2018 Kansas elections

Last updated

2018 Kansas elections
Flag of Kansas.svg
 2016November 6, 2018 2020  

A general election was held in the state of Kansas on November 6, 2018. Primary elections were held on August 7, 2018.

Contents

Voters elected all six executive officers, the lower house of the state legislature, and all of the state's delegations to the U.S. House.

U.S. House of Representatives

Kansas elected four U.S. representatives, one for each congressional districts. In 2018, the delegation's Republican majority changed from 4–0 to 3–1, the first time Democrats have held a seat in the state since 2010.

DistrictRepublican nomineeDemocratic nomineeLibertarian nominee
District 1 Roger Marshall (i)68.15Alan LaPolice31.85
District 2 Steve Watkins 47.64 Paul Davis 46.80Kelly Standley5.57
District 3 Kevin Yoder (i)43.91 Sharice Davids 53.57Chris Clemmons2.52
District 4 Ron Estes (i)59.44James Thompson40.56

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent Republicans Jeff Colyer and Tracey Mann lost their party's renomination in a tight primary election won by Secretary of State Kris Kobach and businessman Wink Hartman by a margin of around 0.1 percent. [1] Democrats nominated state senators Laura Kelly and Lynn Rogers, with businessman Greg Orman and state senator John Doll joining the race as independents. [2] Polls leading up to the election had Kobach and Kelly running close, leading to many news outlets predicting a tossup election.

Kelly won the election, beating Kobach by five percentage points. Kelley became the oldest governor in Kansas history, taking office at the age of 68. [3]

2018 Kansas gubernatorial election [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Laura Kelly / Lynn Rogers 506,727 48.01 Increase2.svg 1.88
Republican Kris Kobach / Wink Hartman 453,64542.98Decrease2.svg 6.84
Independent Greg Orman / John Doll 68,5906.50
Libertarian Jeff Caldwell / Mary Gerlt20,0201.90Increase2.svg 2.15
Independent Rick Kloos / Nathaniel Kloos6,5840.62
Total votes1,055,566 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

Secretary of State

Incumbent Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach retired to run for governor, leaving the seat open. State representative Scott Schwab won the Republican primary amidst a number of candidates, while Democratic nominee Brian McClendon ran unopposed after his challengers withdrew. Schwab won the election.

Republican primary

Republican primary [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Scott Schwab 108,705 38.34
Republican Randy Duncan57,23620.19
Republican Dennis Taylor56,53719.94
Republican Craig McCullah32,61511.50
Republican Keith Esau 28,42610.03
Total votes283,519 100.00

Democratic primary

Democratic primary [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Brian McClendon 139,457 100.00
Total votes139,457 100.00

General election

2018 Kansas Secretary of State election [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Scott Schwab 549,416 52.60 Decrease2.svg 6.57
Democratic Brian McClendon458,14243.87Increase2.svg 3.04
Libertarian Rob Hodgkinson36,8823.53
Total votes1,044,440 100.00
Republican hold

Attorney General

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt ran for re-election to a third term. He successfully defeated Democratic nominee Sarah Swain by 18 points.

Republican primary

Republican primary [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Derek Schmidt (incumbent) 269,212 100.00
Total votes269,212 100.00

Democratic primary

Democratic primary [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Sarah Swain 140,503 100.00
Total votes140,503 100.00

General election

Results by county:
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
Swain
Swain--50-60%
Swain--60-70%
Schmidt
Schmidt--50-60%
Schmidt--60-70%
Schmidt--70-80%
Schmidt--80-90%
Schmidt-->90% 2018 Kansas Attorney General election results map by county.svg
Results by county:
  Swain
  •   Swain—50–60%
  •   Swain—60-70%
  Schmidt
  •   Schmidt—50-60%
  •   Schmidt—60-70%
  •   Schmidt—70-80%
  •   Schmidt—80-90%
  •   Schmidt—>90%
2018 Kansas Attorney General election [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Derek Schmidt (incumbent) 614,436 58.98 Decrease2.svg 7.79
Democratic Sarah Swain427,28941.02Increase2.svg 7.79
Total votes1,041,725 100.00
Republican hold

Treasurer

Incumbent Republican Treasurer Jake LaTurner was appointed to the office on April 25, 2017, following the resignation of his predecessor Ron Estes to join the U.S. House of Representatives. He ran for election to a full term, defeating his Democratic challenger State Senator Marci Francisco by 15.49 points.

