# 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Kansas.
On July 26, 2017, Governor Sam Brownback was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 24, 2018; he resigned the governorship on January 31 and was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer. Colyer was eligible to seek a full term and announced his candidacy prior to becoming Governor of Kansas. In the August 7 primary, Colyer ran against CPA and incumbent Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer, Topeka doctor and 2006 Republican Kansas gubernatorial nominee Jim Barnett, and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
On August 7, 2018, Kobach defeated Colyer in the Republican gubernatorial primary by an initial margin of 191 votes, a lead that increased to 361 votes by August 14, although discrepancies in some counties needed resolution and provisional and absentee ballots may not have been counted in some counties. Colyer conceded the Republican nomination after the final votes were tallied, in which Kobach's margin grew slightly. State Senator Laura Kelly easily won the Democratic nomination and won the general election, assuming office on January 14, 2019. Businessman Greg Orman, who finished second as an independent in the 2014 U.S. Senate race against incumbent Republican Pat Roberts, ran for governor as an independent candidate.
Owing to the fact that, aside from a two-term limit for incumbents, the Constitution of Kansas places no limitations of any kind on who may seek the office, several teenagers (including one who had never been to the state), filed to run for governor, drawing media attention. A debate took place on September 5 between the three candidates that consistently polled above 5%. Polls in late August had Kelly and Kobach running close with Orman polling in the single digits.
Kelly's win continued a streak of party turnover for governor of Kansas, as Kansas has not elected two consecutive governors of the same party since William Avery succeeded fellow Republican John Anderson Jr. following the 1964 election, and neither major party has held the governorship for longer than eight consecutive years since Republican John McCuish left office in 1957.

## Republican primary
### Candidates
#### Nominated

* Kris Kobach, Secretary of State of Kansas and nominee for KS-03 in 2004
** Running mate: Wink Hartman, businessman and candidate for KS-04 in 2010

#### Eliminated in primary

* Jim Barnett, former state senator, nominee for governor in 2006 and candidate for KS-01 in 2010
** Running mate: Rosemary Hansen, Barnett's wife
* Jeff Colyer, incumbent governor and candidate for KS-03 in 2002
** Running mate: Tracey Mann, incumbent lieutenant governor
* Patrick Kucera, businessman
** Running Mate: Patricia Reitz
* Tyler Ruzich, high school student
** Running mate: Dominic Scavuzzo, high school student
* Ken Selzer, Kansas Insurance Commissioner
** Running mate: Jen Sanderson, businesswoman
* Joseph Tutera Jr., high school student
** Running mate: Phillip Clemente, high school student

#### Withdrew

* Wink Hartman, businessman and candidate for KS-04 in 2010 (ran for lieutenant governor). Hartman joined Kris Kobach's campaign as his Lieutenant Gubernatorial candidate.

### Endorsements
#### Local and statewide politicians

* Bob Dole, former US senator for Kansas and 1996 Republican nominee for President
* Mark Hutton, state representative
* Jeff Longbine, Senate Vice President
* Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin
Organizations
* Kansans for Life
* Kansas Farm Bureau
* Kansas Livestock Association
* Kansas State Troopers Association
* NRA Political Victory Fund

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jim Barnett | Jeff Colyer | Wink Hartman | Kris Kobach | Ken Selzer | Other | Undecided |
| Remington (R) | August 3–5, 2018 | 2,769 | ± 2.0% | 14% | 34% | – | 32% | 9% | 3% | 10% |
| The Trafalgar Group (R) | July 30 – August 2, 2018 | 1,546 | ± 2.4% | 11% | 36% | – | 43% | 5% | 4% | – |
| Remington (R) | August 2, 2018 | 859 | ± 3.3% | 13% | 32% | – | 32% | 9% | 3% | 11% |
| JMC Analytics (R-Kobach) | July 24–26, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 11% | 25% | – | 34% | 8% | 2% | 20% |
| Remington (R) | May 14–15, 2018 | 1,441 | ± 2.6% | 9% | 29% | – | 27% | 5% | – | 30% |
| JMC Analytics (R-Kobach) | March 15–17, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 10% | 18% | – | 31% | 4% | – | 36% |
| Remington (R) | February 13–14, 2018 | 1,806 | ± 2.3% | 8% | 23% | 5% | 21% | 3% | 3% | 37% |
| Moore Information (R) | February 11, 2018 | – | – | – | 20% | 6% | 26% | 11% | – | 38% |

