Candidates are lining up for the 2026 election in Kansas to replace Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, whose second term ends in 2027.
For the past eight years, the greatest obstacle for Republicans in the state Legislature has been Kelly’s veto pen. That alone has blocked or delayed the GOP-controlled state House and Senate’s top priorities on everything from tax policy to social issues.
After gaining seats in the 2024 elections, Republicans control more than two-thirds of the state House and Senate. Those “supermajorities,” as they’re called, have given the GOP enough votes to override many of Kelly’s vetoes.
But Republicans know their supermajorities are subject to change every election cycle. With a more cooperative state executive, the legislative math would become much easier.
There’s already a full slate of Republicans, including current Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Senate Pres. Ty Masterson and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.
The Democrats include a pair of state senators, Cindy Holscher and Ethan Corson. Lt. Gov. David Toland indicated he would not seek any office in 2026, in order to focus on economic development projects.
If Kansans elect a Democratic governor, it would break a long-standing cycle of alternation between Democratic and Republican administrations in the state.
If Kansans elect a Republican governor and the GOP retains its commanding majorities in the state Legislature, there will be few legislative barriers for Republicans.
Primary elections are on Aug. 4, 2026. Voters will decide the next governor of Kansas — as well as a U.S. senator, state attorney general, state insurance commissioner, secretary of state and state treasurer — on Nov. 3, 2026.
Here’s a list of candidates. The party with the most competitors is listed first.
Last updated June 2, 2026. This list will be updated as candidates join or leave the race.
Republican candidates
Ty Masterson, Republican
- Political background: Ty Masterson, in Andover, is the Kansas Senate President. He has served in that chamber since 2009, after a stint in the state House of Representatives.
- What else? Masterson is a former small business owner and serves as Director of GoCreate, a collaborative workshop at Wichita State University funded by Koch Industries.
- Platform: On his site, Masterson says he wants to lower property taxes, prioritize funding for police and “raise pay for good teachers.” During his time in the state Legislature, Masterson said he has targeted cultural issues, voting to ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports and block state universities from running programs to foster diversity and inclusion.
Charlotte O’Hara, Republican
- Political experience: Charlotte O’Hara, in Overland Park, was until recently on the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners. She also served one term in the state House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013.
- What else? O’Hara has a background as a contractor, small business owner and substitute teacher, according to the Johnson County Post.
- Platform: O’Hara is a critic of state tax incentive packages like the one that a bipartisan group of lawmakers passed last year, which is aimed at convincing the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals to build new stadiums in Kansas. She also supports the direct election of Kansas Supreme Court justices, an issue that will be on the same ballot as her in the Aug. 2026 primary election.
Stacy Rogers, Republican
- Political experience: Stacy Rogers owns multiple businesses and is based in Wichita. According to her Ballotpedia survey, Rogers serves on the Sedgwick County Developmental Disability Organization. She was the water commissioner in Mount Hope from 2007 to 2012.
- What else? Rogers said she homeschooled two of her three kids and worked in pharmacy and medical settings for 15 years.
- Platform: Rogers said “my day one executive order will be to go through each Department with a fine tooth comb (and) root out inefficiencies, mishandling and fraud.”
Philip Sarnecki, Republican
- Political experience: Philip Sarnecki, in Bucyrus, is a financial services executive and business owner. While he has never held political office, Sarnecki is a longtime political donor, mostly to Republican candidates.
- What else? According to LinkedIn, Sarnecki managed financial advisors at Northwestern Mutual for 20 years. He also owns companies in the automotive, real estate and film industries.
- Platform: In a press release, Sarnecki said he wants to lower taxes and “shred government red tape” for small businesses. He also said he wants to “restore parental rights in education,” which he believes state educational institutions have encroached upon.
Vicki Schmidt, Republican
- Political experience: Vicki Schmidt, in Topeka, is the state Insurance Commissioner. Before that, she served in the state Senate from 2005 to 2019.
- What else? Schmidt has worked as a local pharmacist for over 40 years, according to her website. She’s from Wichita, but has lived in Topeka most of her life.
- Platform: Schmidt is running on her record as insurance commissioner, which includes taking steps to assist Kansans with their insurance claims and saving businesses money. On abortion, an issue her conservative Republican counterparts take a hard line on, Schmidt told the Kansas Reflector that she agreed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. That 2022 decision ended the 50-year federal guarantee on the right to get an abortion. But Schmidt said she also believes in “reasonable exceptions” that allow people to seek abortions in some cases.
Scott Schwab, Republican
- Political experience: Scott Schwab, in Overland Park, is Kansas Secretary of State. Before taking that post in 2019, Schwab served as a state representative starting in 2003.
- What else? Before politics, Schwab’s website says he was a small business owner.
- Platform: Schwab’s site says he wants to lower taxes and regulations on businesses, and that he will “fight to ban communist China from buying land near our military bases.” As secretary of state, Schwab has championed voter ID laws and other election security measures, but denied — as some claimed — that elections in Kansas suffered from large-scale fraud.
Republicans Joy Eakins, Doug Billings and Jeff Colyer have withdrawn from the race.
Democratic candidates
Ethan Corson, Democrat
- Political experience: Ethan Corson, in Fairway, has served in the state Senate since 2021. He has held a variety of non-elected government roles with the International Trade Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and as former executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party.
- What else? Corson is an attorney by training. Gov. Kelly has endorsed him.
- Priorities: As governor, Corson said he would focus on “stronger public schools, lower taxes for working and middle-class Kansans, and aggressively recruiting new businesses to our state,” according to his website. Last legislative session, Corson co-sponsored a bill with Sen. Holscher and others to raise the state minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour.
Cindy Holscher, Democrat
- Political experience: Cindy Holscher, in Overland Park, has served in the state Senate since 2021. Prior to that, she was a state representative for four years.
- What else? Holscher has had a career in advertising, most recently at Sprint.
- Platform: On her website, Holscher said she believes in “providing tax relief for working and middle class Kansans, not billionaires.” During her time in office, Holscher supported ending the sales tax on food and creating child care tax credits.
Curt Skoog, Democrat
- Political Experience: Skoog has been Overland Park mayor since 2021. Before taking office, he served on the Overland Park city council beginning in 2005. Skoog said during a press conference announcing his candidacy that he changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in 2022 because the GOP changed drastically.
- What else? Skoog is a last-minute entry into the race. The Overland Park mayor criticized the dysfunctional nature of the legislature under Kansas Senate President and Republican gubernatorial frontrunner Ty Masterson. He believes that a mayor is the right person for the job.
- Platform: Skoog touted his mayoral experience. He emphasized the fact that Overland Park has the lowest property tax rate of the 26 first-class cities in the state. Skoog’s running mate, Dr. Jennifer McKenney, runs an independent family practice in Fredonia. Skoog and McKenney’s campaign plans to get a property tax relief plan in place and improve health outcomes for rural Kansas.
Democrat Marty Tuley has withdrawn from the race.
Independent Candidates
Sharilyn Ray, independent
- Political experience: Sharilyn Ray, in Wichita, is the founder and CEO of a social work nonprofit.
- What else? On her website, Ray said her political beliefs are influenced by her faith and past personal hardships. “I am first and foremost a believer in Christ Jesus,” she said. “I am a survivor of childhood abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, and poverty.”
- Platform: Ray said she would prioritize transparency in government and investment in public services, like schools and infrastructure.
According to publicly available campaign finance records, Brandon Adams intends to run for governor. But the Kansas News Service could not confirm details about Adams or his campaign.
Zane Irwin reports on politics, campaigns and elections for the Kansas News Service. You can email him at zaneirwin@kcur.org.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
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