Republican primary

Republican primary [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Jake LaTurner (incumbent) 258,796 100.00
Total votes258,796 100.00

Democratic primary

Democratic primary [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Marci Francisco 141,214 100.00
Total votes141,214 100.00

General election

2018 Kansas State Treasurer election [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Jake LaTurner (incumbent) 598,392 57.75 Decrease2.svg 9.78
Democratic Marci Francisco 437,87942.26Increase2.svg 9.78
Total votes1,036,271 100.00
Republican hold

Insurance Commissioner

Incumbent Republican Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer retired to run for governor, leaving the seat open. Republican state senators Vicki Schmidt and Clark Shultz competed in a close primary, with Schmidt winning the nomination. The Democratic nominee was president of the Kansas NAACP Nathaniel McLaughlin. Schmidt won the election with the highest vote percentage of any statewide candidate.

Republican primary

Republican primary [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Vicki Schmidt 152,706 52.01
Republican Clark Shultz 140,88747.99
Total votes293,593 100.00

Democratic primary

Democratic primary [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Nathaniel McLaughlin 138,941 100.00
Total votes138,941 100.00

General election

2018 Kansas Insurance Commissioner election [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Vicki Schmidt 644,293 62.89 Increase2.svg 1.38
Democratic Nathaniel McLaughlin380,16637.11Decrease2.svg 1.38
Total votes1,024,459 100.00
Republican hold

State Board of Education

State House of Representatives

Results of the Kansas House elections Kansas State House 2018.png
Results of the Kansas House elections

The Kansas House of Representatives held elections for all 125 seats in 2018. Republicans maintained their supermajority in the chamber, with neither parties making any gains.

2018 Kansas House of Representatives elections
PartyBeforeAfterChange
Republican 8585Steady2.svg
Democratic 4040Steady2.svg
Total125125

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas Republican Party</span> Kansas affiliate of the Republican Party

The Kansas Republican Party is the state affiliate political party in Kansas of the United States Republican Party. The Kansas Republican Party was organized in May 1859.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Kobach</span> American lawyer & politician (born 1966)

Kris William Kobach is an American lawyer and far-right politician who is the Attorney General of Kansas. He previously served as the 31st Secretary of State of Kansas. A former Chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, Kobach came to national prominence over his support for immigration controls, including involvement in the implementation of high-profile anti-illegal immigration ordinances in various American cities. Kobach is also known for his calls for stronger voter ID laws in the United States, reinstating the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, and his advocacy for anti-abortion legislation. He has made claims about the extent of voter fraud in the United States that studies and fact-checkers have concluded are false or unsubstantiated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Schmidt</span> American politician (born 1968)

Derek Larkin Schmidt is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Kansas Attorney General from 2011 to 2023. A Republican, Schmidt was first elected to office serving in the Kansas Senate, where he represented the 15th district from 2001 to 2011, and served as Agriculture Committee chairman and Senate majority leader. Schmidt became the state attorney general in 2011, after he defeated incumbent Democrat Stephen Six in the November 2010 elections and joined other Republican states' attorneys general in suing to block many Obama administration policies. In 2020, after Republican President Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden but refused to acknowledge defeat, Schmidt joined a failed legal effort to overturn the election results.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Kelly</span> 48th governor of Kansas

Laura Jeanne Kelly is an American politician serving since 2019 as the 48th governor of Kansas. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented the 18th district in the Kansas Senate from 2005 to 2019. Kelly was elected governor in 2018, defeating Republican nominee Kris Kobach. She was reelected in 2022, narrowly defeating Republican nominee Derek Schmidt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Schwab</span> American politician

Scott Joseph Schwab is an American politician serving as the 32nd Secretary of State of Kansas. He served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 49th district, from 2009 to 2019. He also served as Speaker pro tempore of the Kansas House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. He received national attention when his son, Caleb, was killed in an accident on the Schlitterbahn Kansas City, Kansas water park's Verrückt water slide. In November 2018, he was elected Kansas Secretary of State.

