Midterms

Republicans scored big wins from Eric Schmitt in the U.S. Senate contest and Scott Fitzpatrick in the auditor’s race, but Democrats came out on top in Missouri’s only competitive state Senate contest and gained in the House.

Two very close races have been called in Kansas: Incumbent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly won a second term, with about a 1.5% lead over her Republican opponent, state Attorney General Derek Schmidt. And Republican Kris Kobach beat Democrat Chris Mann by about 2 points in his bid for attorney general.

In Missouri, voters have approved the recreational use of marijuana by adults and will send Republican Eric Schmitt to the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile in Kansas, voters gave Democrat Sharice Davids another term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Once an expectation for anyone seeking state or national office, many candidates are finding that there’s little downside to skipping debates. The Midwest Newsroom reviewed 2022 debate participation for Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.