The deadline to file to run for office in the 2024 Kansas election cycle passed on June 3, and there were a lot of surprises.
In Kansas during even years, elections are for members of the state Legislature – both the House and, this year, the entire Senate, as well as for U.S. Congress. A portion of the state’s county commission seats are also up for election, as well as sheriffs, district attorneys and some district court judges.
Not up this “even” year are statewide offices, .i.e. , governor, secretary of state, etc. or U.S. senators. Those positions will be up for election in 2026.
The primaries are Tue., Aug. 6. The last day to register to vote in the primary is July 16.
Here are some candidates and races we’re watching across the state.
U.S. Congress
Kansas has four congressional districts. Three of the four are held by Republicans. The only Democrat is Sharice Davids, who represents District 3, which covers Johnson County, three adjacent counties (Miami, Franklin and Anderson) and the southern part of Wyandotte County (south of I-70).
During redistricting, following the 2020 Census, the northern part of Wyandotte County was moved into District 2, which covers Eastern Kansas, from the northern to the southern border, including Topeka, but excluding Lawrence. The Republican-led Legislature moved Lawrence to District 1, which covers the mostly rural western two-thirds of the state.
Current District 2 Congressman Jake LaTurner, who is only in his second term, decided not to seek reelection. A crowded field of individuals are hoping to secure his seat, including former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schimidt. In total, five Republicans are vying to advance out of the primary.
Two Democrats have filed for the seat. Matt Kleinmann, a former University of Kansas basketball player who was a developer turned nonprofit administrator, was the first Democrat to file. However, just before the filing deadline, Nancy Boyda also filed as a Democrat. Boyda was the District 2 congresswoman in 2006, before being ousted after one term.
Ron Estes, congressman for District 4, which covers Wichita, has no opposition in his Republican race. Union leader Esau Freeman has filed as a Democrat; he also ran for the seat in 2012.
Kansas Senate
This year, the 40 members of the Kansas Senate are up for reelection. The Senate has historically had only two African-American members, representing the same two districts. One is District 29 in Wichita, currently held by Oletha Faust-Goudeau. She does not have a competitor in the primary or the general election.
David Haley, the other Black senator, has represented District 4 for 23 years and is currently the longest serving member in the Senate. He usually runs unopposed, but this year he has a primary opponent. Ephren Taylor III is a community organizer at Loud Light, a political awareness organization. There is not a Republican candidate, so the individual who advances from the primary is the likely winner in the general election.
Two African-American females have also filed to run for seats in the Kansas Senate. Stacey Knoell, who currently serves as CEO of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, is running for the District 23 seat in Southern Johnson County. The seat has been held by Robert Olson since 2011 and he is not seeking reelection. Knoell ran for Senate District 9 in 2020 and lost by less than 2,000 votes. This time, she doesn’t have a primary and will face off against Adam Thomas in the general election.
ShaMecha King Simms is running for Senate District 19, a newly drawn seat that stretches from Topeka to Lawrence. This is a district that’s seen as one that Democrats could win. There are three Democrats in the race and two Republicans.
King Simms is an educator who has served as president of her neighborhood association and as chair of the Topeka Citizen Advisory Council. Her Democratic opposition includes Vic Miller, who gave up his position as Kansas House Minority Leader to run for the Senate. The third candidate is Patrick Schmidt, who made an unsuccessful bid for Congressional District 2 in 2022.
Mary Ware, the incumbent Democrat representing Senate District 25 in Central Wichita, has competition in the general election from Black Republican Keenen Smith, who has been active in the Wichita community for several years.
Kansas House
In Wichita’s House District 84, incumbent Ford Carr does not have a competitor in the primary or the general election. Also in Wichita, District 89 Rep. KC Ohaebosim is also seeking reelection and does not have a competitor in the primary or the general election.
Valdenia Winn, who represents District 34 in Kansas City, has no competition in the primary or general.
Marvin Robinson, the first-term representative for District 35 in Kansas City, who has drawn a lot of criticism for supporting Republican issues, has drawn lots of competition in his bid for reelection. His competitors include Wanda Brownlee Paige, who currently serves on the USD 500 school board; Kimberly DeWitt, an IT consultant; and Michele Watley, a public affairs and political advocacy consultant.
Like the Haley Senate race, there is not a Republican candidate for this seat, so the individual advancing from the primary is the likely general election winner. For that reason, Wyandotte County voters need to engage early and make sure to vote in the primary election if they want to have a say.
Brooklynne Mosley, a 10-year Air Force veteran and vice president of mobilization and a political organizer and campaign operative, is a candidate for House District 46 in Lawrence. The long-time incumbent, Dennis “Boo” Highberger, is not seeking reelection. Two other Democrats have filed for the seat. Brittany Kathleen Hall is president of the Haskell Indian Nation University Board of Regents and a technical assistance research coordinator at KU. Logan Ginavan is a life-long Lawrence resident and recent KU graduate. There is no Republican candidate, so the winner of the primary is the likely new representative.
District 50 covers the northern edge of Topeka and a few rural communities. Fred Patton, who had represented the district since 2014, stepped down in late 2023 and Kyle McNorton was appointed to serve out the final year of Patton’s term. McNorton, a Republican, has filed to keep the seat. Jessica “JP” Porter, a social media and web coordinator for the Kansas Dept. of Labor, doesn’t have a competitor in the Democratic primary, so will face off against McNorton in the fall.
Patrick Penn, a conservative Black Republican, is seeking reelection to his House District 85 seat in east Wichita. The district is east of Woodlawn and north of 21st Street and includes Kechi and Bel Aire. Aonya Kendrick Barnett, a community organizer and program director for Safe Streets Wichita, has filed as a Democrat to oppose him.
Kansas Board of Education
Beryl New, a retired Topeka BOE administrator, has filed to run as a Democrat for a seat on the Kansas Board of Education. Incumbent Deena Horst, a Republican, is not seeking reelection. New will face off against Republican Bruce Schulz.
Current Board of Education member Betty Arnold, a Democrat, has held the Wichita-area seat since 2021. She has a Republican competitor in the general election, Jason Carmichael, who ran for and lost an election to the Wichita School Board in November 2023.
District Attorneys
Popular Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree, a Democrat, is running for reelection unopposed. Wichita District Attorney Marc Bennett is seeking reelection and is unopposed.
Tonda Hill, a Lawrence resident who is currently serving as an assistant district attorney in Wyandotte County, is running as a Democrat for Douglas County district attorney. Two other Democrats are running for Douglas County prosecutor, Dakota Loomis and Suzanne Valdez. Loomis served as Baldwin City municipal judge for two years before recently becoming Baldwin city attorney. Valdez, who has held the DA position since 2021, underwent a disciplinary hearing late last year, resulting in a one-year censure.
District Court Judges Jacqueline Kelly is running as a Republican for a judgeship in Judicial District 18 in Sedgwick County. She’s vying for the Division 14 seat along with three other Republicans: Jarrod Kieffer, Clark Owens and Joshua Wright. They’re all running for the position of retiring Judge Patrick Walters. There is not a Democratic candidate for the seat, which isn’t surprising since 100% of Sedgwick County judges are Republicans and running as a Democrat for a Sedgwick County judicial seat is a formula for a loss.
