that means making sure Kansas has both the best schools in America and the most affordable housing options.
In a separate news release Tuesday morning, Lt. Gov. David Toland — long rumored to harbor gubernatorial aspirations — announced that he would not seek the job, choosing instead to focus on economic development work in his other role as commerce secretary.
Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who can’t run again due to term limits, appeared to throw her weight behind Corson’s candidacy in a post to X that stopped just short of an explicit endorsement.
“When I think about the type of leader Kansas will need to keep us on the path to prosperity — it’s someone laser focused on the issues Kansans really care about,” Kelly said. “Someone who understands how to bring people together to get good things done for Kansas. That’s exactly who Ethan Corson is.”
Holscher also welcomed him to the race.
“The more the merrier! Kansans deserve to hear from all the candidates,” Holscher said in a campaign statement. “I’m confident that voters will learn I’m the best choice in this race, because I’ve proven I know how to fight, win, and move Kansas forward.”
Besides Corson and Holscher, the only other Democrat who has filed to run is Marty Tuley, a Lawrence personal fitness trainer.
Deep Johnson County field
With Corson’s entrance into the race, half of the 12 candidates vying to succeed Kelly live in Johnson County.
On the Republican side, former Gov. Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, former County Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara and conservative podcaster Doug Billings all hail from the state’s wealthiest and most populous county.
Excluding Colyer, who became governor in 2018 after Sam Brownback’s resignation, Kansas last elected a Johnson County governor in 1975. A Johnson County Democrat hasn’t served as chief executive in over a century.
The county has long fought to shake the reputation that its candidates are out of touch with rural Kansas voters. Officials with both parties and some independent commentators say the paradigms that have held Johnson County candidates back in the past may be shifting.
Who is Ethan Corson?
Corson was first elected to the Senate in 2020, cruising to re-election by nearly 30 percentage points last November. He’s pitching himself to voters as a bipartisan problem solver.
Corson, who serves as a ranking member on the Senate’s tax, transportation and judiciary committees, said he’s always been focused “on the kitchen table issues that matter to Kansans: strong public schools and lower taxes for working and middle-class families.”
Among his legislative achievements, Corson cites his votes to help eliminate the state tax on groceries, remove taxes on Social Security and deliver targeted tax relief for seniors, veterans and middle-class Kansans.
In impassioned speeches on the Senate floor this spring, Corson squared off against Republican lawmakers over their decision to create an automatic mechanism for lowering state income tax rates without first passing the property tax reform they promised to combat soaring valuations.
Corson has also been an outspoken opponent of the Republican-backed constitutional amendment proposal aiming to reshape the Kansas Supreme Court by switching to direct election of justices.
Corson attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and journalism before returning for a law degree.
After graduating, Corson worked as an attorney in Washington D.C., going on to serve as a senior advisor to Obama-era Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and as chief of staff at the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration.
According to his release, in that role, Corson helped manage a team of over 2,200 employees across 75 countries — “experiences that gave Ethan a perspective on how to recruit businesses to Kansas and how to help Kansans, especially our farmers, ship their products around the world.”
Corson returned to Kansas in 2019 to serve a stint as executive director of the state Democratic Party.
“But for Ethan, it all comes back to public education,” the release says.
“It’s the education Ethan received in the Shawnee Mission School District — and the teachers and coaches who touched his life — that made his path possible.”
This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 9:01 AM.
