Kansas GOP

Republican Senate President Ty Masterson will face Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher, who beat the outgoing governor's pick.

The office for Kansas' top election official is open because current Secretary of State Scott Schwab is running for Kansas governor.

Republican Derek Schmidt is defending his congressional seat against a challenger within his own party and two other hopefuls. The 2nd District covers much of eastern Kansas outside the Kansas City suburbs.

Organizers said the objective is to generate money for the party’s campaign activities and to rally support for the constitutional right of individuals to possess firearms for self-defense.

The setback means passing new congressional maps will be difficult. However, the effort to make it harder for Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids to hold her seat will return next year.

Republican state lawmakers want to break up Johnson County to help defeat the one Kansas Democrat in Congress. Local officials say the state’s wealthiest and most populous county has benefited from remaining in a single congressional district.

Politico exposed racist and homophobic messages sent by leaders of the Kansas Young Republicans. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said the state GOP modeled similar behavior in its own social media posts.

Kansas GOP leaders have condemned offensive messages sent in a national Young Republicans group chat. They said the group is now inactive.

Kansas Republican lawmakers are circulating a petition for a special session to redistrict. The goal is to defeat the state's only Democrat in Congress.

The killing of a Democratic state representative in Minnesota this past weekend has Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes concerned about her and her family's safety. The name of Missouri U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II was also included on the suspect's "hit list."

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed Senate Bill 29, but the veto was overridden by the Republican-dominated House and Senate. It opens health officials to lawsuits over quarantine decisions and removed their authority to ban public gatherings.

Kansas lawmakers last week passed a budget that would put the state roughly $460 million in debt by 2028. Up To Date spoke to Gov. Laura Kelly about the new spending plan, the GOP supermajority in the Legislature and more.