Who is running in Douglas County, Kansas in 2026
- County Commissioner, District 5
- Erica Anderson and Kirsten Kuhn
- U.S. Senator
- Adam Hamilton, Roger Marshall and David C. Graham
- Governor / Lieutenant Governor
- Cindy Holscher / KC Ohaebosim and Ty Masterson / Jeffrey Klemp
- Secretary of State
- Jennifer Day, Scott E. Morgan and Pat Proctor
- Attorney General
- Chris Mann and Kris Kobach
- State Treasurer
- Steven Johnson, Juan C. Luengo and Eric Lund
- Commissioner of Insurance
- Dinah Sykes, Daniel Hawkins and Ric Koehn
- U.S. Representative, District 1
- Lauren Reinhold, Tracey Mann and Steven Jacob
- U.S. Representative, District 2
- Don Coover, Derek Schmidt and John Hauer
- Kansas House District 5
- Henry Johns and Courtney Sappington
- Kansas House District 42
- Brandon Wendt and Lance W. Neelly
- Kansas House District 43
- Kristen Schultz and William (Bill) Sutton
- Kansas House District 47
- Mary T. Williams and Paula Newell Ellis
- Kansas House District 117
- Brandon Holland and Adam Turk
Douglas County
County commission races in Kansas are partisan. Three of the five seats are up, but only District 5 is contested in November; Districts 1 and 4 were settled in the August Democratic primary. Lawrence's city commission and the school boards are elected in odd years. Township clerk races are not covered.
County Commissioner, District 5
Vote for oneCovers Baldwin City, part of south-central Lawrence up to Clinton Parkway, and much of southern and eastern Douglas County. No Republican filed. Both candidates back a moratorium on data centers. Anderson voted against the county's $40,000 eviction defense pilot, and Kuhn says she would have too.
Erica Anderson
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratSays she reviewed all 40-plus community partner funding requests line by line this budget cycle and wants every nonprofit scored on outcomes before it is renewed. Called for a data center moratorium at a commission work session and urged a no vote on the August amendment to elect Supreme Court justices.
Sources: Lawrence Times questionnaire, Lawrence Times
Kirsten Kuhn
Seems like good people LibertarianWants lower property taxes by cutting county spending and staff pay and funding fewer community partners, saying "it is not the purview of government to provide legal services" in evictions. Also ran for this seat in 2024, and promises weekly office hours in Baldwin City and Lawrence.
Sources: Lawrence Times questionnaire, Lawrence Times (2024)
Unopposed county races
No contestCounty Commissioner, District 1 (Patrick Kelly, Democrat, who beat Milton Scott in the August primary) and District 4 (Ethan Spurling, Democrat, who unseated Commissioner Gene Dorsey in the August primary).
Lecompton City Council
Not profiledLecompton voters choose three council members from five nonpartisan candidates: Mary Jane Hoffer and Steven J. Freeman (both on the council now), Bradley Mallonee, Mark Kasson and Roy Paslay. We haven't profiled this race.
7th District judges (retention)
Not profiledYou may see yes-or-no retention questions for Douglas County district judges; your sample ballot on VoterView lists them. We haven't profiled judges yet.
State and federal
Most of Lawrence is in the 1st Congressional District (the "Big First"); the rest of the county is in the 2nd. The county touches nine Kansas House districts (5, 10, 42 to 47 and 117); check VoterView to see which is yours. The Kansas Senate and State Board of Education are not on Douglas County's ballot this year.
U.S. Senator
Vote for oneAdam Hamilton
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRoger Marshall
Not good people RepublicanDavid C. Graham
Not enough info LibertarianRan for this seat in 2022 on shrinking the federal government, ending proxy wars and easing up on nonviolent offenders. This year he has no campaign website and didn't respond when KCUR asked for campaign materials.
Sources: Lawrence Times, iVoterGuide, KCUR
Governor / Lieutenant Governor
Vote for oneOpen seat.
Cindy Holscher / KC Ohaebosim
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRunning on the cost of living, and wants a pause on big AI data centers over their energy use and what they do to water and utility bills. Endorsed by former governors Kathleen Sebelius and John Carlin, the Kansas AFL-CIO and the teachers' union PAC.
Sources: Campaign site, News From the States, Wikipedia
Ty Masterson / Jeffrey Klemp
Not good people RepublicanEndorsed by Donald Trump and Sen. Roger Marshall. Runs on fiscal responsibility, though his homebuilding business went under and he filed for bankruptcy in 2010 with more than $1.1 million in debt.
Sources: Wikipedia, American Journal News
Secretary of State
Vote for oneThe secretary of state runs Kansas elections. Two good choices here.
