Kansas gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022
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|
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Kansas |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: June 1, 2022 |
| Primary: August 2, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Gov. Laura Kelly (Democratic) Lt. Gov. David Toland (Democratic) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Kansas |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican Inside Elections: Toss-up |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022 |
| Kansas executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
Incumbent Laura Kelly (D) defeated Derek Schmidt (R), Dennis Pyle (independent), and Seth Cordell (L) in the general election for governor of Kansas on November 8, 2022.
This was the only governorship Democrats were defending in 2022 in a state that Donald Trump (R) won in 2020. The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections rated the election as a toss-up.[1]
Kelly was elected governor in 2018, defeating Republican Kris Kobach 48% to 43%.[2] Before becoming governor, Kelly served in the Kansas State Senate from 2005 to 2019.
Kelly's campaign website said she had "worked with both parties to balance the budget, fully fund schools, grow the economy, and rebuild the state’s infrastructure – all while guiding the state during unprecedented times and fighting to cut costs for families, including axing the grocery tax."[3] In a campaign ad, Kelly said, "Like most Kansans, I'm not too far right or too far left. I've always been pretty middle-of-the-road. And that's how I've governed."[4]
Schmidt was elected Kansas attorney general in 2010 and re-elected in 2014 and 2018. Before that, he served in the Kansas State Senate from 2001 to 2011.
After winning the Republican nomination, Schmidt said, "Our citizens want and deserve effective, commonsense leadership guided by Kansas conservative values. With the primary election behind us, it is time for Republicans ... [to] reject the big-government liberalism that binds Joe Biden to Laura Kelly. ... [Y]oung people and retirees are leaving our state, more than 20,000 fewer Kansans are working here than the day [Kelly] took office, and Kansas families are struggling with the skyrocketing cost of daily life because of Biden’s big-government inflation."[5]
When Kelly was elected in 2018, Republicans had held trifecta control of Kansas' state government for eight years. Before that, Kansas had a divided government for eight years. As of 2022, Democrats had not held a majority in either chamber of the Kansas Legislature since 1992. Kansas also had a Republican triplex before Kelly's election.
According to The Kansas City Star's Jonathan Shorman and Katie Bernard, the last time a Democratic governor was elected while a Democratic president was in office was in 1978, and the last time a Democratic governor won re-election under a Democratic president was in 1968. Shorman and Bernard wrote, "Throughout modern Kansas history, Republicans and Democrats have regularly traded control of the governor’s office. But another rule that has also held firm over the past 50 years is that incumbent governors don’t win reelection when their party also holds the presidency."[6]
On July 26, 2022, the Topeka Capital-Journal's Andrew Bahl wrote that the election was "shaping up to be the most expensive in state history," with Kelly and Schmidt having spent a combined $3.7 million at that time.[7] According to Shorman and Bernard, "[b]oth Republicans and Democrats have centered the race about Kelly’s record."[6]
In Kansas, the lieutenant governor is elected on a joint ticket with the governor. Kelly's running mate was incumbent Lt. Gov. David Toland (D), Schmidt's running mate was Katie Sawyer (R), Cordell's running mate was Evan Laudick-Gains (L), and Pyle's running mate was Kathleen Garrison (independent).
This was one of 36 gubernatorial elections that took place place in 2022. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office that is elected in all 50 states. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. Click here for a map with links to our coverage of all 50 states' responses to the pandemic and here for an overview of all 36 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2022.
Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control. There were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.
A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Kansas gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 (August 2 Democratic primary)
- Kansas gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 (August 2 Republican primary)
Election news
This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election.
