Top of the ticket most competitive for Kansas races in 2024

If campaigns this year in Kansas seem more heavily centered on national matters rather than state or local ones, it’s a dynamic that’s also reflected on the ballot.

Most Kansans will have more choices at the top of the ticket, in races for president and Congress, when they vote in the Nov. 5 General Election than they will in their down-ballot races.

Even though voters have far more sway over the outcome in local and state races, it’s those headline-grabbing federal level contests where voters will most often choose between red and blue (and in some cases, Libertarians and independents) to set the direction for the country.

The presidential race, of course, features former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, on the Republican ticket against Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, on the Democratic side.

Libertarian Chase Oliver and running mate Mike ter Maat are also on the ballot, as is independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan, although Kennedy dropped out in August and endorsed Trump.

In races for state offices, though, some Kansas voters won’t always have much of a choice to make depending on which district they live in.

Each of the state’s four congressional districts also have contested races, although two of those races have been more visibly contested. In the 3rd District, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids , a Democrat, faces Republican Prasanth Reddy . Former Republican Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is competing against former Democratic U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda for an open seat in the 2nd District.

Kansas Legislature

Although all 165 seats in the Kansas Legislature are up for grabs, about 35% of those races will feature just one candidate, according to a Journal analysis of filing data. Fifty of the 125 seats in the Kansas House and eight of the 40 in the Kansas Senate are uncontested.

That’s a slight increase from four years ago, and it’s substantially less competitive than voters saw back in 2012, when just 28% of winners had no opposition on the ballot. It’s still an improvement from where things once were. During the 2004 presidential election, nearly 41% of state legislative seats went uncontested, including 59 seats in the Kansas House.

Realistically, only a handful of contested seats are likely to be especially competitive. State and national Democrats are hoping to protect two incumbents in the Kansas House, one incumbent in the Kansas Senate and flip up to four House seats and three Senate seats from red to blue. Republicans are hoping to keep the super-majority that allows them to often override the vetoes of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Among the races to watch are:

• House District 102: State Rep. Jason Probst, D-Hutchinson, versus Kyler Sweely, R-Hutchinson
• House District 88: State Rep. Sandy Pickert, R-Wichita, versus Veronica Gillette, D-Wichita
• House District 52: State Rep. Jesse Borjon, R-Topeka, versus Jacquie Whitney Lightcap, D-Topeka
• House District 41: State Rep. Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, versus Aimee Bateman, D-Leavenworth
• House District 39: State Rep. Angela Stiens, R-Shawnee, versus Vanessa Vaughn West, D-Shawnee
• House District 15: State Rep. Allison Hougland, D-Olathe, versus Lauren Bohi, R-Olathe
• Senate District 23: Open seat race featuring State Rep. Adam Thomas, R-Olathe, versus Stacey Knoell, D-Olathe
• Senate District 22: State Sen. Usha Reddy, D-Manhattan, versus Brad Starnes, R-Riley
• Senate District 11: State Sen. Kellie Warren, R-Leawood, versus Karen Thurlow, D-Stilwell
• Senate District 10: State Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, versus Andrew Mall, D-Shawnee
• Senate District 5: State Sen. Jeff Pittman, D-Leavenworth, versus Jeff Klemp, R-Lansing

Judiciary and State Board of Education

Races for the Kansas Legislature look extremely competitive compared to the judiciary. There are 105 candidates for district court judge on the ballot and none of them face a contested race. Just two of the 61 races for magistrate judge across the state are contested.

The ballot will look much more competitive when it comes to the Kansas State Board of Education. Five of the board’s 10 seats are up for election and all feature two or more candidates. The board oversees policies such as academic standards and graduation requirements, and this year’s election could change its political make-up with three members not running for re-election.

The races are:

• District 2: Incumbent Melanie Haas, D- Overland Park, versus Fred Postlewait, R-Kansas City, and Kiel Corkran, I-Fairway
• District 4: Kris Meyer, D-De Soto, versus Connie O’Brien, R-Tonganoxie
• District 6: Bruce Schultz, R-Wamego, versus Beryl Ann New, D-Topeka
• District 8: Incumbent Betty Arnold, D-Wichita, versus Jason Carmichael, R-Wichita
• District 10: Debby Potter, R-Garden Plain, versus Jeffrey Jarman, D-Wichita, and Kent Rowe, I-Wichita

Voters will also decide whether to retain seven state Court of Appeals Judges in office. The judges are:

• Sarah E. Warner
• David E. Bruns
• G. Gordon Atcheson
• Karen Arnold-Burger
• Rachel L. Pickering
• Angela D. Coble
• Kathryn Gardner

To provide information for voters, the Kansas Bar Association anonymously surveyed attorneys who were asked to rate judges they had “a direct and personal knowledge” of. The results can be found here.

Other races voters might see on the ballot this year are for district attorney, county-level offices, such as county clerk, county treasurer, register of deeds and sheriff or local questions.

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