WICHITA, KS — Kansans waking up Wednesday will have to wait a little longer to see whether it’ll be embattled Secretary of State Kris Kobach or sitting Gov. Jeff Colyer who will take on Democrat Laura Kelly in the general election. Kelly cruised to victory to secure the Democratic nomination, but Kobach was leading Colyer by .just 2 percent Wednesday morning, a razor-thin margin.
THe results come on the heels of Kobach gaining a prominent endorsement from none other than President Donald Trump. Kobach has gained national notoriety in recent months with his strict stance on voter ID laws, including requiring new voters to prove they’re citizens when they register to vote.
Trump waded into the race Monday — casting aside the advice of party leaders — and threw his support behind Kobach, an early supporter of Trump and whose views on immigration align with the president’s own stance. Trump called him a “a fantastic guy.”
“Kris Kobach, a strong and early supporter of mine, is running for Governor of the Great State of Kansas,” Trump tweeted. “He is a fantastic guy who loves his State and our Country – he will be a GREAT Governor and has my full & total Endorsement! Strong on Crime, Border & Military. VOTE TUESDAY!”
The New York Times reported that the Republican Governors Association and numerous top party operatives advised Trump not to back Kobach. Polls have shown he is unpopular with the general voting population in Kansas and could give Democrats a path to winning the gubernatorial race.
Governor’s Race
Colyer, who took over when Sam Brownback joined the Trump administration, had a narrow lead over Kobach on Tuesday night. That changed Wednesday morning with Kobach overtaking the lead with 40.7 percent of the vote to Colyer’s 40.5 percent. Jim Barnett was able to snag 8.8 percent and Ken Selzer secured 8 percent.
According to RealClearPolitics, the most recent poll in August showed Colyer with a slight edge over Kobach.
On the Democratic side, Kelly secured 51 percent of the vote Wednesday morning, while Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer snagged 20.6 percent and former state lawmaker Joshua Svaty secured 17.8 percent.
U.S. House 1st District
U.S. Rep. Marshall, who was widely expected to defeat GOP challenger Nick Reinecker, did so easily and will go on to face Democrat Alan LaPolice, running unopposed in the primary, in November.
U.S. House – 3rd District
Six Democrats are running for the 3rd District seat to challenge vulnerable sitting Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder. They are: Sharice Davids, Brent Welder, Tom Niermann, Mike McCamon, Sylvia Williams and Jay Sidie. While Davids has the support of the left-leaning Emily’s List, populist Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is backing Welder, the Star reported.
Davids overtook Welder for the lead on the Democratic side overnight with 36.2 percent of the vote. She was declared the winner Wednesday morning. Welder’s percent slipped to 35.5 percent. No other candidate 14 percent.
On the GOP side, Yoder was declared the easy winner after securing 68 percent of the vote Wednesday morning. Trevor Keegan was the next highest with 19 percent.
U.S. House – 2nd District
Seven Republicans were vying for the GOP nomination to face unopposed Democrat Paul Davis. They were: Steve Fitzgerald, Caryn Tyson, Dennis Pyle, Kevin Jones, Steve Watkins, Vernon Fields and Doug Mays. The crowded field features a bevy of current and former lawmakers. Fitzgerald, Tyson and Pyle are all state senators while Jones is a state legislator. Mays os a former House Speaker.
As of Wednesday morning, Watkins was declared the winner with 26.2 percent of the vote. Tyson was a close second with 23.2 percent. No other candidate topped 15 percent.
Attorney General
Sitting Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt is running unopposed in the primary. He’ll face Sarah Swain, who is also running unopposed, but recently lost the support of fellow Democrats over a poster in her office that shows the comic book hero “Wonder Woman” with a lasso around a police officer’s neck, the Wyandotte Daily reported.
Insurance Commissioner
Nathaniel McLaughlin is running unopposed on the Democratic side and will face the winner of Vicki Schmidt and Clark Shultz. Shultz is the current assistant insurance commissioner who lost to Ken Selzer four years ago. Schmidt is a state senator from Topeka who heads multiple committees, including Public Health and Welfare, the Wyandotte Daily reported.
Treasurer
This will be the easiest primary for voters to decide as there are only two candidates and each is running unopposed. Marci Francisco is running on the Democratic side and Jake LaTurner is running on the GOP side. LaTurner took over the job last year.
Secretary of State
Brian “BAM” McClendon, a former tech executive, is running unopposed on the Democratic side to replace Kobach. He’ll face Scott Schwab, who managed to secure 37.5 percent of the vote. Schwab defeated four Republicans for the GOP nomination: Randy Duncan, Keith Esau, Craig McCullah and Dennis Taylor.
A Democrat hasn’t held the position since President Harry Truman was in office, the Wyandotte Daily reported. That could change with the wildly unpopular Kobach leaving office and the deep pockets of McClendon’s supporters.
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