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Governor of Kansas

Statewide — all of Kansas

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Sources re-checked October 19, 2026 · How we research

  • Open seat: Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is term-limited and cannot seek a third consecutive term.[1]
  • Republican primary (August 4): Senate President Ty Masterson won a seven-candidate field with Trump's endorsement, ahead of businessman Phil Sarnecki, Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and Secretary of State Scott Schwab in early returns. Former Gov. Jeff Colyer left the race before the primary.[2]
  • Democratic primary (August 4): state Sen. Cindy Holscher won with roughly 48% in early returns, ahead of state Sen. Ethan Corson (39%), who had Gov. Kelly's endorsement, and Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog (13%).[2]
  • Candidates run as tickets; each nominee's running mate is a sitting legislator. Two tickets are on the ballot; Politics1 (updated October 2) and The Green Papers list only the Democratic and Republican tickets plus one independent write-in candidate for governor, Sharilyn Ray. Neither lists a Libertarian candidate for governor.[1][3][11][12]

On the ballot · 2 candidates

Cindy HolscherDKansas State Senator, District 8 (since 2021)Full profile →Ty MastersonRPresident of the Kansas Senate (since 2021); State Senator, District 16 (since 2009)Full profile →

Issue evidence — side by side

Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.

Expand public health coverage

  • Cindy Holscher
    Supports[4]

    Says she has voted over and over to expand Medicaid and protect rural hospitals; her campaign lists making healthcare accessible and affordable among its top priorities.

  • Ty Masterson
    —

Public funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)

  • Cindy Holscher
    Opposes[4]

    Says she has 'consistently blocked extremist efforts to cut public school funding and expand private school vouchers.'

  • Ty Masterson
    Supports[5]

    Voted to override the governor's veto of SB 361, the bill electing into the federal tax credit for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations (April 9, 2026).

Bar transgender women and girls from women's and girls' school sports

  • Cindy Holscher
    —
  • Ty Masterson
    Supports[9]

    Said in his campaign announcement that he advanced bills blocking transgender individuals from sports teams designated for girls or women.

Research notes & limits

Ballotpedia was blocked in this environment, so the slate comes from news coverage (Kansas Reflector, Kansas News Service) and Wikipedia; the Kansas Secretary of State's certified list could not be loaded (the Secretary of State's upcoming-candidates page returned an empty challenge response), so the slate was checked against Politics1 (Oct 2) and The Green Papers, which show only the two major-party tickets plus independent write-in Sharilyn Ray, and no Libertarian for governor. Running mates are noted in ballotNote, as Kansas tickets run jointly. Legislative votes come from the repo's official Kansas Senate roll-call snapshot (2025 and 2026 sessions only); the April 2026 votes are veto overrides, and the roll-call pages link to the Legislature's records. Masterson's pronoun/name vote (SB 76) and SCR 1616 votes are listed for both candidates for symmetry. Holscher's abortion position was not documented in a loaded source and is omitted. Pass 3: Masterson's Medicaid and abortion positions were removed because they rested only on a reporter's characterization, not his own statement; The Green Papers (checked October 19) was added as a source for the slate.

Sources · 22

Researched 2026-10-19. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.2026 Kansas gubernatorial election · Wikipedia Reference
  2. 2.Masterson scores win in GOP primary for Kansas governor; Holscher prevails in Democratic race · Kansas Reflector via Lawrence Times · 2026-08-04 News report
  3. 3.Kansas governor election: What to know about the candidates running in November · High Plains Public Radio / Kansas News Service · 2026-10-14 News report
  4. 4.Cindy on the Issues · Cindy Holscher for Governor Candidate's own words
  5. 5.Senate roll call, SB 361 (veto override), April 9, 2026 · Kansas Legislature · 2026-04-09 Official record
  6. 6.Senate roll call, HB 2437 (veto override), April 9, 2026 · Kansas Legislature · 2026-04-09 Official record
  7. 7.Senate roll call, SCR 1616, February 25, 2026 · Kansas Legislature · 2026-02-25 Official record
  8. 8.Senate roll call, SB 76, February 19, 2025 · Kansas Legislature · 2025-02-19 Official record
  9. 9.Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson Launches Campaign for Governor · Kansas Reflector via KSAL · 2025-07-20 News report
  10. 10.Take Back Kansas | Ty Masterson for Kansas Governor · Ty Masterson for Governor Candidate's own words
  11. 11.Kansas Candidate & Election Guide · Politics1 · 2026-10-02 Reference
  12. 12.Kansas 2026 General Election · The Green Papers Reference
  13. 13.Cindy on the Issues · Cindy Holscher for Governor Candidate's own words
  14. 14.Kansas governor election: What to know about the candidates running in November · High Plains Public Radio / Kansas News Service · 2026-10-14 News report
  15. 15.About · Cindy Holscher for Governor Candidate's own words
  16. 16.Senator Cindy Holscher · Kansas Legislature · 2026-10-19 Official record
  17. 17.Cindy Holscher · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-19 Reference
  18. 18.Kansas governor election: What to know about the candidates running in November · High Plains Public Radio / Kansas News Service · 2026-10-14 News report
  19. 19.Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson Launches Campaign for Governor · Kansas Reflector via KSAL · 2025-07-20 News report
  20. 20.Take Back Kansas | Ty Masterson for Kansas Governor · Ty Masterson for Governor Candidate's own words
  21. 21.Senator Ty Masterson · Kansas Legislature · 2026-10-19 Official record
  22. 22.In Kansas governor's race, Republican Ty Masterson will face Democrat Cindy Holscher · KCUR · 2026-08-04 News report