General Election 2026 Update

Kansas voters went to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to determine the state's next governor, U.S. senator, four members of Congress and fill all 125 seats in the Kansas House of Representatives. What was expected to be a shift away from the Republicans turned into a Democrat tidal wave that will reshape the Kansas political landscape.

Kansas elected a Democrat to the US Senate for the first time since the 1932 election. Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Incumbent Roger Mashall with a 51%-46% vote. In a race that garnered national attention, the result represents a notable change in Kansas's federal representation.

Kansas's four U.S. House districts will remain the same, with three Republicans and one Democrat winning reelection. In the 1st Congressional District, Republican Tracey Mann defeated Democrat Lauren Reinhold. The 2nd Congressional District was the state's closest federal race with Republican incumbent Derek Schmidt defeating Democrat Don Coover. In the 3rd Congressional District, Democratic incumbent Sharice Davids won reelection against Republican Eric Jenkins. In the 4th Congressional District, Republican incumbent Ron Estes defeated Democrat Katy Tyndell.

As of the morning of November 4, the governor's race remained close between Republican Ty Masterson and Democrat Cindy Holscher. Holscher leads Masterson by approximately 5,600 votes with 95% of the estimated vote counted. Holscher won all major counties in Kansas including Johnson, Wyandotte, Douglas, Shawnee, Lyon, Sedgwick, and Riley counties as well as Seward in Southwest Kansas. Masterson won all other counties in Kansas.

Other statewide races produced a mixture of results and very narrow margins. Democrat Chris Mann claimed victory on Wednesday morning over incumbent Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach with a 51%-49% vote margin. Republican State Treasurer Steven Johnson defeated Democrat Juan Luengo 51%-44%. In the Secretary of State's race, Republican Pat Proctor defeated Democrat Jennifer Day by less than 11,000 votes. Republican Dan Hawkins defeated Dinah Sykes for Kansas Insurance Commissioner 49%-47%.

In the Kansas House of Representatives, the Democrats are expected to pick up at least 19 seats, with several still close to call. This will break the Republican’s super-majority in the House and will change the makeup and dynamics House Leadership and House Committees. Majority Leader and candidate for House Speaker, Republican Chris Croft, was defeated by Democrat Megan Phillips 51%-49%. Republican Sean Tarwater, who was running for House Majority Leader, is behind Democrat Sara Kiewiet by 41 votes.

Other Republican incumbents who were defeated on Tuesday include Robyn Essex of Olathe, Angela Stiens of Shawnee, Laura Williams of Lenexa, Lauren Bohi of Olathe, Charlotte Esau, of Olathe, Carolyn Caiharr of Edwardsville, Bill Sutton of Gardner, Steve Brunk of Wichita, Sandy Pickert of Wichita, Tom Kessler of Wichita, Kyler Sweely of Hutchinson, Jill Ward of Wichita, Adam Turk of Shawnee and Bob Lewis of Garden City.

The Democrats also flipped four open seats, now represented by Republicans. Former Democratic lawmaker Jeff Pittman of Leavenworth won in House District 41, the seat currently held by Secretary of State candidate Pat Proctor. House District 28 in Johnson County held by retiring Republican Carl Turner of Leawood was won by Overland Park Democrat lawyer Bryan Mouber. Democrat Brenda Brandy of Manhattan won the House District 67 seat now held by Republican Rep. Angel Roeser. In the 121st House District, Democrat Kelsey Stock was elected to fill the seat once held by the late Republican state Rep. John Resman of Olathe.

In addition to Sean Tarwater’s close race, there are two other House races that are still too close to call. Republican state Rep. Chip VanHouden of Spring Hill is leading Democrat Laura Johnson of Olathe by 142 votes. Republican state Rep. David Buehler of Lansing was winning his race over Democrat Mike Stillwell by 67 votes.

The election results are not yet official. Kansas has a three-day grace period in which ballots can be counted that are postmarked on or before election day. In addition, if a federal, statewide, or state legislative race is within 1%, a close-race audit is triggered. Finally, the County Board of Canvassers must review and determine the outcome of all provisional ballots and certify the final election results within the county. The canvassing takes place publicly and must be completed between six and thirteen days following the election.

It may be several weeks before we know the full impact of Tuesday’s election. For full election results Unofficial Kansas Election Results.