Who is running for governor in Kansas for 2026?
TOPEKA (KSNT) – 27 News has compiled a list of candidates from the Democrat and Republican parties, along with their core platforms and priorities ahead of election day.
With the gubernatorial race heating up, voters face a wide range of choices – from seasoned veterans to political newcomers. This election reflects the ideological divides shaping Kansas’s future on key issues like taxation, education and government efficiency.
Candidates
Democrats
Ethan Corson – Corson is a Kansas State Senator, running on “kitchen table issues”: stronger public schools, lower taxes for middle-class Kansans and recruiting new businesses to the state. During his time as a Kansas state senator, Corson worked with both Republican and Democratic colleagues to eliminate the food sales tax, cut property taxes and remove taxes on Social Security. Ethan hopes to use his experience as the former chief of staff at the International Trade Administration to recruit businesses to Kansas and how to help Kansans, especially farmers, ship their products around the world.
Cindy Holscher – Holscher is running on a platform of increased funding for public schools and protecting government programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. She was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2016 where she co-founded the Women’s Bipartisan Caucus and helped repeal many of the policies implemented by former Kansas Governor Sam Brownback.
Marty Tuley – Tuley is positioning himself as a moderate Democrat, advocating for higher public teacher salaries, improving public health by promoting “farm-to-table” foods, opposing transgender girls competing in girls' sports and legalizing marijuana to use the tax revenue to fund education and health programs. As part of his economic plan, Tuley opposes giving massive tax breaks to out-of-state corporations.
Republicans
Scott Schwab – Schwab, the current secretary of state is running on cutting regulations and taxes that he says burden Kansas businesses and on ensuring rural Kansas is no longer left behind. As Kansas's secretary of state, Schwab advocated for increased election security, including voter ID requirements. As governor, he wants to prevent Chinese companies from buying land near military installations and work with the Trump administration to support Second Amendment rights.
Dr. Jeff Colyer – Colyer served as the 47th governor of Kansas after Brownback left to become the U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom under the Trump Administration. Now running again, Colyer is committed to keeping critical race theory out of schools, supporting the oil and gas industry and opposing abortion in Kansas.
Vicki Schmidt – Schmidt is the current Kansas insurance commissioner. Throughout her career, she claims to have saved the state hundreds of millions of dollars and plans to bring her experience identifying and eliminating government inefficiencies to the governor's office. Before her position as Kansas’s insurance Commissioner, Schmidt was a Kansas senator for 14 years.
Ty Masterson – Masterson currently serves as the Kansas Senate president. While in the Kansas House of Representatives, Masterson led efforts to pass a $2 billion tax cut for Kansans and plans to continue pursuing tax cuts as governor. He also advocates for increased funding for law enforcement and the removal of what he calls “woke nonsense” from public schools, arguing that schools push a liberal agenda instead of focusing on core subjects.
Charlotte O’Hara – O’Hara is campaigning to rein in state-level spending and end tax incentives for large corporations that she claims increase property taxes. She also advocates for partisan, direct elections of Kansas Supreme Court justices, arguing tat the current system gives the Kansas Bar Association a “stranglehold” on judicial selection.
Joy Eakins – Eakins supports school choice and limited government. She believes parents should be able to use public funds to educate their children as they see fit, including in private schools. Overall, she is campaigning to reduce government involvement in Kansans' daily lives.
Doug Billings – Billings aims to continue Kansas’s legacy in the aviation sector by attracting companies like SpaceX to the state. He proposes establishing the Kansas Department of Government Efficiency to cut government spending and create jobs. He is also campaigning to eliminate property taxes and protect the “sacred property rights of every Kansan.”
Stacy Rogers – Rogers presents herself as a political outsider and sees her lack of political background as an advantage. Her platform focuses on “supporting families and protecting life” by expanding access to resources for parents and ensuring affordable healthcare.
Don’t forget to check out interviews with each candidate on KSNT’s YouTube channel or tune into Inside Kansas Politics every Sunday for more in-depth coverage.
For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.