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Kris Kobach | 128,838 | 40.62 |
| | Republican | Jeff Colyer (incumbent) | 128,488 | 40.51 |
| | Republican | Jim Barnett | 27,993 | 8.83 |
| | Republican | Ken Selzer | 24,807 | 7.82 |
| | Republican | Patrick Kucera | 3,212 | 1.01 |
| | Republican | Tyler Ruzich | 2,276 | 0.72 |
| | Republican | Joseph Tutera Jr. | 1,559 | 0.49 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 317,173 | 100.0 |

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Nominated

* Laura Kelly, state senator
** Running mate: Lynn Rogers, state senator

#### Eliminated in primary

* Arden Andersen, physician
** Running mate: Dale Cowsert, businessman
* Jack Bergeson, high school student
** Running mate: Alexander Cline, high school student
* Carl Brewer, former Mayor of Wichita
** Running mate: Chris Morrow, former mayor of Gardner
* Josh Svaty, former Kansas Secretary of Agriculture and former state representative
** Running mate: Katrina Gier Lewison, Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 Board of Education member, veteran

#### Withdrew

* Jim Ward, Minority Leader of the Kansas House of Representatives

#### Declined

* Paul Davis, former Minority Leader of the Kansas House of Representatives and nominee for governor in 2014 (running for KS-02)

### Endorsements

Statewide and local politicians
* Dick Bond, Republican former Kansas state Senate President
* Tom Burroughs, Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives, former House Minority Leader
* John W. Carlin, former governor of Kansas and former Archivist of the United States
* Rep. Pam Curtis, D-32nd Dist.
* Sheila Frahm, Republican former U.S. senator from Kansas
* Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist.
* Bill Graves, Republican former governor of Kansas
* Rep. Broderick Henderson, D-35th Dist.
* Lee Kinch, former Kansas Democratic Party chairman
* Rep. Adam Lusker, D-2nd Dist.
* Rep. Cindy Neighbor, D-18th Dist.
* Rep. Eber Phelps, D-111th Dist.
* State Rep. Jason Probst, D-Hutchinson
* Rep. Louis Ruiz, D-31st Dist.
* Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-95th Dist.
* Rep. Jerry Stogsdill, D-21st Dist.

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Arden Andersen | Jack Bergeson | Carl Brewer | Laura Kelly | Josh Svaty | Undecided |
| GBA Strategies (D-Kelly) | June 5–7, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 3% | 2% | 22% | 35% | 12% | 25% |
| GBA Strategies (D-Kelly) | June 5–7, 2018 | 500 | ± 4.4% | – | – | 25% | 44% | 12% | 20% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Laura Kelly | Josh Svaty | Jim Ward | Undecided |
| Expedition Strategies (D-Ward) | March 4–8, 2018 | – | ± 4.4% | 17% | 7% | 19% | 57% |
| Moore Information (R) | February 11, 2018 | – | – | 39% | – | 20% | 42% |

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Laura Kelly | 78,746 | 51.5 |
| | Democratic | Carl Brewer | 30,693 | 20.1 |
| | Democratic | Josh Svaty | 26,722 | 17.5 |
| | Democratic | Arden Andersen | 12,845 | 8.4 |
| | Democratic | Jack Bergeson | 3,850 | 2.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 152,856 | 100.0 |

## Independent candidates
### Candidates
#### On the ballot

* Rick Kloos
** Running mate: Nathaniel Kloos, son of Rick Kloos
* Greg Orman, businessman and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014
** Running mate: John Doll, state senator

### Write-in

* Aaron Coleman, college student

### Failed to qualify

* Ilan Cohen, high school student from Maryland
* Max Correa, college student from North Carolina
* Joe Larry Hunter, former inmate
* Andy Maskin, New York City Advertiser
** Running mate: Scott Goodwin, Connecticut Advertiser
* Victor Redko, McGill University student
* Jared Rogers, University of Pennsylvania student
* Nicholas Schrieber, college student from Delaware
** Running mate: Matthew Ueckermann, college student from Maryland
* Conner Shelton, college student from Pennsylvania

## Libertarian convention
### Candidates
#### Nominated

* Jeff Caldwell, executive committee member for the Libertarian Party of Kansas
** Running mate: Mary Gerlt

#### Withdrew

* Thomas Padgett

## General election
### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Tossup | October 26, 2018 |
| The Washington Post | Tossup | November 5, 2018 |
| FiveThirtyEight | Tossup | November 5, 2018 |
| Rothenberg Political Report | Tossup | November 1, 2018 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean D (flip) | November 5, 2018 |
| RealClearPolitics | Tossup | November 4, 2018 |
| Daily Kos | Tossup | November 5, 2018 |
| Fox News | Tossup | November 5, 2018 |
| Politico | Tossup | November 5, 2018 |
| Governing | Tossup | November 5, 2018 |

#### Notes

* ↑ The Fox News Midterm Power Rankings uniquely does not contain a category for Safe/Solid races

