Prominent Johnson County GOP businessman enters crowded Kansas governor’s race
The deep field of Johnson County candidates vying to become governor of Kansas in 2026 just got deeper.
Republican Philip Sarnecki cast himself as a political outsider who would “shake up the system” and “bring a business approach to government” in a campaign announcement video posted Tuesday.
Sarnecki founded Leawood-based RPS Financial Group Inc. in 2008 as a financial services firm. In 2019, his spinoff company acquired a number of Northwestern Mutual offices, making it one of the largest life insurance companies in the nation, The Kansas City Business Journal reported at the time. He retired as managing partner earlier this year.
Sarnecki, 55, is also a movie producer whose most recent project, the adventure horror film “Monster Summer,” premiered in September 2024.
He joins six other Johnson County candidates, including former Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, former Johnson County Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara and conservative podcaster Doug Billings.
On the Democratic side, Johnson County state senators Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher are both running to succeed term-limited Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who defeated Republican challengers in 2018 and 2022.
“President Trump warned us we would get tired of winning, and he’s winning a lot. But here in Kansas, Republicans keep losing,” Sarnecki said in his announcement video.
What does Sarnecki stand for?
The businessman who has never run for office before portrayed Kansas as a state that has stagnated under the leadership of ineffectual Republicans and radical Democrats.
“Today’s Democratic leaders are lost souls,” Sarnecki said, claiming they “can’t figure out the difference between illegal immigration and legal immigration,” between “high taxes and low taxes” and between “a man and a woman.”
He said a comparatively high corporate tax rate and burdensome property taxes limit Kansas’ potential and make it inhospitable for families and businesses.
“Too many of our young people can’t afford to buy homes, and too many of our kids have to leave Kansas to find opportunities,” Sarnecki said. “This is what the career politicians in Kansas have brought us — incompetence and losing.”
Sarnecki also used his video to share details about his upbringing in Illinois, painting himself as a self-made man who came from humble beginnings.
“I grew up in a blue-collar family, the son of a janitor and a secretary,” Sarnecki said. “And while we didn’t have much money, over 56 years of marriage, my parents taught me what’s truly important — faith, family and really hard work.”
Sarnecki graduated from the University of Illinois in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and finance, according to his LinkedIn page.
Sarnecki has made several generous contributions to his alma mater’s basketball program, including a $500,000 check in support of an arena remodel in 2014 and a $350,000 contribution for a basketball training center in 2021.
This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 3:01 PM.
