Election results | Who won race for Kansas governor: Laura Kelly or Derek Schmidt?
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Kansas 2022 midterm election results
Get the latest updates the 2022 Kansas midterm elections, including competitive races for governor, attorney general and the U.S. House.
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Editor’s note: The election results graphics on this page will be continuously updating as votes across the state are counted. Check back here throughout the night to see the latest. Want to have results delivered to your inbox after all the votes are in? Sign up for our Morning Rush newsletter.
Republican state Attorney General Derek Schmidt is challenging Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly as she seeks reelection to Kansas’ top office. As of 11 p.m., the race was close, with a slight lead by Kelly.
Kelly, a former state senator from Topeka, was first elected governor in 2018. She has focused her reelection campaign on improvements to the state’s finances, increased funding of public education and economic development projects. She presented herself as a “middle of the road” Democrat, cutting ads where she literally walked down the middle of a street and touting endorsements from prominent moderate Kansas Republicans.
Schmidt, who has been the state’s top attorney for more than a decade, sought to tie Kelly to President Joe Biden and high inflation. He has accused Kelly of overspending and under delivering. In the final weeks of the campaign, Schmidt leaned into social issues that would resonate with conservatives, including a promise to sign legislation to ban transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports after Kelly vetoed it.
Polling the week before the election had the candidates in a dead heat though Kelly outraised and outspent Schmidt between late July and late October.
Kansas Election Results: Governor
Looking for more Kansas election news?
- Live election results: Who’s winning Kansas midterm votes in early returns?
- Schmidt bets big on social issues, conservatives. Does he risk ceding center to Kelly?
- Live Kansas election results: Kris Kobach & Chris Mann compete for attorney general
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 6:00 PM.
