Come January 2027, Kansas will have a new governor. Democrat Laura Kelly has already won the job twice, making her ineligible to run again.
The primary election isn’t until Aug. 4, 2026, but 11 candidates have filed to run so far — from ambitious statewide officeholders to prominent lawmakers, former officials and entrepreneurs.
Kansas has for decades traded its top state office back and forth between Republican and Democratic governors without consecutively electing different candidates from the same party. That factor suggests Republicans will have an edge in 2026.
But Democrats will aim to capitalize on downballot backlash against the second Trump administration in the midterm, seeking to tie the eventual GOP nominee to unpopular policies.
First, though, candidates must survive the bruising primary process.
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Cindy Holscher
Holscher, an Overland Park state senator elected to the Legislature in 2017, became the first major Democrat to launch a bid to succeed Kelly. Holscher bills herself as someone who’s willing to stand up to what she called extremist Republicans while working to foster collaboration across the political spectrum.
Marty Tuley
Tuley, a Lawrence personal fitness trainer, is the only other Democrat to file for governor so far. According to his campaign website, Tuley’s priorities include strengthening public education, legalizing marijuana and eliminating major incentives for out-of-state corporations.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Scott Schwab
Schwab, who lives in Overland Park, served a decade in the Legislature before being elected secretary of state in 2018. He won reelection in 2022 despite a fierce primary challenge fueled by his insistence that Kansas elections are free and fair. Schwab has criticized the Legislature for not enacting large-scale property tax reform.
Jeff Colyer
Colyer, an Overland Park surgeon, previously served as lieutenant governor and spent nearly a year as governor after Sam Brownback resigned the post in 2018. Colyer lost a razor-thin primary race to Kris Kobach that year and bowed out of the 2022 contest after sharing a cancer diagnosis. In 2024, he chaired Trump’s campaign operation in Kansas.
Vicki Schmidt