Dennis D. Pyle is an independent member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 1st district since 2005. He ran for governor of Kansas in the 2022 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Schodorf</span> American politician

Jean Kurtis Schodorf, a former three-term Republican Kansas state senator, was the Democratic Party nominee for Kansas Secretary of State in 2014. She was defeated on November 4, 2014 by incumbent Kris Kobach by a margin of 59%-41%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Colyer</span> 47th Governor of Kansas

Jeffrey William Colyer is an American surgeon and politician who served as the 47th governor of Kansas from January 31, 2018, to January 14, 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 49th lieutenant governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018. Colyer served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009 and the Kansas Senate from 2009 to 2011. He assumed the governorship when Sam Brownback resigned to become United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Colyer ran for a full term as governor in 2018, but narrowly lost the Republican primary to Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach, who in turn lost the general election to Democratic nominee Laura Kelly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 United States Senate special election in Kansas</span> US election

The 1996 United States Senate special election in Kansas was held November 5, 1996, concurrently with the presidential election and the regularly scheduled election for the state's Class 2 seat. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the Republican nominee for president, had resigned on June 11, 1996, in order to focus on his presidential campaign. Lieutenant Governor Sheila Frahm was appointed to the seat upon Dole's resignation, but she was defeated in the primary by Representative Sam Brownback, who went on to win the general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 2014 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Kansas gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Kansas

The 2014 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Kansas, concurrently with the election of Kansas' Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Kansas elections</span>

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Kansas on November 4, 2014. Primary elections were held on August 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Orman</span> American businessman and politician

Gregory John Orman is an American politician, businessman, and entrepreneur. He ran as an independent to represent Kansas in the United States Senate in the 2014 election, earning 42.5 percent of the vote and losing to incumbent U.S. Senator Pat Roberts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States Senate elections</span>

The 2020 United States Senate elections were held on November 3, 2020, with the 33 class 2 seats of the Senate contested in regular elections. Of these, 21 were held by Republicans, and 12 by Democrats. The winners were elected to six-year terms from January 3, 2021, to January 3, 2027. Two special elections for seats held by Republicans were also held in conjunction with the general elections: one in Arizona, to fill the vacancy created by John McCain's death in 2018; and one in Georgia, following Johnny Isakson's resignation in 2019. These elections ran concurrently with the 2020 United States presidential election in which incumbent President Donald Trump lost to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 2020 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Kansas gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Kansas

The 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Kansas. Democratic nominee Laura Kelly won the election, defeating Republican nominee Kris Kobach and independent candidate Greg Orman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States gubernatorial elections</span>

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 8, 2022, in 36 states and three territories. As most governors serve four-year terms, the last regular gubernatorial elections for all but two of the seats took place in 2018 U.S. gubernatorial elections. The gubernatorial elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, as part of the 2022 midterm elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Kansas gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Kansas

The 2022 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Kansas, with primary elections taking place on August 2, 2022. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly ran for re-election to a second term. She and Republican State Attorney General Derek Schmidt won their respective nominations with little opposition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States attorney general elections</span>

The 2022 United States attorney general elections were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the attorneys general in thirty states, two territories, and one federal district. The previous elections for this group of states took place in 2018. The attorney general of Vermont serves two-year terms and was last elected in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Kansas Attorney General election</span>

The 2022 Kansas Attorney General election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of Kansas. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced he would retire to run for Governor. The Republican nominee was former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, and the Democratic nominee was former police officer, prosecutor, and state securities regulator, Chris Mann. Kobach narrowly won, taking 50.8% of the general election vote to Mann's 49.2%.

References

  1. "Kansas Primary Election Results". Kansas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  2. Lowry, Bryan; Shorman, Jonathan (December 6, 2017). "Independent Greg Orman reshuffles the race for Kansas governor". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  3. "Kelly is the state's oldest governor - again". The Active Age. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Kansas Secretary of State. 2018 General Election Official Vote Totals
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Primary Election Official Results
  6. "Kansas Primary Election Results". The New York Times. September 24, 2018.
  7. "Kansas Insurance Commissioner election, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 2, 2021.