### Debates

| Dates | Location | Kelly | Kobach | Orman | Link |
| September 6, 2018 | Overland Park, Kansas | Participant | Participant | Participant | Full debate - YouTube |
| October 30, 2018 | Wichita, Kansas | Participant | Participant | Participant | Full debate - C-SPAN |

### Endorsements

Federal politicians
* Sheila Frahm, former U.S. senator (R-KS) and former lieutenant governor of Kansas
* Eric Holder, former U.S. Attorney General
* Nancy Kassebaum, former U.S. senator (R-KS)
* Amy Klobuchar, U.S. senator (D-MN)
Statewide and local politicians
* Barbara Allen, former state senator (Republican)
* Ginger Barr, former state representative (Republican)
* Barbara Bollier, state senator (Republican, later Democratic)
* Dick Bond, former president of the Kansas Senate (Republican)
* Pete Brungardt, former state senator (Republican)
* John W. Carlin, former governor of Kansas
* Rochelle Chronister, former state representative (Republican) and former Chairperson of the Kansas Republican Party
* Paul Davis, former state representative and 2014 nominee for governor
* Tim Emert, former Majority Leader of the Kansas Senate (Republican)
* Duane Goossen, former Kansas Secretary of Administration and former director of the Kansas Division of the Budget
* Bill Graves, former governor of Kansas and former Kansas secretary of state (Republican)
* Mike Hayden, former governor of Kansas (Republican)
* Terrie Huntington, former state senator and former state representative (Republican)
* Dave Kerr, former president of the Kansas Senate (Republican)
* Joy Koesten, state representative (Republican)
* Audrey Langworthy, former state senator (Republican)
* Fred Lorentz, former state representative (Republican)
* Jim Lowther, former state representative (Republican)
* Terry McAuliffe, former governor of Virginia
* Lana Oleen, former Majority Leader of the Kansas Senate (Republican)
* Tim Owens, former state senator (Republican)
* Mark Parkinson, former governor of Kansas
* Jo Ann Pottorff, former state representative (Republican)
* Sandy Praeger, former Kansas insurance commissioner (Republican)
* Charlie Roth, former state representative (Republican)
* Alicia Salisbury, former vice president of the Kansas Senate (Republican)
* Kathleen Sebelius, former governor of Kansas and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary
* Gary Sherrer, former lieutenant governor of Kansas (Republican)
* Ruth Teichman, former state senator (Republican)
* John Vratil, former vice president of the Kansas Senate (Republican)
* Win Winter Jr., former state senator (Republican)
* David Wysong, former state senator (Republican)
* Jim Yonally, former state representative (Republican)
Labor unions
* American Federation of Teachers-Kansas Affiliate
* International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 124
* Kansas Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge
* Kansas National Education Association
* Kansas State AFL-CIO
* Missouri Kansas Alliance of Teamsters
* National Education Association
* St. Louis - Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council
* United Automobile Workers
* United Steelworkers District 11
Organizations
* EMILY's List
* Kansas Equality Coalition
* Planned Parenthood Action Fund
* Sierra Club Kansas Chapter
Newspapers and news websites
* The Kansas City Star
* The Topeka Capital-Journal
* The Wichita Eagle
U.S. Executive Branch officials
* John Ashcroft, former United States Attorney General
* Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States
* Donald Trump, President of the United States
U.S. senators
* Pat Roberts (R-KS)
U.S. representatives
* Ron Estes (KS-04)
Statewide and local politicians
* J. R. Claeys, state representative
* Jeff Colyer, Governor of Kansas
* Brian Linin, Goodland Mayor
* Susan Wagle, Senate President
Individuals
* Joe Arpaio, former Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona
* Ann Coulter, conservative commentator
* Sean Hannity, political commentator and talk show host
* Ted Nugent, singer-songwriter
* Donald Trump Jr., businessman and son of U.S. president Donald Trump
Organizations
* Kansans for Life
* Kansas Chamber of Commerce
* Kansas State Council of Firefighters
* NRA Political Victory Fund

