2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas


The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Kansas, one from each of the state's four congressional districts.
The state congressional delegation changed from a 4–0 Republican majority to a 3–1 Republican majority, the first time the Democrats had won a house seat in the state since 2008.

Overview

Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas by district:

District 1

The first district is one of the largest geographically in the nation, encompassing more than half of the area of the state. It is located in western and northern Kansas, and includes the cities of Manhattan and Salina. Republican Roger Marshall won this district in 2016 by defeating the incumbent congressman, Tim Huelskamp, in the Republican primary 57% to 43% and winning the general election.

Republican primary

Tim Huelskamp filed a statement of candidacy with the FEC on October 17, 2016, to run for this seat in 2018. Huelskamp made no announcement about whether he was considering a potential rematch with Marshall, but sent a fundraising email attacking Marshall and soliciting donations. On June 29, 2017, it was announced that Huelskamp had accepted a position with The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Candidates

Nominee

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 2

This district is located in eastern Kansas and is anchored by the state capital, Topeka. It also includes the city of Lawrence. Incumbent Republican Lynn Jenkins had represented the district since 2009. In 2008, Jenkins defeated former six-term District congressman Jim Ryun in the primary, and incumbent Democrat Nancy Boyda in the general election. Jenkins was re-elected with 61% of the vote in 2016.

Republican primary

Campaign

Jenkins had considered running for governor instead of re-election, but decided to retire and not run for any office in 2018.
Army veteran Steve Watkins led the Republican primary campaign, securing the endorsement of President Donald Trump. However, his background and residency were challenged by fellow Republicans, citing inaccuracies in claims on his website and in his campaign, as well as his absence from the district.

Candidates

Nominee

Democratic primary

Former Kansas State House Minority Leader and 2014 gubernatorial nominee Paul Davis ran unopposed. When Davis ran against incumbent governor Sam Brownback in 2014, he had carried the 2nd district.

Candidates

Nominee

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Kelly Standley, business developer

General election

Debates

  • , October 18, 2018

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Paul
Davis 		Steve
Fitzgerald 		OtherUndecided
The Mellman Group (D)June 13–18, 2018600± 4.0%39%34%–27%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Generic
Republican		Paul
Davis 		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling (D)February 12–13, 2018711± 3.7%42%44%–14%

District 3

The district is based in the Kansas City metropolitan area and surrounding suburbs in eastern Kansas. Cities include Kansas City and Overland Park. Incumbent Republican Kevin Yoder had represented the district since 2011. Yoder was re-elected with 51% of the vote in 2016. Yoder lost to his Democratic challenger, attorney Sharice Davids, who became one of the first Native American women ever elected to Congress.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Kevin Yoder, incumbent representative
    Eliminated in primary
  • Trevor Keegan
  • Joe Myers

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Sharice Davids, attorney, mixed martial artist, and former White House Fellow
    Eliminated in primary
  • Mike McCamon, businessman
  • Tom Niermann, teacher
  • Jay Sidie, financial counselor and nominee for this seat in 2016
  • Brent Welder, attorney
  • Sylvia Williams, former financial services manager
    Withdrawn
  • Chris Haulmark
  • Reggie Marselus, retired union official and candidate for this seat in 2014 & 2016
  • Joe McConnell, businessman and Iraq War veteran
  • Andrea Ramsey, attorney and former healthcare executive

General election

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Kevin
Yoder 		Brent
Welder 		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling (D)February 14–15, 2018315± 5.5%42%49%–9%

District 4

The fourth district is based in southern Kansas, including Wichita and the surrounding suburbs. Incumbent Republican Ron Estes had represented the district since 2017. Estes was elected with 52.5% of the vote in 2017.
Prior to Estes, Mike Pompeo represented the district. Pompeo had been nominated as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Donald Trump administration. After Pompeo was confirmed, a special election was held for the remainder of Pompeo's term. Ron Estes won the special election on April 11, 2017.

Republican primary

The Republican Party selected a nominee during a Republican Party primary election which took place on August 7, 2018. The Republican primary was open to registered voters who were either unaffiliated or registered as Republicans.

Candidates

Nominee

Campaign

Because there were two Republican candidates named Ron Estes, the names appeared on the ballot as "Rep. Ron Estes" and "Ron M. Estes", which some criticized as breaking a state law that prohibits identifying an incumbent on the ballot.

Democratic primary

The Democratic Party selected a nominee during a Democratic Party primary election that took place on August 7, 2018. The primary was open to registered voters who were either unaffiliated or registered as Democrats.

Candidates

Nominee

Campaign

Senator Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for Democrat James Thompson on July 20, 2018, after the national Democratic party would not support him. Laura Lombard criticized the state's decision to list incumbent Ron Estes as "Rep. Ron Estes" on the ballot, because she believed this broke state laws which prohibit a candidate from being identified as an incumbent on the ballot.