Who’s in? Who’s out? Primary fields are set in KS races for governor, U.S. Senate
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- Curt Skoog joined Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
- Ty Masterson filed for governor with Jeff Klemp and touted President Trump’s endorsement.
- Eleven Democrats filed to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall.
After a flurry of candidate filings on Monday, the primary fields have been set in consequential Kansas races for governor and U.S. Senate.
The noon filing deadline represented the last chance for candidates to jump into the competitive contests ahead of the August primaries.
That’s exactly what Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog did, joining Johnson County state Sens. Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher in the Democratic primary to succeed term-limited Gov. Laura Kelly.
Republican gubernatorial primary
One heavy-hitter on the Republican side, former Gov. Jeff Colyer, made news by opting to bow out of the race rather than pay the filing fee to secure a spot on the ballot.
He wasn’t the only candidate to size up the odds and exit after President Donald Trump endorsed Republican Senate President Ty Masterson.
Conservative podcaster Doug Billings also did not re-file to run after his former lieutenant governor pick accused him of defrauding a donor and asked to be removed from the ticket.
Another one-time GOP candidate for governor, former Wichita school board member Joy Eakins, abandoned her own bid to sign on as Johnson County entrepreneur Philip Sarnecki’s running mate.
Masterson also filed on Monday alongside his newly minted lieutenant governor pick, Sen. Jeff Klemp of Lansing. In brief remarks to reporters, Masterson said the president’s backing gave him “the luxury of choosing the best man for the job” in Klemp.
“The Trump endorsement was the ticket,” Masterson said. “I didn’t have to have a pick whose gender or demographic or political — I could actually pick the guy who was the right man for the job.”
In his own remarks, Sarnecki touted his and Eakins’ private-sector experience and derided Masterson’s track record as that of a career politician.
“Ty Masterson and the folks leading our Senate — leading, if you want to use that term — and House here in the state, they have promised the people of the state of Kansas property tax relief for three straight years and we have got absolutely nothing,” Sarnecki said.
Two other Republican statewide officeholders — Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and Secretary of State Scott Schwab — are also competing for the nomination. Schmidt’s lieutenant governor pick is Joe Newland, a former president of the Kansas Farm Bureau, and Schwab’s running mate is Rep. Ken Rahjes of Agra.
Other Republican candidates include former Johnson County Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara, who’s running alongside state school board member Michelle Dombrosky, and Wichita entrepreneur Stacy Rogers, whose lieutenant governor pick is former Leavenworth County Commissioner Michael Smith.
Rounding out the GOP primary field is Nick Reinecker, a former candidate for Inman City Council, who filed on Monday with his wife, Katy Reinecker, as his running mate.
Democratic gubernatorial primary
On the Democratic side, Corson, Kelly’s chosen successor, named Salina Area Chamber of Commerce President Renee Duxler as his choice for lieutenant governor. Holscher teamed up with Rep. KC Ohaebosim of Wichita.
Jennifer McKenney, a physician from Fredonia, filed to run for lieutenant governor alongside Skoog on Monday. In remarks to reporters after filing, Skoog said he made the last-minute decision to join the primary fray because he didn’t believe either of the leading Democratic candidates was “getting traction.”
“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 a sharp rebuke, Kelly issued a statement following his announcement, characterizing the eleventh-hour entrance as “opportunistic” and “foolhardy” without mentioning Skoog by name.
The only other Democrat who had campaigned for the nomination, Lawrence personal trainer Marty Tuley, did not officially file to appear on the primary ballot.
It has been more than 60 years since Kansas voters last elected consecutive governors of the same party.
U.S. Senate race
On Monday, the field of Democratic candidates vying for an opportunity to challenge first-term Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall swelled to 11.
Marshall also drew a GOP primary challenger — Pond Naramore of Lawrence.
Recent Democratic entrants include Kevin Latz of Mission Hills, a physician at Children’s Mercy Hospital, and Damon Anderson of Shawnee, the founder of a freight company.
The race was reshaped in late April when popular Johnson County megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton launched his campaign as a Democrat after openly exploring an independent bid.
Other candidates include retired corporate executive Sandy Spidel Neumann, real estate developer Erik Murray, former Biden USDA official Christy Davis, Army veteran Noah Taylor, attorney Anne Parelkar, state Sen. Patrick Schmidt, former federal prosecutor Jason Hart and Michael Soetaert of Wellington.
Kansas voters last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1932.
