The 2026 Kansas gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor of Kansas. Incumbent Democratic Governor Laura Kelly is term-limited and ineligible to seek a third consecutive term. This will be one of five Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2026 in a state that Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election and the only one of those states that Trump won by a double-digit margin.
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Background
editDespite being a longtime red state (and still a strongly red state today), Kelly won the open seat in 2018 with the help of a national "blue wave" in the 2018 midterms as well as the conclusion of the unpopular administration of Sam Brownback, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom in 2017.[1] Kelly won re-election in 2022 thanks in part to both her own personal popularity and the negative reaction to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the latter being particularly enhanced by the presence of an abortion referendum on the ballot a few months prior.[2][3] She was also possibly aided by the presence of a conservative independent candidate, Dennis Pyle, on the ballot, who received about 2% of the vote. Since her re-election, Kelly has seen a rise in personal popularity, and as of 2024 is one of the ten-most popular governors in the country, which some commentators have attributed to her frequent use of her veto powers and frequent travels across the state.[4][5] However, the Republican Party in Kansas has for a long time been the dominant party in the state of Kansas, holding 5 of 6 seats in Kansas's congressional delegation as well as a supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature.
Democratic primary
editCurrently, no Democrats have declared a campaign or expressed interest in running.
Republican primary
editCandidates
editPotential
edit- Kris Kobach, Kansas Attorney General (2023–present), nominee for governor in 2018, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020[6]
Declined
edit- Jake LaTurner, U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district (2021–present) and former Kansas State Treasurer (2017–2021)[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Paul, Kari (November 7, 2018). "Kansas sees its own blue wave: 'If you can flip it here, you can flip it anywhere'". MarketWatch. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
- ^ Bahl, Andrew. "National poll: More than half of residents approve of Gov. Laura Kelly's job performance". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ Hanna, John (2022-11-09). "Abortion rights support helps Kansas Gov. Kelly win 2nd term". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ "Report: Kansas gov. is one of the top 10 most popular in the nation". Yahoo News. 2024-04-23. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ A. O. L. Staff (2024-05-04). "Are Gov. Laura Kelly's rising approval numbers because of her frequent use of veto powers?". www.aol.com. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ Mathis, Joel (December 17, 2024). "AG Kris Kobach's popularity among Kansas voters is underwater. Will he change course? | Opinion". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
As [Kobach] looks ahead to 2026 — either to run for reelection as attorney general, or to try (again) to become the governor of Kansas
- ^ Hanna, John (2024-04-18). "Kansas GOP congressman Jake LaTurner is not running again, citing family reasons". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
[LaTurner said] also that he wouldn't seek any office in 2026. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is term-limited and Republicans had mentioned LaTurner as a possible candidate for the job that year.