With Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly facing term limits, 10 candidates are competing for a chance to become the Sunflower State’s next chief executive.

Three Democrats and seven Republicans are vying for their party’s nominations in the Aug. 4 primary election.

Democrats have a tall task, given Kansas’ decades-long tradition of handing the governorship off between leaders of the two parties without electing consecutive Republicans or Democrats. But midterm elections have historically favored the party that doesn’t control the White House, setting up what is widely expected to be a competitive race in November.

Here’s a look at the candidates in alphabetical order:

Democratic candidates

Ethan Corson

Website: https://ethanforkansas.com/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Democrat

Political bio:

Corson is a state senator from Fairway, who was first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024 by nearly 30 percentage points.

Corson, an attorney, spent a stint as executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party from 2017 to 2019 after returning from Washington, D.C., where he held two high-level positions in former President Barack Obama’s Department of Commerce.

In the Kansas Senate, Corson serves as the ranking Democrat on the Assessment and Taxation, Judiciary and Transportation committees.

Other information voters should know:

Corson has received the endorsement of outgoing Gov. Laura Kelly and a wide array of organized labor groups. He’s pitched himself to voters as a bipartisan problem solver who can win over independents and moderate Republicans in the general election.

Corson, who was born in Overland Park, has focused his campaign on affordability issues and investing in public schools.

“As a dad, a proud graduate of Kansas public schools, and a leader who has served at both the state and federal level, Corson knows what families are up against: rising costs, barriers to healthcare, and a growing sense that too many politicians are looking out for special interests instead of working people,” his website says.

He has also been an outspoken opponent of the Republican-backed constitutional amendment proposal aiming to reshape the Kansas Supreme Court by switching to direct election of justices.

Corson’s running mate is Renee Duxler, a social worker and the CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.

Cindy Holscher

Website: https://cindyforkansas.com/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Democrat

Political bio:

Holscher was elected to the Kansas House to represent Overland Park in 2017, winning a seat in the Senate in 2020, which she retained by more than 22 percentage points in 2024.

Holscher co-founded the Women’s Bipartisan Caucus, which was responsible for drafting the legislation that undid former Gov. Sam Brownback’s sweeping tax cuts that destabilized the state budget.

She serves as the ranking Democratic senator on the Public Health and Welfare and Government Efficiency committees.

Other information voters should know:

Holscher was born in rural Missouri and came to Johnson County to work for Sprint. She was elected to the Legislature after getting involved in public education advocacy and walking from Shawnee to Topeka twice to bring attention to underfunded schools, according to her campaign website.

Holscher has styled herself as an anti-establishment candidate, courting progressives and emerging as a vocal critic of data centers and the deal to bring the Kansas City Chiefs to Wyandotte County — both issues on which her stances have evolved because of concerns people have shared with her on the campaign trail.

Her campaign makes the case that she would be the best check on “extremist” Republicans who currently control supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature.

“Cindy has prioritized policies that solve problems for Kansas families,” her website says. “She has worked to fully fund public schools, rebuild our bridges and roads, and ensure that all Kansans have healthcare.”

Holscher’s running mate is Rep. KC Ohaebosim of Wichita.

Curt Skoog

Website: https://curtskoog.com/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Democrat

Political bio:

Overland Park residents elected Skoog to the City Council in 2005. In 2021, he won a bid to become mayor, and he was re-elected in 2025.

Skoog entered his political career as a moderate Republican, but left the party in 2021 during his first run for mayor.

Other information voters should know:

Skoog was born in Topeka and grew up in a neighborhood where Kelly and former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius also lived, according to his campaign website.

Skoog was a late entrant to the primary field, launching his campaign on the day of the June 1 filing deadline. He has said he believes voters are tired of dysfunction in Topeka and would prefer the next governor to be a mayor — not a lawmaker.

“At City Hall, we don’t have time for culture wars or political games,” Skoog said in a campaign video. “We go to work every day, year-round to fix roads, build parks and balance budgets.”

Skoog says he plans to focus on property taxes, funding public schools and overall affordability. He has also said he supports using economic development incentives to lure businesses to Kansas and promoting the construction of AI data centers as “important infrastructure.”

