Political analyst: Race for Kansas governor is a toss-up after Kobach victory

Kris Kobach’s victory in the Kansas GOP primary has triggered a prominent nonpartisan publication to move the race for governor from being a “likely R” seat to a toss-up.

Kobach will face Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, in the general election. Businessman Greg Orman has filed signatures to appear on the ballot as an independent.

“Three-way races are complicated equations. In a state as Republican as Kansas, the GOP nominee would normally be at least a slight favorite, but Kobach is controversial enough to put this race in the Toss Up column,” Jennifer Duffy, a political analyst for the Cook Political Report, wrote Wednesday.

The report also downplayed Orman being a spoiler for Kelly’s chances at becoming governor.

“While Orman could siphon votes away from Kelly, he is also likely to win over some Republican votes, especially from Colyer supporters looking for an alternative to Kobach,” Duffy wrote.

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 11:40 AM.