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It was a close race, but in the end, the Democrat won in the Kansas elections.
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The Candidates
The race for the Kansas governor was a close one, with both candidates coming out on top at different points during the evening. However, when the votes were all tallied, it was clear that one candidate had won by a slim margin. This section will give a brief overview of the candidates and their platforms.
The Republican Candidates
The following is a list of the Republican candidates who ran in the Kansas elections.
-Pat Roberts
-Sam Brownback
-Mike Pompeo
-Tim Huelskamp
The Democratic Candidates
In the Kansas elections, the Democratic candidates fared well overall. In the gubernatorial race, Laura Kelly won with 53% of the vote, while Kris Kobach only received 41%. Steve Watkins, the incumbent House representative in Kansas’ 2nd congressional district, was unseated by Democrat Paul Davis. Davis won with 51% of the vote to Watkins’ 45%. In the state’s 3rd congressional district, Sharice Davids retained her seat in the House, winning her reelection campaign against Kasie Hunt with 52% of the vote.
The Issues
The elections in Kansas were held on November 6, 2018. The race was between the incumbent Governor Jeff Colyer and the Secretary of State Kris Kobach. The election was very close, with Kobach winning by a margin of 191 votes. Kobach is a very controversial figure, and his victory has been met with protests from many people.
The Economy
The economy was a major issue in the 2018 Kansas elections. Candidates focused on tax cuts, job growth, and economic development. The state’s economy has struggled in recent years, and many voters were concerned about the state’s ability to attract new businesses and create jobs.
The Republican candidates promised to continue the tax cuts implemented by Governor Sam Brownback, while the Democratic candidates proposed rolling back the tax cuts and investing in education and infrastructure.
In the end, the Republicans maintained control of the Kansas Legislature, but the Democrats made gains in both the House and Senate.
Healthcare
In the United States, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was narrowly passed by the House of Representatives on March 21, 2010 and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The legislation puts in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that will roll out over four years and beyond. The ACA will ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and will bring down costs for families, businesses and taxpayers.
In Kansas, Governor Kathleen Sebelius expanded Medicaid under the ACA to provide health insurance coverage to an additional 150,000 low-income Kansans. This expansion will extend coverage to childless adults with incomes at or below 133% of the federal poverty level, which is about $15,000 for an individual or $31,000 for a family of four. The expansion is funded entirely by the federal government through 2016 and then never drops below 90% thereafter. In total, the Medicaid expansion is expected to bring $3.2 billion in federal funds to Kansas over 10 years.
Education
The big winners in Kansas this election were those fighting for better education. Incumbent State Senator Barbara Bollier, a Moderate Democrat, handily won reelection in a very tight race. Bollier has been a strong advocate for education funding and was a key vote in overcoming the veto of Republican Governor Sam Brownback to pass a school funding bill earlier this year. Her Republican opponent, Marty Heyen, was endorsed by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and ran on a platform of cutting taxes.
Another big win for education came in the race for State Board of Education, where four Moderates were elected to the Board. These candidates ran on platforms of increasing transparency and accountability in the Board, and were endorsed by the Kansas National Education Association (the state’s teachers’ union). This is a significant change from recent years, when the Board has been controlled by far-Right conservatives who have pushed an anti-evolution agenda and championed policies that divert public funds to private schools.
With these wins, education advocates are hopeful that they can finally make some progress on funding and accountability issues in Kansas.
The Results
The final vote tallies are in and the Democrats have won the majority in the Kansas state legislature. It was a close race, but the Democrats were able to pull ahead in the end. This is a big victory for the party and they are sure to celebrate in the coming days.
The Republican Winners
The results are in, and the Republicans have won in the Kansas elections! In the Senate race, Jerry Moran defeated Democrat Patrick Wiesner, and in the gubernatorial race, Sam Brownback won re-election against Democrat Paul Davis. In the House races, all four incumbent Republicans were re-elected: Lynn Jenkins in the 2nd district, Kevin Yoder in the 3rd district, Mike Pompeo in the 4th district, and Ron Estes in the 5th district. Congratulations to all of the winners!
The Democratic Winners
The 2018 United States elections in Kansas were held on November 6, 2018, with all four of the state’s congressional districts, as well as all statewide offices up for election. The deadline to file as a candidate was June 1, 2018.
In the gubernatorial election, incumbent Republican Governor Sam Brownback was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third consecutive term. In the race to replace him, Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) and State Senator Laura Kelly (D) were considered the frontrunners. Kobach ran on a platform of continuing Brownback’s tax cuts, while Kelly ran on a platform of reversing them. In the end, Kelly defeated Kobach by a margin of 5%, becoming only the second Democratic governor in Kansas since 1931.
In the U.S. Senate election to replace retiring incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts, State Senator Barbara Bollier (D) and Congressman Roger Marshall (R) advanced to the general election after winning their primaries. However, Bollier ultimately lost to Marshall by a margin of 12%.
All four incumbents in Kansas’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives were re-elected: Republicans Kevin Yoder in the 3rd district and Ron Estes in the 4th district; and Democrats Sharice Davids in the 3rd district and Karen Bass in the 4th district.
