2016 United States presidential election in Kansas
The 2016 United States presidential election in Kansas was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Kansas voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Kansas has six electoral votes in the Electoral College . Trump carried the state with 56.16% of the vote, while Clinton received 35.74%. Kansas was among eleven states in which Clinton improved on Barack Obama's margin from 2012 (though her vote share was lower than Obama's 38%), largely due to a significant shift towards Democrats in Johnson County. This was the final election of Riley County's 104 year streak of voting Republican, as in the next election Joe Biden would become the first Democrat to win the county in its entire history. Additionally, since in 2016 Donald Trump became the first Republican to ever win the ancestrally  Democratic Elliott County, Kentucky, this is the only election ever in which Elliott County and Riley County voted for the same candidate. Background. The incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, a Democrat and former U.S. Senator from Illinois, was first elected president in the 2008 election, running with then-Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. Defeating the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona, with 52.9% of the popular vote and 68% of the electoral vote, Obama succeeded two-term Republican President George W. Bush, the former Governor of Texas. Obama and Biden were reelected in the 2012 presidential  election, defeating former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney with 51.1% of the popular vote and 61.7% of electoral votes. Although Barack Obama's approval rating in the RealClearPolitics poll tracking average remained between 40% and 50% for most of his second term, it has experienced a surge in early 2016 and reached its highest point since 2012 during June of that year. Analyst Nate Cohn has noted that a strong approval rating for President Obama would equate to a strong performance for the Democratic candidate, and vice versa. Following his second term, President Obama is not eligible for another reelection. In  October 2015, Obama's running-mate and two-term Vice President Biden decided not to enter the race for the Democratic presidential nomination either. With their term expiring on January 20, 2017, the electorate is asked to elect a new president, the 45th president and 48th vice president of the United States, respectively. Political landscape in Kansas. The state of Kansas has given its electoral votes to the Republican ticket since 1968, and only once to the Democrats (1964) since 1940. At the time, all current statewide officials were Republicans, as were all four members of the state's U.S.  House delegation. Mitt Romney defeated Barack Obama by a margin of 60% to 38% in 2012. A poll conducted by John Zogby found Clinton leading Trump by 7 points in June. In addition, an internal poll for Representative Kevin Yoder, a Republican from Kansas' 3rd congressional district, released an internal poll showing Clinton leading Trump by 6 points in his district. This district voted for Mitt Romney by a 10-point margin in 2012 and has a PVI of R+6. This result, coupled with Clinton's gains in national polls, caused Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball to move the Kansas  race from "Safe Republican" to "Likely Republican" on August 18. Primary elections. Democratic caucuses. Bernie Sanders visited Kansas during the primary season—while Hillary Clinton did not herself and instead sent her daughter Chelsea Clinton to hold a rally in Johnson County. General election. Minor candidates. The following received write-in status: By congressional district. Trump won 3 of the 4 congressional districts.