Skoog’s running mate is Dr. Jen Bacani McKenney a practicing family physician in Fredonia, where she has also served on the school board and as the city and Wilson County public health officer.

Republican candidates

Ty Masterson

Website: https://www.mastersonforgovernor.com/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Republican

Political bio:

The first public office Masterson held was as a member of the Andover City Council, which he joined in 2005, the same year he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Kansas House.

He was elected to the Senate in 2008 and has comfortably defended his seat against challengers in subsequent elections, rising through the ranks of GOP leadership to be selected Senate president in 2021.

Other information voters should know:

Masterson already received the most important endorsement in Republican politics — that of President Donald Trump, who made his pick on social media in May, leading former Gov. Jeff Colyer to bow out of the race before the filing deadline.

Masterson was born in El Dorado and lives in Andover, just outside Wichita. He also serves as director of GoCreate, a Koch family-funded makerspace on the campus of Wichita State University.

As Senate President, Masterson has defined himself in opposition to Gov. Laura Kelly over the last five years, enacting legislation despite the Democratic governor’s vetoes and working to minimize her role in critical activities, such as shaping the state budget.

“In the Legislature, I fought for $2 billion in tax cuts,” Masterson said in a campaign video. “I protected my girls from boys in their sports. I protected our minors from mutilating transgender surgery. I’ve improved the security in our elections, and I’ve worked hard to get the woke left ideology off our college campuses.”

His running mate is Sen. Jeff Klemp of Lansing.

Charlotte O’Hara

Website: https://oharaforkansas.com/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Republican

Political bio:

O’Hara most recently served as the sole conservative member of the Johnson County Commission for four years, losing her re-election bid to Julie Brewer in 2024.

Before that, she was elected to one term in the Kansas House from 2011-2013

She also ran unsuccessfully for Overland Park mayor and Johnson County Commission chair.

Other information voters should know:

O’Hara was raised in Bourbon County in southeastern Kansas. She worked as a general contractor for 20 years and currently runs a business with her sons, manufacturing plastic products, including casino gambling chips.

Her campaign centers on opposition to data centers, stopping tax incentives for corporations, which she has described as “handing out candy to the well-connected,” and completely eliminating property taxes, which are the primary source of funding for local governments.

As a Johnson County official, O’Hara was fiercely opposed to COVID-19 masking and vaccine mandates. She’s still critical of fellow GOP candidate and Secretary of State Scott Schwab’s directive to destroy 2020 mail ballots in accordance with state law over the objection of former Sheriff Calvin Hayden.

Since leaving office, O’Hara has remained engaged, producing longform commentary videos and newsletters, complete with poetry and political cartoons.

O’Hara, who has called for eliminating the state Department of Education, chose current Kansas State Board of Education member Michelle Dombrosky to be her running mate.

Nick Reinecker

Website: https://kansasunderdog.com/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Republican

Political bio:

Reinecker has run unsuccessfully for Inman City Council, the Inman school board and the Kansas House. He has never held elected office.

Other information voters should know:

Reinecker, who was born in McPherson, entered the race on the day of the candidate filing deadline. His lieutenant governor pick is his wife, Katy.

According to his campaign website, Reinecker has held a wide array of public safety positions over the years, working as an EMT, a firefighter, a police officer, and a Certified Nurse Aide. For the last 18 years, he and his wife have run the Inman Harvest Café.

“After years of paying over sixteen percent of the café’s income to taxes without proper representation, it is time to take the fight to another level,” his website says. “That is why I’m running as the Kansas Underdog — to replace politics as usual with state government that is truly of, for, and by the people.”

Reinecker is the only Republican candidate in the race to support legalizing marijuana, which he has highlighted as one of his top issues.

“At the same time, I support tough consequences for dangerous synthetic substances like fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine,” he said on his website.

Stacy Rogers

Website: https://stacyrogersforks.com/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Republican

Political bio:

Rogers has never held elected office.

Rogers owns several businesses, including a cosmetics company, a children’s clothing consignment chain and an event venue, Eberly Farm, in Wichita, where she lives.

Other information voters should know:

“From the very beginning, I have not been afraid to step out, speak up, and lead,” Rogers says on her campaign website. “Kansas deserves leaders who are willing to go first, do the work, and stand with the people — not special interests. That’s exactly what this campaign is about.”