Jennifer Day
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratHas worked the polls herself and says Kansans deserve elections "safe, secure and accessible to every eligible citizen." In the House she co-sponsored a bill to keep officers with misconduct histories from being rehired.
Sources: Campaign site, Eureka Herald, Wikipedia
Scott E. Morgan
Seems like good people United KansasWorked for Senators Dole and Kassebaum and represented the U.S. Senate on the Federal Election Commission. Argues the state's top election official shouldn't be chosen in a partisan race at all.
Sources: Campaign site, Johnson County Post
Pat Proctor
Compromised RepublicanPassed the SAVE Kansas Act, which uses public benefits data to purge suspected noncitizens from the voter rolls and limits online registration. Calls his opponent a "California Democrat."
Sources: Campaign video, Wikipedia
Attorney General
Vote for oneChris Mann
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratLeft policing after a drunk driver hit him during a traffic stop, then chaired Mothers Against Drunk Driving nationally and helped pass the Kansas ignition interlock law. Endorsed by Gov. Laura Kelly, 16 unions and a Republican sheriff, Greg Taylor of Neosho County.
Sources: DAGA, Ballotpedia, Mann campaign, Wikipedia
Kris Kobach
Not good people RepublicanWas vice chair of Trump's 2017 Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. In September 2026 he sent the League of Women Voters a cease-and-desist letter over student voter drive incentives, and drew an ethics complaint over corporate donations that came in around when his office joined related lawsuits.
Sources: KCUR, Mann campaign news, Mann campaign
State Treasurer
Vote for oneTwo decent people. Johnson has a record in the job; Luengo would bring insurance and small-business experience.
Steven Johnson
Seems like good people RepublicanSays he cut fees on the state's investment savings plans by more than $25 million a year. Endorsed by Sen. Roger Marshall and three former treasurers.
Sources: Campaign site, Wikipedia
Juan C. Luengo
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratHas 20 years in commercial insurance and chaired the state Democrats' Hispanic Caucus. Running on a voice for small businesses and protecting seniors from rising property taxes.
Sources: Liberal First, Ballotpedia
Eric Lund
Not enough info LibertarianHas no campaign website and gave no platform when Kansas news outlets asked.
Sources: KCUR
Commissioner of Insurance
Vote for oneDinah Sykes
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWants closer scrutiny of rate increases and lower prescription costs, and won't take money from insurance companies. Switched from Republican to Democrat in 2018.
Sources: News From the States, Campaign site, Wikipedia
Daniel Hawkins
Not good people RepublicanWants to regulate the industry that paid him: his disclosures show income last year from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, UnitedHealthcare and Delta Dental. Running as a pro-Trump conservative against Medicaid expansion.
Sources: KCUR
Ric Koehn
Not enough info LibertarianHas no campaign website and didn't answer news outlets' questions about his platform.
Sources: KCUR
Constitutional amendment and judicial retention
PropositionsWe describe these and don't make recommendations.
- Citizenship voting amendment: The Kansas Constitution now says every U.S. citizen 18 or older who lives in the voting area is a qualified voter. The amendment rewrites that to say no one is a qualified voter unless they are a U.S. citizen, 18 or older, and live in the voting area. A yes vote adds that wording; a no vote leaves the constitution as it is.
- Judicial retention: Yes or no on keeping Supreme Court Justices Eric S. Rosen and Larkin E. Walsh, and Court of Appeals Judges Lesley Ann Isherwood, Amy Fellows Cline, Kim R. Schroeder, Lori Ann Bolton Fleming and Jacy Hurst. We haven't profiled judges yet.
U.S. Representative, District 1
Vote for oneMann skipped the October 10 candidate forum in Lawrence.
Lauren Reinhold
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratTakes no corporate PAC money and wants higher taxes on the wealthy, more congressional oversight of ICE and a stronger War Powers Act. Says "Tracy Mann is just a rubber stamp for Trump" and pledges to hold town halls.
Sources: Lawrence Times, Lawrence Times forum
Tracey Mann
Not good people RepublicanVoted for the Laken Riley Act in January 2025. At the Lawrence forum the moderator noted he has posted repeatedly defending Trump's tariffs and military action in Iran, and he didn't respond when the Kansas Reflector asked about fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by immigration agents.
Sources: Kansas Reflector, Lawrence Times forum, Ballotpedia
Steven Jacob
Not enough info LibertarianSays "government spending is destroying the city, country, state, the world," wants Congress to approve any military action, and called ICE a "terrorist organization that must be dismantled." We found little else on his record.
