Kansas voters surprised the nation Tuesday by electing the first Democratic U.S. Senator in nearly a century.
And a blue wave of Democrats in Wichita and elsewhere successfully flipped enough seats in the Kansas Statehouse to break the Republican supermajority for the first time since 2010.
It was a stunning night of Democratic victories, with few exceptions.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cindy Holscher held a narrow lead over Republican Ty Masterson, but as of 1 a.m., that race was still too close to call.
Republican U.S. Representative Ron Estes did hold on to his 4th District seat in Congress.
And voters in the Wichita school district approved a $615 million dollar bond issue that will go toward new and remodeled schools.
Here's a rundown of Election Day in Kansas....
- Democrat Adam Hamilton has won the Kansas U.S. Senate seat. He’s the first Democrat to do so since 1932.
- The race to replace outgoing Governor Laura Kelly was still too close to call early this morning. Both Republican Ty Masterson and Democrat Cindy Holscher told supporters to hold tight and wait for final results.
- Republican U.S. Representative Ron Estes has held onto his 4th District seat for a sixth consecutive term in Congress.
- Democrat Chris Mann is claiming victory in the race for Kansas attorney general, but Republican incumbent Kris Kobach is not conceding and the Associated Press has not declared a winner.
- Voters in the Wichita school district have approved a $615 million dollar bond issue.
- Ryan Baty and Jim Howell will serve another four years on the Sedgwick County Commission following the results of last night's vote. But fellow commissioner Pete Meitzner will not be returning to his seat.
- Republicans will keep control of the Kansas State Board of Education, after winning 4 of 5 races last night.
- Kansans voted to adopt a constitutional amendment yesterday that would tighten language that only U.S. citizens may vote in Kansas elections.
In other news...
- Two people are dead after a small airplane crashed in Missouri yesterday, and reports show the plane was headed to Wichita.
- A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment yesterday charging a Kansas postal worker with stealing thousands of pieces of mail, including political mailings related to Republican candidates.
- Sedgwick County is warning people and local businesses about three potentially fraudulent events being advertised online.
Producers: Beth Golay
Editors: Beth Golay and Suzanne Perez
Contributors: Jenni Anima, Meg Britton-Mehlisch, Zach Boblitt, Daniel Caudill, Grace Hills, Stephen Koranda, Jessica Pearce, Suzanne Perez
Theme music: Torin Andersen
Digital editor: Beth Golay