Her website says that as governor, she would prioritize fiscal responsibility, government transparency, support for small businesses and public safety. She has also been a vocal opponent of data centers and green energy developments.

I’m dedicated to fighting for the hardworking people of Kansas. Together, we can champion fair wages, expand job training opportunities, and support local and small businesses,” Rogers’ website says.

Her running mate is Leavenworth County Commissioner Mike Smith, who previously served as mayor of Lansing.

Philip Sarnecki

Website: https://philipsarnecki.org/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Republican

Political bio:

Sarnecki has never held elected office. His campaign is endorsed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA Institute.

Sarnecki was born in Illinois and lives in Bucyrus. He built his career in Johnson County, founding Leawood-based RPS Financial Group Inc. in 2008 as a financial services firm.

Other information voters should know:

In 2019, his spinoff company acquired a number of Northwestern Mutual offices, making it one of the largest life insurance companies in the nation, The Kansas City Business Journal reported at the time. He retired as managing partner in 2025 before announcing his bid for governor.

Sarnecki has said an outsider needs to take over in Topeka and shake up state government, positioning himself as an antagonist to Masterson, who he paints as part of the corrupt and ineffectual political establishment.

Sarnecki has said that Kansas’ comparatively high corporate tax rate and burdensome property taxes limit Kansas’ potential and make it inhospitable for families and businesses.

“Too many of our young people can’t afford to buy homes, and too many of our kids have to leave Kansas to find opportunities,” he said in a campaign video. “This is what the career politicians in Kansas have brought us — incompetence and losing.”

His running mate is entrepreneur and former Wichita school board member Joy Eakins, who dropped out of the GOP primary to join his ticket.

Vicki Schmidt

Website: https://vickiforgovernor.com/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Republican

Political bio:

Schmidt was first elected to the Kansas Senate in 2004 to represent her hometown of Topeka, which she did for 14 years before winning her first of two terms as Kansas Insurance Commissioner.

Despite largely keeping out of the political fray in her statewide role, Schmidt has a track record of electoral success, racking up a higher percentage of votes than any other statewide candidate the last time she was on the ballot. As a moderate, she could have broad bipartisan appeal if she emerges from the GOP primary.

Other information voters should know:

A pharmacist by trade, Schmidt worked with lawmakers this year to craft and pass the Kansas Consumer Prescription Protection and Accountability Act, which gives the insurance commissioner broad authority to regulate the middle men that set drug prices and process claims.

One of the Insurance Department’s key responsibilities is advocating for Kansans who submit complaints disputing insurance company denials and underpayments. The department set a state record in 2023, according to Schmidt’s office, by recovering $16 million for consumers.

As governor, Schmidt says she would strive to make healthcare more affordable for Kansas families, require parental consent for teens to use social media, lower property taxes and tighten restrictions on AI data centers trying to come to Kansas.

Schmidt’s running mate is former lawmaker and former Kansas Farm Bureau President Joe Newland. The fam bureau has endorsed their ticket.

Scott Schwab

Website: https://scottschwab.com/

Incumbent?: No

Party: Republican

Political bio:

Schwab was elected to represent a Johnson County House seat in 2002. He remained in the Legislature until voters chose him to be Secretary of State in 2018.

In 2022, he survived a stiff primary challenge from former Mike Brown, a 2020 election denier who eventually became chair of the Kansas Republican Party. Schwab prevailed in the primary by more than 10 percentage points and cruised to re-election in November by nearly 20 percentage points.

Other information voters should know:

A lifelong Kansan, Schwab was born in Great Bend and now lives in Overland Park.

As Secretary of State, he serves as the top election official in Kansas. He has consistently advocated for tighter election security laws, but has maintained that state elections are free and fair. He has also worked to enact reforms streamlining business registration and renewals, which his office also oversees.

On his campaign website, Schwab outlines his policy agenda with proposals that demonstrate his affection for acronyms. J.E.A.N.S stands for jobs, education, agriculture, networking and sustainability and B.A.L.D. stands for better affordable living by decreasing property taxes.

“I want to be your Governor to lower costs for families, protect our military bases from communist China, and return to the values and principles that have always guided us,” his website says.

Schwab’s running mate is outgoing Rep. Ken Rahjes of Agra.

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