Kansas Secretary of State election, 2018

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2022
2014
Kansas Secretary of State
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 1, 2018
Primary: August 7, 2018
General: November 6, 2018

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Kris Kobach (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Kansas
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Kansas
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Secretary of state
Treasurer
Insurance commissioner
State board of education

Kansas held an election for secretary of state on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2018.



Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

For more information on secretary of state elections in 2018, click here.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting secretary of state was Kris Kobach (R), who was first elected in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. Kobach announced on June 17, 2017, that he would run for governor rather than seek a third term in 2018.
  • At the time of the 2018 election, Kansas was a Republican trifecta. It first gained this status when Gov. Sam Brownback (R) took office in 2011. Kansas was a Republican triplex at the time of the 2018 election.
  • Kansas was won by the Republican candidate in each of the five presidential elections leading up to the 2018 election. The widest margin of victory was George W. Bush's 25 percent margin in 2004 while the narrowest was John McCain's 15 percent margin in 2008.
  • Candidates and election results

    General election

    General election for Kansas Secretary of State

    Scott Schwab defeated Brian McClendon and Rob Hodgkinson in the general election for Kansas Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of Scott Schwab
    Scott Schwab (R)
     
    52.6
     
    549,416
    Image of Brian McClendon
    Brian McClendon (D) Candidate Connection
     
    43.9
     
    458,142
    Image of Rob Hodgkinson
    Rob Hodgkinson (L) Candidate Connection
     
    3.5
     
    36,882

    Total votes: 1,044,440
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Democratic primary election

    Democratic primary for Kansas Secretary of State

    Brian McClendon advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas Secretary of State on August 7, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of Brian McClendon
    Brian McClendon Candidate Connection
     
    100.0
     
    139,457

    Total votes: 139,457
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

    Republican primary election

    Republican primary for Kansas Secretary of State

    Scott Schwab defeated Randy Duncan, Dennis Taylor, Craig McCullah, and Keith Esau in the Republican primary for Kansas Secretary of State on August 7, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of Scott Schwab
    Scott Schwab
     
    38.3
     
    108,705
    Randy Duncan
     
    20.2
     
    57,236
    Image of Dennis Taylor
    Dennis Taylor
     
    19.9
     
    56,537
    Craig McCullah
     
    11.5
     
    32,615
    Image of Keith Esau
    Keith Esau
     
    10.0
     
    28,426

    Total votes: 283,519
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Noteworthy events

    Federal judge strikes down SAFE Act

    See also: Voting in Kansas

    On June 18, 2018, federal Judge Julie Robinson, of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, struck down a provision of the SAFE Act establishing that Kansans must present proof of citizenship in order to register to vote (documentary proof of citizenship, or DPOC, law). Robinson ordered Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) to ensure that "all elections-related public education materials ... make clear that voter registration applicants need not provide DPOC in order to become registered to vote, and need not provide any additional information in order to complete their voter registration applications." Kobach's office initially advised county clerks to continue enforcing the DPOC law pending further written guidance, but advised county clerks on June 20, 2018, to comply with Robinson's order.[1][2]

    Robinson's ruling came as the result of two separate lawsuits, which were consolidated for trial: Fish v. Kobach and Bednasek v. Kobach. Robinson wrote the following in her ruling:

    [The] magnitude of the burden on unregistered eligible Kansas voters cannot be justified by the State interests relied on by the Defendant [i.e., Kris Kobach (R), in his capacity as secretary of state]. The evidence at trial demonstrated that those interests, while legitimate, are not furthered by the DPOC law. Instead, the DPOC law disproportionately impacts duly qualified registration applications, while only nominally preventing noncitizen voter registration. It also may have the inadvertent effect of eroding, instead of maintaining, confidence in the electoral system given the confusing, evolving, and inconsistent enforcement of the DPOC laws since 2013.[3]
    —Judge Julie Robinson

    Robinson also ordered Kobach to take six additional hours of continuing legal education courses pertaining to federal or state civil rules of procedure or evidence.[4]

    Danedri Herbert, a spokeswoman for Kobach, criticized the decision: "Robinson is the first judge in the country to come to the extreme conclusion that requiring a voter to prove his citizenship is unconstitutional. Her conclusion is incorrect, and it is inconsistent with precedents of the U.S. Supreme Court."[5]


    State overview

    Partisan control

    This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Kansas heading into the 2018 elections.

