Kansas Republican senate president announces 2026 gubernatorial bid
Republicans are keen to recapture the governor's office in GOP-leaning Kansas after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly narrowly won a second four-year term in 2022. Kelly is term-limited and cannot run again.
Masterson, a small-business owner, has been a state senator representing a district in eastern Kansas since 2009. He became Senate president in 2021. He previously served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2005 to 2008.
Other Republicans in the 2026 governor's race include Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who built his public profile pushing back against unfounded election conspiracy theories, and former Gov. Jeff Colyer.
Colyer was elevated to the office for about a year in 2018 after former Gov. Sam Brownback resigned. He failed to get past the primary in that year's gubernatorial election, then entered the 2022 governor's race but dropped out early after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
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UPI
a few seconds ago
- UPI
Failed GOP candidate gets 80 yrs for shooting at political adversaries
Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A failed GOP candidate in New Mexico has been sentenced to 80 years behind bars for orchestrating a shooting spree targeting his perceived political adversaries following his defeat in the 2022 midterm elections, which he believed was rigged against him. Solomon Pena, 42, was sentenced Wednesday, to 960 months in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release, the Justice Department said in a statement. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said. "This sentence shows that through the tireless work of our agents and prosecutors, we will protect our democracy and bring offenders to justice." A federal jury convicted Pena in March of one count of conspiracy, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities and several firearms charges, as well as three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence. Pena ran as a Republican for the District 14 seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, and was handily defeated by Democrat Miguel Garcia, who secured 74% of the vote. "I never conceded my HD 14 race," he said in a statement published to what was then called Twitter, now X, following the election, with a picture of himself wearing a red "Make America Great Again" sweatshirt and flags supporting Donald Trump's 2024 re-election campaign. "Now researching my options," he said. Following the election, the failed political candidate cried foul and was accused of pressuring members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. Authorities said he had visited several of their homes to lodge complaints over voter fraud and election rigging. When they did not acquiesce to his demands, Pena turned violent. Shortly after he visited the commissioners, several of their homes were shot at between Dec. 4, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023 -- specifically, the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa on Dec. 4, New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martinez on Dec. 8, former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley on Dec. 11 and State Sen. Linda Lopez on Jan. 3. Pena was arrested mid-January 2023 amid a hunt for a suspect. Inside his vehicle, authorities found two guns, 800 fentanyl pills and cash. Federal prosecutors said the shootings were the product of a conspiracy involving four men Pena paid to shoot up their houses. The prosecutors also said that while in jail, he tried to solicit inmates to murder witnesses to prevent their testimony during his trial. Two co-conspirators -- Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo -- previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in the crime, with the former being sentenced to 37 months in prison and the latter, 180 months.
CNN
11 minutes ago
- CNN
Failed New Mexico candidate gets 80 years for convictions in shootings at officials' homes
A failed political candidate was sentenced to 80 years in federal prison Wednesday for his convictions in a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque in the aftermath of the 2020 election. A jury convicted former Republican candidate Solomon Peña earlier this year of conspiracy, weapons and other charges in the shootings in December 2022 and January 2023 on the homes of four Democratic officials, including the current state House speaker. Prosecutors, who had sought a 90-year sentence, said Peña has shown no remorse and had hoped to cause political change by terrorizing people who held contrary views to him into being too afraid to take part in political life. Peña's lawyers had sought a five-year sentence, saying their client maintains that he is innocent of the charges. They have said Peña was not involved in the shootings and that prosecutors were relying on the testimony of two men who bear responsibility and accepted plea agreements in exchange for leniency. 'Today was a necessary step toward Mr. Peña's continued fight to prove his innocence,' said Nicholas Hart, one of Peña's attorneys. 'He looks forward to the opportunity to appeal, where serious issues about the propriety of this prosecution will be addressed.' The attacks took place as threats and acts of intimidation against election workers and public officials surged across the country after President Donald Trump and his allies called into question the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors said Peña resorted to violence in the belief that a 'rigged' election had robbed him of victory in his bid to serve in the state Legislature. The shootings targeted the homes of officials including two county commissioners after their certification of the 2022 election, in which Peña lost by nearly 50 percentage points. No one was injured, but in one case bullets passed through the bedroom of a state senator's 10-year-old daughter. Two other men who had acknowledged helping Peña with the attacks had previously pleaded guilty to federal charges and received yearslong prison sentences.
Fox News
27 minutes ago
- Fox News
Failed GOP candidate sentenced to 80 years in connection with shooting spree at Democrat officials' homes
A former Republican candidate for a New Mexico state House seat was sentenced Wednesday to 80 years behind bars after contracting gunmen to carry out drive-by shootings at the homes of Democratic officials after his election loss. Solomon Peña was convicted of 13 felony charges earlier this year after he orchestrated the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico just weeks after his defeat in November 2022. He had been charged with conspiracy, being a felon in possession of a firearm, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities, four counts of using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence. The shootings, one of which involved a machine gun, were carried out between Dec. 4, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023. Peña personally participated in one of the attacks. Some of the shootings happened while children and other relatives of the victims were at home, although nobody was hurt. Prosecutors said Peña organized the shootings at the homes of two Bernalillo County commissioners and two New Mexico state legislators in response to unsubstantiated claims that election fraud contributed to his loss. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said in a statement on Wednesday. The officials Peña targeted were all Democrats and included the current state House speaker. Following his unsuccessful campaign, Peña went to the homes of members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners and pressured them not to certify the election results, purporting that the election had been "rigged" against him. When they refused and certified the results, Peña hired co-conspirators Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings, prosecutors said. The two men Peña contracted for the shooting spree pleaded guilty last year. Following his arrest, Peña attempted to have the pair murdered to prevent them from testifying. In addition to the 80 years in prison, Peña was given three years of supervised release. His lawyer said he would appeal the conviction.