Candidates and election results
Governor
General election
General election for Governor of Kansas
Incumbent Laura Kelly defeated Derek Schmidt, Dennis Pyle, and Seth Cordell in the general election for Governor of Kansas on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Laura Kelly (D) | 49.5 | 499,849 |
 | Derek Schmidt (R) | 47.3 | 477,591 | |
 | Dennis Pyle (Independent) | 2.0 | 20,452 | |
 | Seth Cordell (L) | 1.1 | 11,106 | |
| Total votes: 1,008,998 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Kansas
Incumbent Laura Kelly defeated Richard Karnowski in the Democratic primary for Governor of Kansas on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laura Kelly | 93.8 | 270,968 |
| Richard Karnowski | 6.2 | 17,802 | ||
| Total votes: 288,770 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Kansas
Derek Schmidt defeated Arlyn Briggs in the Republican primary for Governor of Kansas on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Derek Schmidt | 80.6 | 373,524 |
| Arlyn Briggs | 19.4 | 89,898 | ||
| Total votes: 463,422 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kent McElroy (R)
- Jeff Colyer (R)
- Richard Duncan (R)
- Chase LaPorte (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Governor of Kansas
Seth Cordell advanced from the Libertarian convention for Governor of Kansas on April 23, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Seth Cordell (L) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Lieutenant Governor
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
Incumbent David Toland defeated Katie Sawyer, Kathleen Garrison, and Evan Laudick-Gains in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Toland (D) | 49.5 | 499,849 |
 | Katie Sawyer (R) | 47.3 | 477,591 | |
 | Kathleen Garrison (Independent) | 2.0 | 20,452 | |
 | Evan Laudick-Gains (L) | 1.1 | 11,106 | |
| Total votes: 1,008,998 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
Incumbent David Toland defeated Barry Franco in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Toland | 93.8 | 270,968 |
| Barry Franco | 6.2 | 17,802 | ||
| Total votes: 288,770 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
Katie Sawyer defeated Lance Berland in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Katie Sawyer | 80.6 | 373,524 |
| Lance Berland | 19.4 | 89,898 | ||
| Total votes: 463,422 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Fletcher Goddard (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
Evan Laudick-Gains advanced from the Libertarian convention for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas on April 23, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Evan Laudick-Gains (L) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Kansas
Candidate comparison
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- Governor of Kansas (Assumed office: 2019)
- Kansas State Senate District 18 (2005-2019)
Biography: Kelly received a bachelor's degree from Bradley University and a master's degree from Indiana University at Bloomington. Before entering politics, Kelly worked as a director of recreation therapy and physical education at a hospital, as a recreation therapist at a psychiatric center, and as executive director of the Kansas Recreation and Park Association.
Show sources
Sources: YouTube, "Middle," April 25, 2022; YouTube, "Middle Seat," August 22, 2022; Laura Kelly 2022 campaign website, "Meet Laura Kelly," accessed August 22, 2022; Facebook, "Laura Kelly on June 30, 2022," accessed August 22, 2022; Facebook, "Laura Kelly on July 13, 2022," accessed August 22, 2022; Twitter, "Laura Kelly on August 23, 2022," accessed September 6, 2022; Kansas Historical Society, "Laura Kelly," accessed August 22, 2022
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Kansas in 2022.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Kansas Attorney General (Assumed office: 2011)
- Kansas State Senate District 15 (2001-2011)
Biography: Schmidt received a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas, a master's degree in international politics from the University of Leicester, a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, and a doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law. Before entering politics, Schmidt served as counsel to the governor of Kansas, as a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kansas), and as an assistant attorney general.
Show sources
Sources: YouTube, "A Better Place – Derek Schmidt for Governor," June 8, 2021; YouTube, "Inflation," July 20, 2022; Facebook, Derek Schmidt on September 3, 2022," accessed September 6, 2022; Facebook, "Derek Schmidt on September 1, 2022," accessed September 6, 2022; Kansas Office of the Attorney General, "Attorney General Derek Schmidt," archived July 4, 2016; TimesReporter, "Candidate profile: Derek Schmidt," October 24, 2014
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Kansas in 2022.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign advertisements
This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.
