Overland Park mayor met with Kelly before launching campaign for KS governor
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Skoog said he met with Gov. Laura Kelly last week.
- Skoog filed hours before the candidate filing deadline for the Aug. 4 primary.
- Skoog will join a Democratic primary with Sens. Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher.
After launching a last-minute campaign for Kansas governor on Monday, Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog told reporters that he met with term-limited Gov. Laura Kelly last week to discuss the race and his candidacy.
“Gov. Kelly and I go way back,” Skoog said after filing for office at the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office on Monday. “I did meet with Laura. She was very gracious to talk with me about the race.”
Skoog’s entry into the race came just hours before the candidate filing deadline for the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. His focus on his ties with Kelly underscored the fact that overtures to the popular governor will play a major role in winning over Democratic voters in the upcoming primary.
The Overland Park mayor will enter a Democratic primary race that already features state Sens. Ethan Corson from Fairway and Cindy Holscher from Overland Park. Prior to Skoog’s entry, Kelly had already endorsed Corson’s campaign. Her office did not immediately respond to questions about Skoog’s campaign.
Skoog, in his comments with reporters on Monday, took an apparent shot at the campaigns for Corson and Holscher.
“We had two candidates in the race, and neither one was getting traction,” Skoog said.
While Democrats hope to hold onto the seat, Republicans remain confident they can take back the 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.
“After studying the race and talking to lots of people across the state, I thought — we all thought — that we needed a different direction in the race to beat Ty Masterson,” Skoog said.
In response to Skoog’s entry, the campaigns for both Corson and Holscher reaffirmed their commitments to succeed Kelly as governor.
Corson’s campaign pointed to the series of endorsements he’s racked up, including from Kelly, former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, abortion rights groups and organized labor. The campaign vowed to protect abortion rights and fight against the Trump administration.
“With Republicans now rallying around Ty Masterson after Trump’s endorsement, Ethan is the only candidate in this race who can defeat the divisive, hate-filled, and ineffective MAGA agenda coming to Kansas,” said Corson spokesperson Glynnis Harvey.
Meanwhile, Holscher’s campaign touted her legislative background in a statement. The campaign also took 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.
