Latest news with #ScottSchwab
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rep. Ken Rahjes is running for secretary of state in the 2026 elections
Kansas Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Phillipsburg, officially filed as a Republican candidate for Kansas secretary of state. Rahjes will face fellow House Rep. Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, in the Republican Primary for the seat being vacated by Scott Schwab, who is running for governor. Political newcomer Sam Lane filed to run for secretary of state as a Democrat. In an announcement, Rahjes said he will work to streamline the processes for business filings, including the Secretary of State Office's One Stop online portal, where businesses can pay taxes, register in the state and find resources for new and existing businesses. "You fill out the forms and it gets filtered out to the various agencies, but it still starts within the Secretary of State's Office," Rahjes told The Capital-Journal. "People should not be waiting for weeks on end to get a form approved or questions answered. We need to go back to the days when we were known as one of if not the most business-friendly states in the nation." Rahjes also said he will continue election security programs, increase transparency of election audits and quickly produce accurate election results. He believes part of that is making sure local election officials have the resources to respond to voters. "We need to make sure, especially in those counties that have county clerks that wear multiple hats, we need to make sure that they have the training, and their staff have the training and tools, so that if a citizen has a question about their election that they don't have to call the Secretary of State's Office," Rahjes said. Rahjes has served in the House since 2015, and holds committee assignments on the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, the Water Program Task Force and Appropriations Committee. He is the owner of Authentic Ag Inc., and is the director of agricultural programming for Western Kansas Broadcast Center and Murfin Media, where he hosts shows about agricultural markets. He said his experience in the Legislature and as a business owner would be valuable for a secretary of state. "Secretary of State can hopefully be that influence that folks know their vote is safe and secure and that a business can succeed and get started quickly," Rahjes. The primary for the office will take place in August 2026. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Rahjes is running on election security and business friendly policies
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who's running for governor of Kansas in 2026? Meet the 11 candidates so far
Come January 2027, Kansas will have a new governor. Democrat Laura Kelly has already won the job twice, making her ineligible to run again. The primary election isn't until Aug. 4, 2026, but 11 candidates have filed to run so far — from ambitious statewide officeholders to prominent lawmakers, former officials and entrepreneurs. Kansas has for decades traded its top state office back and forth between Republican and Democratic governors without consecutively electing different candidates from the same party. That factor suggests Republicans will have an edge in 2026. But Democrats will aim to capitalize on downballot backlash against the second Trump administration in the midterm, seeking to tie the eventual GOP nominee to unpopular policies. First, though, candidates must survive the bruising primary process. Democratic candidates Cindy Holscher Holscher, an Overland Park state senator elected to the Legislature in 2017, became the first major Democrat to launch a bid to succeed Kelly. Holscher bills herself as someone who's willing to stand up to what she called extremist Republicans while working to foster collaboration across the political spectrum. Marty Tuley Tuley, a Lawrence personal fitness trainer, is the only other Democrat to file for governor so far. According to his campaign website, Tuley's priorities include strengthening public education, legalizing marijuana and eliminating major incentives for out-of-state corporations. Republican candidates Scott Schwab Schwab, who lives in Overland Park, served a decade in the Legislature before being elected secretary of state in 2018. He won re-election in 2022 despite a fierce primary challenge fueled by his insistence that Kansas elections are free and fair. Schwab has criticized the Legislature for not enacting large-scale property tax reform. Jeff Colyer Colyer, an Overland Park surgeon, previously served as lieutenant governor and spent nearly a year as governor after Sam Brownback resigned the post in 2018. Colyer lost a razor-thin primary race to Kris Kobach that year and bowed out of the 2022 contest after sharing a cancer diagnosis. In 2024, he chaired Trump's campaign operation in Kansas. Vicki Schmidt Schmidt has twice been elected Kansas insurance commissioner, earning more votes than any other statewide candidate on both occasions. Under her leadership, the Insurance Department set a state record in 2023 by recovering $16 million for consumers. Schmidt was first elected to represent her Topeka district in the state Senate in 2005. Ty Masterson Masterson has served in the Legislature since 2009, taking over as president of the Kansas Senate in 2021. The Andover Republican has worked to undermine Gov. Kelly's policy priorities including Medicaid expansion, while weaponizing GOP supermajorities to enact anti-LGBTQ+ laws and tighten voting restrictions. Charlotte O'Hara O'Hara, who lives in Olathe, was ousted from her seat on the Johnson County Commission in 2024. She previously served one term in the Kansas House. O'Hara, who owns a casino chip manufacturing business, said her priorities include ending 'corporate welfare' tax incentives and overhauling public school curriculum. Joy Eakins Eakins, who owns a data analytics company, previously served one term on the Wichita school board. She has become a vocal critic of Kansas public education, advocating for a school voucher program. Eakins also promotes tax cuts and slashing regulations to encourage investment. Doug Billings Billings, an Olathe resident and conservative podcaster, was the first candidate to officially file to run for governor. He previously worked in human resources and says he wants to implement a state-level version of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, that could slash government spending. Stacy Rogers Rogers owns several businesses, including a cosmetics company, a children's clothing consignment chain and an event venue in Wichita, where she lives. Her campaign website mentions no specific policy priorities. Brandon Adams Adams, who lives in Auburn, has not yet created a campaign website. According to his LinkedIn page, Adams is a lieutenant with the Topeka Fire Department.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kansas Republican senate president announces 2026 gubernatorial bid
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson entered the race for governor on Sunday as the 2026 Republican primary field gets more crowded. 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.
Associated Press
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Kansas Republican senate president announces 2026 gubernatorial bid
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson entered the race for governor on Sunday as the 2026 Republican primary field gets more crowded. 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.
Al Arabiya
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Kansas Republican Senate President Announces 2026 Gubernatorial Bid
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson entered the race for governor on Sunday as the 2026 Republican primary field gets more crowded. 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.