Laura Kelly
| October 24, 2022 |
| October 18, 2022 |
| October 13, 2022 |
View more ads here:
Derek Schmidt
| November 2, 2022 |
| October 28, 2022 |
| October 19, 2022 |
View more ads here:
Satellite ads
This section includes a selection of campaign advertisements released by satellite groups. If you are aware of other satellite ads that should be included, please email us.
Debates and forums
This section includes links to debates, forums, and other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated. If you are aware of any debates or forums that should be included, please email us.
October 5 debate
On October 5, 2022, Kelly and Schmidt participated in a debate hosted by the Johnson County Bar Association and Kansas City PBS.[11]
Click on the links below for summaries of the event:
- Flatland
- The Kansas City Star
- Kansas Reflector
- KMBC 9
- KSHB 41
- The New York Times
- The Topeka Capital-Journal
September 10 debate
On September 10, 2022, Kelly and Schmidt participated in a debate at the Kansas State Fair.[15]
Click on the links below for summaries of the event:
Election competitiveness
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[22] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[23] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
Below we provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval.
| Kansas gubernatorial election, 2022: General election polls | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Date | Kelly
|
Schmidt
|
 Cordell
|
 Pyle
|
Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size[24] | Sponsor[25] |
| Emerson College Polling | October 27-29, 2022 | 46% | 43% | 1% | 5% | 5%[26] | ±3 | 1,000 LV | The Hill |
| Emerson College Polling | September 15-18, 2022 | 45% | 43% | -- | 3% | 9%[27] | ±3 | 1,000 LV | The Hill, WDAF-TV[28] |
| Echelon Insights | August 31 - September 7, 2022 | 53% | 41% | -- | -- | 5%[29] | ±7.5 | 392 LV | NetChoice |
| Battleground Connect | August 8-10, 2022 | 45% | 48% | -- | 2% | 5%[30] | ± 3 | 1,074 LV | John Brown Freedom Fund |
| WPA Intelligence | April 26-27, 2022 | 43% | 47% | -- | -- | 10%[30] | ±4.4 | 500 LV | Kris Kobach campaign[31] |
| Click [show] to see older poll results | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Date | Kelly
|
Schmidt
|
Cordell
|
Pyle
|
Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size[32] | Sponsor[33] |
| Clarity Campaign Labs | September 13-15, 2021 | 47% | 44% | -- | -- | 8%[30] | ±3.4 | 810 LV | EMILY's List |
| Remington Research Group | September 7-9, 2021 | 40% | 44% | -- | -- | 16%[30] | ±3 | 1,101 LV | -- |
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[34]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[35][36][37]
| Race ratings: Kansas gubernatorial election, 2022 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 8, 2022 | November 1, 2022 | October 25, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Republican | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Noteworthy endorsements
Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.
| Noteworthy endorsements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Endorser | Laura Kelly | Derek Schmidt
|
| Individuals | ||
| Frmr. Gov. John Carlin source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Gov. Jeff Colyer source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. U.S. Sen. Sheila Frahm source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Gov. Bill Graves source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Gov. Mike Hayden source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. state Rep. Jan Kessinger source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. state Sen. Audrey Langworthy source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Senate Pres. Stephen Morris source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Sen. Majority Leader Lana Oleen source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Vice Pres. Mike Pence source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. state Rep. Charles Roth source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. state Rep. Sheryl Spalding source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Attorney General Robert Stephan source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Attorney General Carla Stovall source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. President Donald Trump source | ✔ | |
| Newspapers and editorials | ||
| Kansas City Star source | ✔ | |
| The Wichita Eagle source | ✔ | |
Election spending
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from candidates submitted to the Kansas secretary of state's office in this election. It does not include information on spending by satellite groups. Click here to access the reports.
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[38][39]
If available, satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. FEC links include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports. OpenSecrets.org compiles data from those reports as well as 24- and 48-hour reports from the FEC.[40]
Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. The amounts listed may not represent the total satellite spending in the election. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.