Sources: Lawrence Times forum
U.S. Representative, District 2
Vote for oneDon Coover
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRunning on lower costs for health care, food and housing, keeping rural hospitals and Medicaid, and a ban on members of Congress trading individual stocks. We found little else on him.
Sources: The Ballot Brief
Derek Schmidt
Not good people RepublicanAs attorney general in December 2020 he joined Texas's lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to throw out the presidential results in four states. He has campaigned on Trump's America First agenda, and Trump has endorsed him before.
Sources: Newsweek, House website, Kansas Public Radio
John Hauer
Not enough info LibertarianGot about 5 percent as the Libertarian nominee in 2024. Takes no donations and wants to end the federal income tax and close every U.S. military base abroad.
Sources: The Ballot Brief, Kansas Public Radio
Kansas House District 5
Vote for oneHenry Johns
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRan for this seat in 2024. Wants Medicaid expansion, abortion rights, lower property taxes and legal cannabis.
Sources: Lawrence Times, Ballotpedia
Courtney Sappington
Compromised RepublicanCalls herself "unabashedly pro-life" and lines up with the Kansas Truth Caucus. Does oppose tax breaks for big data centers.
Sources: Johnson County Post, Campaign site
Kansas House District 42
Vote for oneNeelly won his August primary by about two dozen votes.
Brandon Wendt
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratCalls himself a "blue-collar candidate" and runs on affordable health care, public schools and property tax relief for homeowners. He has no record in office.
Sources: Campaign site, The Ballot Brief
Lance W. Neelly
Not good people RepublicanVoted in 2026 for the SB 244 bathroom restrictions, including the veto override, and for SB 254 and printing citizenship status on driver's licenses; the Kansas AFL-CIO scored him 7 of 67. Endorsed by the Kansas State Rifle Association and Kansans for Life.
Sources: Kansas AFL-CIO scorecard, Tonganoxie Mirror, Kansas Legislature
Kansas House District 43
Vote for oneKristen Schultz
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratA former school board member running on "strong public schools, cutting taxes for working families," and letting Kansans put issues on the ballot.
Sources: Civoren, Campaign video
William (Bill) Sutton
Compromised RepublicanSponsored a 2021 bill that would have barred anyone but family or a caregiver from turning in a voter's mail ballot. Endorsed by the NRA.
Sources: Sunflower State Journal, Ballotpedia
Kansas House District 47
Vote for oneRepublican Ronald Ellis, who held the seat, isn't on the ballot. The district covers part of southwestern Lawrence and the Clinton, Kanwaka, Lecompton and Wakarusa townships, and reaches north to Meriden, Oskaloosa, Perry and Hoyt.
Mary T. Williams
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratA nationally board-certified teacher running on school funding from early childhood through special education, family farms over corporate agriculture, and holding property taxes in check. Endorsed by the Kansas NEA; she also ran for this seat in 2024 against Ronald Ellis.
Sources: The Ballot Brief, KNEA, Lawrence Times (2024)
Paula Newell Ellis
Not enough info RepublicanWon a three-way Republican primary with about 45 percent. We found no campaign site or stated positions.
Sources: The Ballot Brief
Kansas House District 117
Vote for oneNo pick: we don't know enough about Holland, and Turk's record doesn't earn one.
Brandon Holland
Not enough info DemocratSlated by the county Democratic Party. We found nothing else on his views.
Sources: BallotReady, JoCo Democrats
Adam Turk
Compromised RepublicanCampaigned for the "Value Them Both" abortion amendment and has two awards from the American Conservative Union.
Sources: BallotReady, Legistorm
Unopposed Kansas House seats
No contestDistrict 10 (Suzanne Wikle), 44 (Barbara W. Ballard), 45 (Mike Amyx) and 46 (Brooklynne Mosley), all Democrats.
Local propositions
We describe what each proposition does and don't make recommendations. The statewide citizenship amendment is in the State and federal section.
Lawrence transit sales tax
PropositionsOnly Lawrence voters see this. It would replace the city's 0.2% sales tax for Lawrence Transit with a 0.3% tax for ten years, April 1, 2027, through March 31, 2037, for buses, paratransit, on-demand service, Central Station and the planned Downtown Station. If it fails, the 0.2% tax runs through March 2029, and the city says that would mean "significant cuts to transit service." Lawrence Transit.
More Kansas guides
Governor, statewide offices and ballot measures: Kansas statewide races.
- Johnson County: Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa, Leawood, Prairie Village, Gardner
- Sedgwick County: Wichita, Derby, Haysville, Park City, Bel Aire, Valley Center, Maize, Goddard, Mulvane
- Wyandotte County: Kansas City, Bonner Springs, Edwardsville
- Shawnee County: Topeka, Silver Lake, Rossville, Auburn