#### Organizations

* Unite America

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Kris Kobach (R) | Laura Kelly (D) | Greg Orman (I) | Jeff Caldwell (L) | Other | Undecided |
| Emerson College | October 26–28, 2018 | 976 | ± 3.3% | 44% | 43% | 8% | – | 1% | 4% |
| Ipsos | October 17–27, 2018 | 986 | ± 3.6% | 41% | 43% | 9% | – | 2% | 5% |
| Public Policy Polling (D-Western States Strategies) | October 19–20, 2018 | 698 | ± 3.7% | 41% | 41% | 10% | 2% | 0% | 6% |
| Remington (R) | September 30 – October 1, 2018 | 1,680 | ± 2.4% | 41% | 42% | 10% | 2% | 1% | 4% |
| Emerson College | September 26–28, 2018 | 938 | ± 3.5% | 37% | 36% | 9% | – | 3% | 15% |
| Fort Hays State University | August 22 – September 25, 2018 | 324 | – | 36% | 40% | 10% | – | 5% | – |
| Civiqs (D-Crawford County Dems) | September 21–24, 2018 | 1,178 | ± 3.4% | 39% | 41% | 9% | 5% | 0% | 5% |
| Public Policy Polling (D-Pottawatomie County Dems) | September 12–13, 2018 | 618 | – | 39% | 38% | 9% | 1% | 2% | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling (D-KNEA PAC) | August 24–26, 2018 | 877 | – | 39% | 38% | 9% | 1% | 2% | 11% |
| Remington (R) | July 19–20, 2018 | 1,189 | ± 2.9% | 35% | 36% | 12% | – | – | 17% |
with Kris Kobach and Laura Kelly
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Kris Kobach (R) | Laura Kelly (D) | Undecided |
| Triton Polling & Research (I-Grow Kansas Action Fund) | October 2018 | 785 | ± 3.1% | 49% | 47% | – |
| Public Policy Polling (D-Western States Strategies) | October 17–21, 2018 | 698 | ± 3.7% | 44% | 48% | 8% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 12–13, 2018 | 618 | – | 47% | 46% | 8% |
| Triton Polling & Research (I-Grow Kansas Action Fund) | August 2018 | – | – | 46% | 46% | 8% |
with Kris Kobach and Greg Orman
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Kris Kobach (R) | Greg Orman (I) | Undecided |
| Triton Polling & Research (I-Grow Kansas Action Fund) | October 2018 | 785 | ± 3.1% | 43% | 49% | – |
| Triton Polling & Research (I-Grow Kansas Action Fund) | August 2018 | – | – | 40% | 53% | 8% |
with Jeff Colyer
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jeff Colyer (R) | Laura Kelly (D) | Greg Orman (I) | Undecided |
| Remington (R) | July 19–20, 2018 | 1,189 | ± 2.9% | 38% | 28% | 10% | 24% |
with generic Republican, Democrat, and Independent
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Generic Republican | Generic Democrat | Generic Independent | Undecided |
| Remington (R) | July 19–20, 2018 | 1,189 | ± 2.9% | 47% | 35% | 8% | 10% |

### Results

* Democratic—+30-35%  Democratic—+25-30%  Democratic—+20-25%  Democratic—+15-20%  Democratic—+10-15%  Democratic—+5-10%  Democratic—+<5%  No Swing  Republican—+<5%  Republican—+5-10%  Republican—+10-15%  Republican—+15-20%  Republican—+20-25%  Republican—+25-30%  Republican—+30-35%
* Democratic—+30-35%  Democratic—+25-30%  Democratic—+20-25%  Democratic—+15-20%  Democratic—+10-15%  Democratic—+5-10%  Democratic—+<5%  No Swing  Republican—+<5%  Republican—+5-10%  Republican—+10-15%  Republican—+15-20%  Republican—+20-25%  Republican—+25-30%  Republican—+30-35%
Kansas gubernatorial election, 2018 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Laura Kelly | 506,727 | 48.01% | +1.88% |
| | Republican | Kris Kobach | 453,645 | 42.98% | −6.84% |
| | Independent | Greg Orman | 68,590 | 6.50% | N/A |
| | Libertarian | Jeff Caldwell | 20,020 | 1.90% | −2.15% |
| | Independent | Rick Kloos | 6,584 | 0.62% | N/A |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,055,566 | 100.00% | N/A |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Harvey (largest city: Newton)
* Johnson (largest municipality: Overland Park)
* Sedgwick (largest municipality: Wichita)

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Jefferson (largest municipality: Valley Falls)

#### By congressional district

Kelly won two of four congressional districts, including one that was carried by a Republican in the concurrent congressional elections.
| District | Kelly | Kobach | Orman | Representative |
| 1st | 37% | 51% | 9% | Roger Marshall |
| 2nd | 51% | 41% | 5% | Lynn Jenkins (115th Congress) |
| 2nd | 51% | 41% | 5% | Steve Watkins (116th Congress) |
| 3rd | 56% | 37% | 5% | Kevin Yoder (115th Congress) |
| 3rd | 56% | 37% | 5% | Sharice Davids (116th Congress) |
| 4th | 44.7% | 45.4% | 8% | Ron Estes |

#### Maps

* Support for Orman by county: >16% 14–16% 12–14% 10–12% 8–10% 6–8% 4–6% 2–4%