Overland Park mayor launches last-minute Democratic campaign for Kansas governor
Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog on Monday launched a campaign for Kansas governor as a Democrat, a last-minute move that is poised to shake up the Democratic primary to succeed Gov. Laura Kelly.
Skoog, who has represented Overland Park as mayor and city council member since 2005, made the announcement on a campaign website just hours before Monday’s candidate filing deadline for the Aug. 4 primary. He will run alongside his lieutenant governor pick, Jennifer McKenney, a physician from Fredonia, according to the statement on his campaign website.
The 11th-hour maneuver scrambles the upcoming Democratic primary that features two Democratic state senators. Barring any other shakeups, Skoog will now challenge state Sen. Ethan Corson, a Fairway Democrat, and state Sen. Cindy Holscher, also from Overland Park, for the Democratic nomination to succeed Kelly.
“As a Mayor and a physician, Jen and I work every single day to help the people we serve,” Skoog said in a statement on his campaign website. “At City Halls and hospitals across Kansas, there’s no time for culture wars or political games. We’re too busy focused on what actually matters most. That’s how our government should work, and that’s why Jen and I are in this race.”
The move comes as Kansas Democrats hope they can translate a favorable national environment for the party into votes and hold onto the Governor’s Office. However, Kansas has not consecutively elected governors of the same party in decades and Johnson County candidates have historically struggled in statewide elections.
McKenney juxtaposed the campaign’s background with those of Corson and Holscher in a statement on Monday. The statement describes her as a family physician and health officer for Wilson County and Fredonia.
“Coming from the community, and not the Statehouse, Curt and I bring a different perspective on how government should work,” McKenney said. “All the Kansans I know care about being healthy, being safe, and being able to afford what they need. It’s time for our government to care about those things too.”
Skoog’s statement on Monday touted his track record as a council member and mayor, saying he “led the resurgence of” Overland Park’s downtown and “welcomed significant economic development and job growth.”
Skoog entered his political career as a moderate Republican, representing parts of northern Overland Park as a city council member, but left the party in 2021 during his first bid for mayor.
He narrowly won his first mayoral election that year and went on to successfully run for reelection in 2025 with the support of the Johnson County Democratic Party and took a strong stance in support of attainable housing development. His opponent, Faris Farassati, a Republican-backed candidate, criticized tax breaks for private developers and apartment complexes.
As news trickled out about over the weekend about Skoog’s potential launch, Holscher’s campaign put out a statement touting her legislative background. The statement included an apparent shot at Skoog, saying “Kansans aren’t looking for another establishment guy in the race -- they already have enough of those.”
“Cindy Holscher is the only candidate in this race on either side of the aisle who has a track record of taking on corporate interests and fighting for ordinary Kansans,” said Holscher’s campaign manager Madi Ashcraft.
Monday’s launch comes as Republicans remain confident they can take back the Governor’s Office this year. That confidence reached a fever pitch last weekend when President Donald Trump threw his support — and that of national Republicans — behind Senate President Ty Masterson.
The endorsement appeared to solidify as the frontrunner in a crowded field that also includes former Gov. Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. Other Republicans in the race include Philip Sarnecki, Charlotte O’Hara, Doug Billings, Joy Eakins and Stacy Rogers.
