Governor of Kansas
Cindy Holscher
Kansas State Senator, District 8 (since 2021)D
- Race
- Governor of Kansas
- Election
- 2026-11-03
- Opponent
- Ty Masterson (R)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did2 statements · 0 votes
Cindy Holscher is the Democratic nominee for governor of Kansas and a state senator from Overland Park, first elected to the Senate in 2020 after serving in the Kansas House. Her campaign centers on school funding, health care access, cutting property taxes by lowering assessment rates, a pause on new data centers, and legalizing cannabis.[1][2][3]
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotGovernor
2026-11-03
| Cindy Holscher D | challenger |
| Ty Masterson R | challenger |
Running with Lt. Gov. candidate KC Ohaebosim, a state representative. Won the Democratic primary over Ethan Corson and Curt Skoog.
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
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.
Documented position[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Says she has 'consistently blocked extremist efforts to cut public school funding and expand private school vouchers.'
Documented position[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Cindy Holscher is the Democratic nominee for governor of Kansas and a state senator from Overland Park, first elected to the Senate in 2020 after serving in the Kansas House. Her campaign centers on school funding, health care access, cutting property taxes by lowering assessment rates, a pause on new data centers, and legalizing cannabis.[1][2][3]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Holscher was born in Slater, Missouri, and grew up on a farm, the daughter of a union construction worker and an elementary school employee.[2][3][5] She was a first-generation college graduate, earning degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Missouri in 1992.[2][5]
She spent most of her career before office at Sprint and also worked as a substitute teacher; her campaign says it was concern for Kansas schools that led her into public service.[2][3] She and her husband, Greg, have lived in Kansas for over 25 years and have three children.[3]
Holscher served in the Kansas House from 2017 to 2020, where she co-founded the Women's Bipartisan Caucus.[3][6] She won a seat in the Kansas Senate in 2020 and has represented District 8 since 2021.[3][6] She won the 2026 Democratic primary for governor over fellow state Sen. Ethan Corson and chose Rep. KC Ohaebosim as her running mate.[2][3]
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- vote2026-04-09 · Voted no on the Senate's override of the governor's veto of SB 361, which has Kansas elect to participate in the federal tax credit for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations; the override passed 29–10.[7]
- vote2026-04-09 · Voted no on the override of the governor's veto of HB 2437, the 'Save Kansas Act' on voter registration record verification and websites that transmit registration applications; the override passed 28–11.[8]
- vote2026-02-25 · Voted no on SCR 1616, a proposed constitutional amendment limiting property-tax assessed-value increases for real property in any subclass, which passed the Senate 30–10.[9]
- vote2025-02-19 · Voted no on SB 76, requiring school and college employees to use names and pronouns consistent with a student's biological sex and birth certificate, which passed the Senate 26–14.[10]
In their own words
Priorities
- Fully funding public schools, including special education as specified in Kansas law.[11]
- Cutting property taxes, including a proposal to lower residential assessment rates by 2.5% through a constitutional amendment.[11]
- Healthcare and Medicaid: says she has voted repeatedly to expand Medicaid and protect rural hospitals; legalizing recreational and medicinal cannabis.[4][11]
- Stopping new data centers until guardrails are in place.[4]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/cindy-holscher
Compare all 2 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Cindy on the Issues · Cindy Holscher for Governor Candidate's own words
- 2.Kansas governor election: What to know about the candidates running in November · High Plains Public Radio / Kansas News Service · 2026-10-14 News report
- 3.About · Cindy Holscher for Governor Candidate's own words
- 4.Cindy on the Issues · Cindy Holscher for Governor Candidate's own words
- 5.Cindy Holscher · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-19 Reference
- 6.Senator Cindy Holscher · Kansas Legislature · 2026-10-19 Official record
- 7.Senate roll call, SB 361 (veto override), April 9, 2026 · Kansas Legislature · 2026-04-09 Official record
- 8.Senate roll call, HB 2437 (veto override), April 9, 2026 · Kansas Legislature · 2026-04-09 Official record
- 9.Senate roll call, SCR 1616, February 25, 2026 · Kansas Legislature · 2026-02-25 Official record
- 10.Senate roll call, SB 76, February 19, 2025 · Kansas Legislature · 2025-02-19 Official record
- 11.Kansas governor election: What to know about the candidates running in November · High Plains Public Radio / Kansas News Service · 2026-10-14 News report