2018 Kansas gubernatorial election


The 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Kansas.
On July 26, 2017, Governor Sam Brownback was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 24, 2018; he resigned the governorship on January 31 and was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer. Colyer was eligible to seek a full term and announced his candidacy prior to becoming Governor of Kansas. In the August 7 primary, Colyer ran against CPA and incumbent Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer, Topeka doctor and 2006 Republican Kansas gubernatorial nominee Jim Barnett, and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
On August 7, 2018, Kobach defeated Colyer in the Republican gubernatorial primary by an initial margin of 191 votes, a lead that increased to 361 votes by August 14, although discrepancies in some counties needed resolution and provisional and absentee ballots may not have been counted in some counties. Colyer conceded the Republican nomination after the final votes were tallied, in which Kobach's margin grew slightly. State Senator Laura Kelly easily won the Democratic nomination and won the general election, assuming office on January 14, 2019. Businessman Greg Orman, who finished second as an independent in the 2014 U.S. Senate race against incumbent Republican Pat Roberts, ran for governor as an independent candidate.
As, aside from a two-term limit for incumbents, the Constitution of Kansas places no limitations of any kind on who may seek the office, several teenagers, filed to run for governor, drawing media attention. A debate took place on September 5 between the three candidates that consistently polled above 5%. Polls in late August had Kelly and Kobach running close with Orman polling in the single digits.
Kelly's win continued a streak of party turnover for governor of Kansas, as Kansas has not elected two consecutive governors of the same party since William Avery succeeded fellow Republican John Anderson Jr. following the 1964 election, and neither major party has held the governorship for longer than eight consecutive years since Republican John McCuish left office in 1957.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

Eliminated in primary

Withdrew

  • Wink Hartman, businessman and candidate for KS-04 in 2010, joined Kris Kobach's campaign as his lieutenant gubernatorial candidate.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominated

Eliminated in primary

Withdrew

Declined

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Laura
Kelly		Josh
Svaty		Jim
Ward		Undecided
Expedition Strategies March 4–8, 2018–± 4.4%17%7%19%57%
Moore Information February 11, 2018––39%–20%42%

Independent candidates

Candidates

On the ballot

Write-in

Failed to qualify

  • Ilan Cohen, high school student from Maryland
  • Max Correa, college student from North Carolina
  • Joe Larry Hunter, former inmate
  • Andy Maskin, New York City Advertiser
  • *Running mate: Scott Goodwin, Connecticut Advertiser
  • Victor Redko, McGill University student
  • Jared Rogers, University of Pennsylvania student
  • Nicholas Schrieber, college student from Delaware
  • *Running mate: Matthew Ueckermann, college student from Maryland
  • Conner Shelton, college student from Pennsylvania

Libertarian convention

Candidates

Nominated

Withdrew

  • Thomas Padgett

General election

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Kris
Kobach
Laura
Kelly
Greg
Orman
Jeff
Caldwell
OtherUndecided
Emerson CollegeOctober 26–28, 2018976± 3.3%44%43%8%–1%4%
IpsosOctober 17–27, 2018986± 3.6%41%43%9%–2%5%
Public Policy Polling October 19–20, 2018698± 3.7%41%41%10%2%0%6%
Remington September 30 – October 1, 20181,680± 2.4%41%42%10%2%1%4%
Emerson CollegeSeptember 26–28, 2018938± 3.5%37%36%9%–3%15%
Fort Hays State UniversityAugust 22 – September 25, 2018324–36%40%10%–5%–
Civiqs September 21–24, 20181,178± 3.4%39%41%9%5%0%5%
Public Policy Polling September 12–13, 2018618–39%38%9%1%2%12%
Public Policy Polling August 24–26, 2018877–39%38%9%1%2%11%
Remington July 19–20, 20181,189± 2.9%35%36%12%––17%

with Kris Kobach and Laura Kelly

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Kris
Kobach 		Laura
Kelly 		Undecided
Triton Polling & Research October 2018785± 3.1%49%47%–
Public Policy Polling October 17–21, 2018698± 3.7%44%48%8%
Public Policy PollingSeptember 12–13, 2018618–47%46%8%
Triton Polling & Research August 2018––46%46%8%

with Kris Kobach and Greg Orman

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Kris
Kobach 		Greg
Orman 		Undecided
Triton Polling & Research October 2018785± 3.1%43%49%–
Triton Polling & Research August 2018––40%53%8%

with Jeff Colyer

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Jeff
Colyer 		Laura
Kelly 		Greg
Orman 		Undecided
Remington July 19–20, 20181,189± 2.9%38%28%10%24%

with generic Republican, Democrat, and Independent

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Generic
Republican		Generic
Democrat		Generic
Independent		Undecided
Remington July 19–20, 20181,189± 2.9%47%35%8%10%

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Kelly won two of four congressional districts, including one that was carried by a Republican in the concurrent congressional elections.
DistrictKellyKobachOrmanRepresentative
1st37%51%9%Roger Marshall
2nd51%41%5%Lynn Jenkins
2nd51%41%5%Steve Watkins
3rd56%37%5%Kevin Yoder
3rd56%37%5%Sharice Davids
4th44.7%45.4%8%Ron Estes