Could Kansas’ U.S. Senate race be delayed to 2028? Here’s what to know

A 2025 Kansas law could allow Republican lawmakers to control who replaces U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall if he resigns before Oct. 2, potentially pushing the next Senate election to 2028.

Marshall’s office denies any plan to step down, but Gov. Laura Kelly is calling the scenario a “ludicrous scheme to hijack political power.” Constitutional scholars have cast doubt on whether the state law could withstand a legal challenge.

FULL STORY: Could Kansas’ U.S. Senate race be delayed to 2028? Marshall denies replacement scheme

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Here are key takeaways:

Senate Bill 105, which became law without Kelly’s signature in 2025, creates a committee that would short-list three candidates for the governor to choose from when filling a U.S. Senate vacancy.

State Sen. Mike Thompson, the bill’s architect, acknowledged that rumors about Marshall potentially accepting a Trump administration appointment prompted him to introduce the legislation. Thompson also called the Seventeenth Amendment “a big mistake.”

Travis Crum, a constitutional law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, called the law “sloppily drafted” and said Kansas cannot legally extend a U.S. senator’s six-year term.

Marshall’s chief of staff, Brent Robertson, said the senator “will be running for reelection.” Eleven Democratic candidates have filed to challenge him in November.

Kelly suggested Republicans might use the law to secure an appointment for former Gov. Jeff Colyer, while Kansas GOP Chair Danedri Herbert defended the bill as “routine statutory mechanics.”