2026 Kansas gubernatorial election
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The 2026 Kansas gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor of Kansas. The primary elections will take place on August 4, 2026.[1] 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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November 3, 2026
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Background
Kansas has a long tradition of ticket-splitting at the gubernatorial level: despite the state's consistent support for Republican presidential nominees, Democratic candidates have won the governor's office for the majority of years since the late 1960s, reflecting a pattern of voters distinguishing between state executive and federal races. This competitive tradition continued in the 2018 election, when Laura Kelly won the open seat in a favorable national environment during the 2018 midterms and benefited from widespread dissatisfaction with the outgoing administration of Sam Brownback, who had departed mid-term after being nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom in 2017.[2] Kelly won re-election in 2022 on the strength of her own personal popularity, with the negative reaction to the overturning of Roe v. Wade providing additional tailwind, amplified by the presence of an abortion referendum on the ballot a few months prior.[3][4] Since her re-election, Kelly has seen a continued rise in personal popularity, and as of 2024 ranks among the ten most popular governors in the country, which some commentators have attributed to her frequent use of her veto powers and extensive travel across the state.[5][6] While Democratic candidates have remained competitive at the gubernatorial level, the Republican Party has historically dominated Kansas in federal and legislative politics. After the 2024 elections, Republicans maintained their 3-1 majority in Kansas' U.S. House delegation.[7] Kansas has been represented in the U.S. Senate exclusively by Republicans since 1939.[8] Both chambers of the Kansas Legislature also have Republican supermajorities.[9] Since 1957, neither major political party has held the Kansas governor's office for longer than two consecutive terms, reflecting the ongoing competitiveness of the state's executive elections.[10]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Ethan Corson, state senator from the 7th district (2021–present)[11]
- Cindy Holscher, state senator from the 8th district (2021–present)[13]
- Running mate: Kelechi Ohaebosim, state representative from the 89th district (2017–present)[14]
- Curt Skoog, mayor of Overland Park (2021–present)[15]
- Running mate: Jennifer Bacani McKenny, physician[15]
Withdrawn
- Marty Tuley, teacher (failed to find running mate)[16]
Declined
- Matt All, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association of Kansas (2018–present)[17]
- Dinah Sykes, minority leader of the Kansas Senate (2021–present)[18] (running for insurance commissioner)[19]
- David Toland, lieutenant governor of Kansas (2021–present)[20] (endorsed Corson)[21]
Endorsements
- Executive branch officials
- Kathleen Sebelius, former secretary of health and human services (2009–2014) and governor of Kansas (2003–2009)[22]
- State officials
- Laura Kelly, governor of Kansas (2019–present)[23]
- David Toland, lieutenant governor of Kansas (2021–present) and secretary of commerce of Kansas (2019–present)[21]
- Organizations
- State officials
- John Carlin, former governor of Kansas (1979–1987)[27]
- Lynn Rogers, former state treasurer of Kansas (2021–2023) and lieutenant governor of Kansas (2019–2021)[28]
- Marci Francisco, state senator[29]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Ethan Corson |
Cindy Holscher |
Curt Skoog |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change Research[30][A] | June 11–15, 2026 | 1,022 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 10% | 37% | 7% | 46%[B] |
| Public Policy Polling (D)[31][C] | January 8–9, 2026 | 699 (V) | – | 9% | 33% | — | 58% |
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Ty Masterson, president of the Kansas Senate (2021–present) from the 16th district (2009–present)[32]
- Running mate: Jeff Klemp, state senator from the 5th district (2025–present)[33]
- Charlotte O'Hara, former Johnson County commissioner (2021–2025) and former state representative from the 17th district (2011–2013)[34]
- Running mate: Michelle Dombrosky, member of the Kansas State Board of Education[35]
- Stacy Rogers, consignment sale business owner[36]
- Philip Sarnecki, financial services executive[38]
- Running mate: Joy Eakins, former Wichita Schools board member (2013–2018)[39]
- Vicki Schmidt, Kansas Insurance Commissioner (2019–present)[40]
- Running mate: Joe Newland, president of the Kansas Farm Bureau (2022–present) and former state representative from the 13th district (2019–2022)[41]
- Scott Schwab, Kansas Secretary of State (2019–present)[42]
- Running mate: Ken Rahjes, state representative from the 110th district (2016–present)[43]
Withdrawn
- Jeff Colyer, former governor (2018–2019)[44]
- Joy Eakins, former Wichita Schools board member (2013–2018) (running for lieutenant governor with Sarnecki)[45]
Declined
- Ron Estes, U.S. Representative for Kansas's 4th congressional district (2017–present) and former Kansas State Treasurer (2011–2017)[46]
- Jake LaTurner, U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district (2021–2025) and former Kansas State Treasurer (2017–2021)[47]
- Dayton Moore, former Kansas City Royals executive (2006–2022)[48]
- Ken Rahjes, state representative (2016–present)[49]
- Jon Rolph, member of the Kansas Board of Regents (2019–present)[17]
Endorsements
- Executive branch officials
- Donald Trump, president of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present)[50]
- U.S. senators
- Roger Marshall, Kansas (2021–present)[50]
- State legislators
- Mark Steffen, former state senator from the 34th district (2021–2025) (previously endorsed Colyer)[51]
- Organizations
- Executive branch officials
- Michael Flynn, former national security advisor (2017)[53]
- Individuals
- Ryan Fournier, cofounder of Students for Trump[53]
- Chad Prather, political commentator[53]
- Executive branch officials
- Ben Carson, former secretary of housing and urban development (2017–2021)[54]
- State legislators
- Susan Estes, state representative from the 87th district (2021–present)[55]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Elections[56] | Tossup | August 28, 2025 |
| Race to the WH[57] | Tilt R (flip) | June 19, 2026 |
| RealClearPolitics[58] | Lean R (flip) | June 5, 2026 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[59] | Lean R (flip) | September 4, 2025 |
| The Cook Political Report[60] | Lean R (flip) | September 11, 2025 |