Voters will choose a new Kansas governor because Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is facing term limits.
Here’s a look at the candidates in alphabetical order:
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.
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.