Kansas Democrats keep governor's seat after close race

Kansas has long voted for Republican candidates in statewide races, but the state's governor's mansion remains under Democratic control. The Associated Press called the race for Cindy Holscher, the state senator who defeated Ty Masterson in a closely contested election.

Masterson, the president of the state Senate, held the endorsement of President Donald Trump. His loss kept the office with the party of the term-limited outgoing governor, Laura Kelly, who served for eight years.

The vote count stretched over several days as local officials tallied provisional ballots and conducted recounts. This process was necessary because the margin of victory was so narrow that initial results did not immediately settle the outcome.

Holscher, age 57, campaigned on a populist platform that criticized tax cuts passed during the administration of former Republican Governor Sam Brownback. She argued that those cuts led to budget crises before being repealed. Her opponent, also 57, had supported those earlier legislative changes.

The candidates took opposing sides on several policy issues. Holscher opposed school vouchers and pushed for a moratorium on new data centers while seeking to legalize cannabis to raise state revenue. Masterson backed vouchers and promised to lower property taxes, describing himself as the most pro-agriculture, pro-business, and pro-oil governor the state has seen.

During the final stretch of the campaign, Masterson labeled Holscher the most radical liberal Democrat in Kansas history. Holscher responded by questioning his reliance on labels. "He likes to throw around a whole lot of labels," she said. "You know why? Because that's all he's got."