Kansans for Life endorses Ty Masterson for governor — and attacks his GOP rival
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- Kansans for Life PAC endorsed Ty Masterson for governor for his anti-abortion record.
- KFL publicly attacked rival Vicki Schmidt and warned she could win a crowded GOP primary.
- KFL urged anti‑abortion voters to unite behind the Trump-endorsed Kansas Senate president.
The most influential anti-abortion advocacy group in Kansas is backing Ty Masterson for governor and vehemently denouncing one of his GOP rivals in the race to succeed two-term Democrat Laura Kelly.
Kansans for Life PAC issued its endorsement of the Republican Senate President on Friday, citing Masterson’s “rock-solid pro-life record while serving in the Legislature.”
“While other pro-life candidates are also running for governor in the Republican Primary, the frightening scenario of radical pro-abortion Vicki Schmidt slipping through a crowded race to claim an unearned victory is too great to ignore,” said KFL PAC chairman Larry Damm in the announcement.
Schmidt, who served in the Kansas Senate before being elected state insurance commissioner, has said that her position on abortion is more nuanced than her conservative critics claim.
“Vicki Schmidt doesn’t believe in abortion on demand, but she does believe in reasonable exceptions, and that’s where most Kansans are,” campaign spokesperson Many Roe said in a statement on Friday.
In its announcement, KFL PAC called on anti-abortion voters to unite behind Masterson to prevent Schmidt from emerging victorious.
“After a vigorous vetting process including discussion with most of the candidates and much prayer among our committee, we acknowledge that many of the others seeking the Republican nomination for governor are truly pro-life,” Damm said. “That said, we feel it to be imperative to unite pro-life voters behind a single candidate to protect the lives of the preborn, their mothers and families.”
Masterson said in a statement that he was “truly honored” to receive KFL’s support.
“As Senate President, I led the effort to override more than a dozen of Laura Kelly’s vetoes and secure real pro-life victories for Kansas families,” Masterson said.
“With President Trump’s endorsement, Senator (Roger) Marshall’s support, and the momentum behind our campaign, this is the moment for conservatives to unite behind the one candidate who can win in November and put Kansas families first,” he added.
Other Republican candidates for governor include Secretary of State Scott Schwab, entrepreneurs Philip Sarnecki and Stacy Rogers, former Johnson County Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara and Nick Reinecker of Inman.
KFL was one of the driving forces behind the failed “Value Them Both” constitutional amendment proposal in 2022, which aimed to give lawmakers the authority to ban abortion. Fifty-nine percent of voters rejected that proposal in the first statewide referendum on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 12:06 PM.
