Kansas
D held
Our call: DGOP +1.8closes 9:00 PM ET
Called · 89% in · Holscher +2.8 (our call)
Toss-upopen seat
Who's running
Ty MastersonR48.6% · 89% in
Ty Masterson was born in El Dorado, Kansas. He worked as a contractor, realtor, and developer in Wichita. He served on the Andover City Council, then in the Kansas House from 2005 to 2009. He has been a state senator since 2009 and Senate president since 2021. He announced in July 2025. Trump endorsed him in May 2026, and he won the August primary with 43 percent.
What they say they'll do
- A "homeowners bill of rights" that caps growth in taxable home value at 3 percent a year.
- A literacy push modeled on Mississippi and tax-credit scholarships.
- Let local communities decide on data centers, which he says bring tax money.
Cindy HolscherD51.4% · 89% in
Cindy Holscher grew up in Missouri and was the first in her family to finish college. She spent most of her career in management at Sprint. She won a Kansas House seat in 2016 and a state Senate seat in 2020. She was the first major Democrat to enter the race, in June 2025. She won the August primary with about 49 percent over two rivals. Gov. Laura Kelly endorsed her.
What they say they'll do
- Cut the residential property assessment rate by 2.5 percent.
- Fully fund special education.
- Expand Medicaid and legalize marijuana.
- Pause new data centers until there are guardrails.
The tea ☕
- A Democratic ad clips Masterson saying "the Brownback plan, which by the way, I wrote," tying him to the Brownback tax cuts. Masterson calls the clip a "lie."
- Holscher has pointed to Masterson's past personal bankruptcy after his construction business failed.
- Masterson turned down two televised debates. The September 12 State Fair debate was likely the only one.
- Masterson toned down his pro-Trump message for the general election, and his seven-figure ad buy features Democrats and union members saying they back him.
- Cook moved the race from Lean R to Toss Up on October 27, citing the close Senate race and internal polling. A Democratic win would end a 60-year pattern of Kansas switching the governor's party every eight years.
Sources
- https://www.multistate.us/elections/governor-race/kansas-2026
- https://thecookpoliticalreport.substack.com/p/two-governors-race-ratings-move-in
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Kansas_gubernatorial_election
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ty_Masterson
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Holscher
- https://apps.npr.org/primary-election-results-2026/governors.html