Click here to search independent expenditures by political action committees and party political committees.
Spending news
- The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) announced on May 4, 2022: "The DGA continues to work with allied groups in Kansas, who are already up on TV now and have reserved nearly $4 million in fall TV spending."[41]
- The Republican Governors Association (RGA) announced on March 8, 2022, that it had reserved $3.5 million in ad buys between September 7 and November 8 in Kansas.[20]
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Presidential elections
Cook PVI by congressional district
| Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Kansas, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
| Kansas' 1st | Tracey Mann |  Republican |
R+18 |
| Kansas' 2nd | Jacob LaTurner | Republican |
R+11 |
| Kansas' 3rd | Sharice Davids |  Democratic |
R+1 |
| Kansas' 4th | Ron Estes | Republican |
R+14 |
2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines
| 2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Kansas[42] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Joe Biden
|
Donald Trump
| ||
| Kansas' 1st | 34.1% | 63.7% | ||
| Kansas' 2nd | 40.7% | 57.0% | ||
| Kansas' 3rd | 51.2% | 46.7% | ||
| Kansas' 4th | 38.0% | 59.7% | ||
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 60.9% of Kansans lived in one of the state's 100 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 29.3% lived in one of three New Democratic counties: Johnson, Riley, and Shawnee. Overall, Kansas was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Kansas following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Kansas county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 100 | 60.9% | |||||
| New Democratic | 3 | 29.3% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 2 | 9.8% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 5 | 39.1% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 100 | 60.9% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Kansas presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 5 Democratic wins
- 26 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Statewide elections
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Kansas.
| U.S. Senate election results in Kansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2020 | 53.2% |
41.8%
|
| 2016 | 62.1% |
32.2%
|
| 2014 | 53.1% |
42.5% (Independent)
|
| 2010 | 70.3% |
26.2%
|
| 2008 | 60.0% |
36.4%
|
| Average | 59.7 | 35.8 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Kansas
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Kansas.
| Gubernatorial election results in Kansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2018 | 48.0% |
43.0%
|
| 2014 | 49.8% |
48.1%
|
| 2010 | 62.3% |
32.2%
|
| 2006 | 57.9% |
40.4%
|
| 2002 | 52.9% |
45.1%
|
| Average | 54.2 | 41.8 |
State partisanship
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Kansas' congressional delegation as of November 2022.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Kansas, November 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Republican | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 4 | 6 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Kansas' top four state executive offices as of November 2022.
| State executive officials in Kansas, November 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Office | Officeholder |
| Governor | Laura Kelly
|
| Lieutenant Governor | David Toland
|
| Secretary of State | Scott Schwab
|
| Attorney General | Derek Schmidt
|
State legislature
The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Kansas State Legislature as of November 2022.
Kansas State Senate
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 29 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | |
Kansas House of Representatives
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 39 | |
| Republican Party | 86 | |
| Independent | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 125 | |
Trifecta control
As of November 2022, Kansas was a divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.
Kansas Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas • Sixteen years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Demographics
The table below details demographic data in Kansas and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.
| Demographic Data for Kansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | United States | |
| Population | 2,937,880 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 81,758 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 83% | 70.4% |
| Black/African American | 5.7% | 12.6% |
| Asian | 3% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other (single race) | 2.7% | 5.1% |
| Multiple | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 12.1% | 18.2% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 91.4% | 88.5% |
| College graduation rate | 33.9% | 32.9% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $61,091 | $64,994 |
| Persons below poverty level | 11.4% | 12.8% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Election context
Ballot access requirements
The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Kansas in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Kansas, click here.
| Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source | Notes |
| Kansas | Governor | Ballot-qualified party | 1% of total registered voters in the state who are registered with the candidate's party | $2,092.00 | 6/1/2022 | Source | Petition signatures only required in lieu of filing fee. |
| Kansas | Governor | Unaffiliated | 5,000 | $2,092.00 | 8/1/2022 | Source | |
Kansas gubernatorial election history
2018
Governor
General election
General election for Governor of Kansas
Laura Kelly defeated Kris Kobach, Greg Orman, Jeff Caldwell, and Rick Kloos in the general election for Governor of Kansas on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laura Kelly (D) | 48.0 | 506,727 |
 | Kris Kobach (R) | 43.0 | 453,645 | |
 | Greg Orman (Independent) | 6.5 | 68,590 | |
 | Jeff Caldwell (L) | 1.9 | 20,020 | |
 | Rick Kloos (Independent) | 0.6 | 6,584 | |
| Total votes: 1,055,566 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrea Costley (Independent)
- Aaron Coleman (Independent)
- JoeLarry Hunter (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Kansas
Laura Kelly defeated Carl Brewer, Joshua Svaty, Arden Andersen, and Jack Bergeson in the Democratic primary for Governor of Kansas on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laura Kelly | 51.4 | 80,377 |
 | Carl Brewer | 20.2 | 31,493 | |
 | Joshua Svaty | 17.5 | 27,292 | |
 | Arden Andersen | 8.4 | 13,161 | |
| Jack Bergeson | 2.5 | 3,950 | ||
| Total votes: 156,273 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Tabman (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Kansas
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Kansas on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kris Kobach | 40.6 | 128,832 |
 | Jeff Colyer | 40.5 | 128,489 | |
 | Jim Barnett | 8.8 | 27,994 | |
 | Ken Selzer | 7.8 | 24,804 | |
 | Patrick Kucera | 1.0 | 3,212 | |
 | Tyler Ruzich | 0.7 | 2,275 | |
| Joseph Tutera Jr. | 0.5 | 1,559 | ||
| Total votes: 317,165 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Lieutenant governor
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
Lynn Rogers defeated Wink Hartman, John Doll, Mary Gerlt, and Nathaniel Kloos in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Lynn Rogers (D) | 48.0 | 506,727 |
 | Wink Hartman (R) | 43.0 | 453,645 | |
 | John Doll (Independent) | 6.5 | 68,590 | |
 | Mary Gerlt (L) | 1.9 | 20,020 | |
| Nathaniel Kloos (Independent) | 0.6 | 6,584 | ||
| Total votes: 1,055,566 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
Lynn Rogers defeated Chris Morrow, Katrina Lewison, Dale Cowsert, and Alexander Cline in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lynn Rogers | 51.4 | 80,377 |
| Chris Morrow | 20.2 | 31,493 | ||
| Katrina Lewison | 17.5 | 27,292 | ||
| Dale Cowsert | 8.4 | 13,161 | ||
 | Alexander Cline | 2.5 | 3,950 | |
| Total votes: 156,273 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Kansas on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wink Hartman | 40.6 | 128,832 |
 | Tracey Mann | 40.5 | 128,489 | |
| Rosie Hansen | 8.8 | 27,994 | ||
| Jen Sanderson | 7.8 | 24,804 | ||
| Patricia Reitz | 1.0 | 3,212 | ||
| Dominic Scavuzzo | 0.7 | 2,275 | ||
| Phillip Clemente | 0.5 | 1,559 | ||
| Total votes: 317,165 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
- See also: Kansas gubernatorial election, 2014
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Sam Brownback/Jeff Colyer Incumbent |
49.8% | 433,196 | |
| Democratic | Paul Davis/Jill Docking | 46.1% | 401,100 | |
| Libertarian | Keen Umbehr/Josh Umbehr | 4% | 35,206 | |
| Total Votes | 869,502 | |||
| Election results via Kansas Secretary of State | ||||
Democratic-held governorship in state Trump won
- See also: States won by Donald Trump in 2020 with Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2022
This was the only governorship Democrats were defending in 2022 in a state that Donald Trump (R) won in 2020. Trump defeated Joe Biden (D) in Kansas 56% to 42%.
Republicans were defending six governorships in states President Joe Biden (D) won in 2020: Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
The table below show which states held gubernatorial elections in 2022 and the last presidential and gubernatorial margin of victory in each. Click [show] on the right below to expand the table.
| Gubernatorial elections, 2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Incumbent | Last time office flipped | 2020 presidential result | 2018 gubernatorial result[43] | |
| Alabama | Kay Ivey |
2002 | R+25.4 | R+19.2 | |
| Alaska | Mike Dunleavy |
2018 | R+10.0 | R+8.6 | |
| Arizona | Doug Ducey |
2009 | D+0.3 | R+17.8 | |
| Arkansas | Asa Hutchinson |
2014 | R+27.6 | R+33.7 | |
| California | Gavin Newsom |
2010 | D+29.2 | D+18.6 | |
| Colorado | Jared Polis |
2006 | D+13.5 | D+7.8 | |
| Connecticut | Ned Lamont |
2010 | D+20.1 | D+2.6 | |
| Florida | Ron DeSantis |
2010 | R+3.3 | R+0.4 | |
| Georgia | Brian Kemp |
2002 | D+0.2 | R+1.4 | |
| Hawaii | David Ige |
2010 | D+29.4 | D+29.0 | |
| Idaho | Brad Little |
1994 | R+30.7 | R+22.1 | |
| Illinois | J.B. Pritzker |
2018 | D+17.0 | D+15.0 | |
| Iowa | Kim Reynolds |
2010 | R+8.2 | R+3.0 | |
| Kansas | Laura Kelly |
2018 | R+14.6 | D+4.5 | |
| Maine | Janet Mills |
2018 | D+9.1 | D+7.6 | |
| Maryland | Larry Hogan |
2014 | D+33.2 | R+13.6 | |
| Massachusetts | Charles D. Baker |
2014 | D+33.5 | R+33.8 | |
| Michigan | Gretchen Whitmer |
2018 | D+2.8 | D+9.5 | |
| Minnesota | Tim Walz |
2010 | D+7.1 | D+11.5 | |
| Nebraska | Pete Ricketts |
1998 | R+19.1 | R+18.8 | |
| Nevada | Steve Sisolak |
2018 | D+2.4 | D+4.1 | |
| New Hampshire | Chris Sununu |
2016 | D+7.3 | R+31.7 | |
| New Mexico | Michelle Lujan Grisham |
2018 | D+10.8 | D+14.2 | |
| New York | Kathy Hochul |
2006 | D+23.2 | D+22.2 | |
| Ohio | Mike DeWine |
2010 | R+8.1 | R+4.3 | |
| Oklahoma | Kevin Stitt |
2010 | R+33.1 | R+12.1 | |
| Oregon | Kate Brown |
1986 | D+16.1 | D+6.1 | |
| Pennsylvania | Tom Wolf |
2014 | D+1.2 | D+16.8 | |
| Rhode Island | Daniel McKee |
2010 | D+20.8 | D+15.3 | |
| South Carolina | Henry McMaster |
2002 | R+11.7 | R+8.0 | |
| South Dakota | Kristi Noem |
1978 | R+26.2 | R+3.4 | |
| Tennessee | Bill Lee |
2010 | R+23.2 | R+21.1 | |
| Texas | Greg Abbott |
1994 | R+5.6 | R+13.4 | |
| Vermont | Phil Scott |
2016 | D+35.1 | R+41.1 | |
| Wisconsin | Tony Evers |
2018 | D+0.7 | D+1.2 | |
| Wyoming | Mark Gordon |
2010 | R+43.1 | R+39.7 | |
| * denotes a term-limited incumbent. | |||||
2022 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:
- Alabama Secretary of State election, 2022 (June 21 Republican primary runoff)
- Arizona's 1st Congressional District election, 2022 (August 2 Republican primary)
- Illinois' 17th Congressional District election, 2022 (June 28 Democratic primary)
- North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2022 (May 17 Republican primary)
- United States Senate election in Arizona, 2022
See also
| Kansas | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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|
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External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Governor of Kansas official website
- Lieutenant Governor of Kansas official website
Footnotes
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball changed its rating of the race from toss-up to leans Republican the day before the election.
- ↑ In the 2018 Republican primary, Kobach defeated then-incumbent Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) by 343 votes.
- ↑ Laura Kelly 2022 campaign website, "Meet Laura Kelly," accessed August 22, 2022
- ↑ YouTube, "Middle," April 25, 2022
- ↑ Derek Schmidt 2022 campaign website, "Release: Remarks of Derek Schmidt, Republican Nominee for Governor, on Primary Election Night," accessed September 6, 2022
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kansas City Star, "Kansas governor race: Kelly and Schmidt set to collide in November after easy primaries," August 2, 2022
- ↑ Topeka Capital-Journal, "Kansas governor's race between Laura Kelly, Derek Schmidt already likely to be most expensive ever," July 26, 2022
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2022 Rating Changes," accessed November 16, 2022
- ↑ Emerson College Polling, "Kansas 2022: Governor Laura Kelly Holds Three-Point Lead Over AG Derek Schmidt in Gubernatorial Election; Senator Moran leads by 21 points for Re-election," November 2, 2022
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kansas, "2022 Election cycle reporting periods and due dates for campaign finance reports," February 3, 2021
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Flatland, "Kelly, Schmidt Paint Competing Visions of Kansas in Gubernatorial Debate," October 5, 2022
- ↑ Emerson College Polling, "Kansas 2022: Democratic Governor Laura Kelly in Tight Race with A.G. Derek Schmidt in Gubernatorial Election," September 21, 2022
- ↑ NetChoice, "New National Poll: 89% of Americans Say Congress Should Focus on Addressing Inflation, Not Breaking Up Tech," September 13, 2022
- ↑ Echelon Insights, "NetChoice — Summer 2022 Antitrust Survey — Topline," accessed September 19, 2022
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Kansas City Star, "Kelly and Schmidt spar on education, child welfare in raucous Kansas State Fair debate," September 11, 2022
- ↑ Battleground Connect, "KS Statewide Survey - Weighted Toplines," August 12, 2022
- ↑ WPA Intelligence, "To: Interested parties," May 2, 2022
- ↑ Sunflower State Journal, "UPDATED: Sixth outside group makes ad buy for Schmidt," October 18, 2022
- ↑ Planned Parenthood, "Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes PAC Launches Six-Figure Digital Ad Campaign in Kansas Highlighting Derek Schmidt’s Extremism on Abortion," October 4, 2022
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Republican Governors Association, "RGA Makes $31.4 Million Initial TV Investments in Key States," March 8, 2022
- ↑ Sunflower State Journal, "New PAC enters governor’s race," October 13, 2022
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ RV=Registered Voters
LV=Likely Voters - ↑ The sponsor is the person or group that funded all or part of the poll.
- ↑ Someone else: 1%; Undecided: 4%
- ↑ Someone else: 1%; Undecided: 8%
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Latest Polls," accessed September 25, 2022
- ↑ Unsure
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Undecided
- ↑ This was an internal poll for Kansas attorney general candidate Kris Kobach's (R) campaign.
- ↑ RV=Registered Voters
LV=Likely Voters - ↑ The sponsor is the person or group that funded all or part of the poll.
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ Amee LaTour, Email correspondence with the Center for Responsive Politics, August 5, 2022
- ↑ Democratic Governors Association, "DGA Makes First Major Fall Ad Reservations in Key Incumbent States," May 4, 2022
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022
- ↑ 2020 election for New Hampshire and Vermont.