    Congressional delegation

    State executives

    State legislature

    Republicans controlled both chambers of the Kansas State Legislature. They had a 85-40 majority in the state House and a 30-9 majority in the state Senate.

    Trifecta status

    • Kansas had a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship. Jeff Colyer served as governor; he succeeded Sam Brownback, who left office in January 2018 after being appointed ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom by Pres. Donald Trump.

    2018 elections

    See also: Kansas elections, 2018

    Kansas held elections for the following positions in 2018:

    Demographics

    Demographic data for Kansas
     KansasU.S.
    Total population:2,906,721316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):81,7593,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:85.2%73.6%
    Black/African American:5.8%12.6%
    Asian:2.6%5.1%
    Native American:0.8%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
    Two or more:3.3%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:11.2%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:90.2%86.7%
    College graduation rate:31%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$52,205$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:15%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Kansas.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    As of July 2016, Kansas' three largest cities were Wichita (pop. est. 390,000), Overland Park (pop. est. 190,000), and Kansas City (pop. est. 150,000).[6]

    State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Kansas from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Kansas Secretary of State.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections

    This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Kansas every year from 2000 to 2016.

    Election results (President of the United States), Kansas 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 56.6% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 36.0% 20.6%
    2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 59.7% Democratic Party Barack Obama 37.9% 21.8%
    2008 Republican Party John McCain 56.6% Democratic Party Barack Obama 41.6% 15.0%
    2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 62.0% Democratic Party John Kerry 36.6% 25.4%
    2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 58.0% Democratic Party Al Gore 37.2% 20.8%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Kansas from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Kansas 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Jerry Moran 62.1% Democratic Party Patrick Wiesner 32.2% 29.9%
    2014 Republican Party Pat Roberts 53.1% Grey.png Greg Orman 42.5% 10.6%
    2010 Republican Party Jerry Moran 70.0% Democratic Party Lisa Johnston 26.3% 43.7%
    2008 Republican Party Pat Roberts 60.0% Democratic Party Jim Slattery 36.4% 23.6%
    2004 Republican Party Sam Brownback 69.1% Democratic Party Lee Jones 27.4% 41.7%
    2002 Republican Party Pat Roberts 82.5% Libertarian Party Steven Rosile 9.1% 73.4%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Kansas.

    Election results (Governor), Kansas 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Republican Party Sam Brownback 49.8% Democratic Party Paul Davis 46.1% 3.7%
    2010 Republican Party Sam Brownback 63.2% Democratic Party Tom Holland 32.2% 31.0%
    2006 Democratic Party Kathleen Sebelius 57.9% Republican Party Jim Barnett 40.4% 17.5%
    2002 Democratic Party Kathleen Sebelius 52.9% Republican Party Tim Shallenburger 45.1% 7.8%

    Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Kansas in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

    Congressional delegation, Kansas 2000-2016
    Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
    2016 Republican Party 4 100% Democratic Party 0 0% R+4
    2014 Republican Party 4 100% Democratic Party 0 0% R+4
    2012 Republican Party 4 100% Democratic Party 0 0% R+4
    2010 Republican Party 4 100% Democratic Party 0 0% R+4
    2008 Republican Party 3 75.0% Democratic Party 1 25.0% R+3
    2006 Republican Party 2 50.0% Democratic Party 2 50.0% Split
    2004 Republican Party 3 75.0% Democratic Party 1 25.0% R+3
    2002 Republican Party 3 75.0% Democratic Party 1 25.0% R+3
    2000 Republican Party 3 75.0% Democratic Party 1 25.0% R+3

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    Kansas Party Control: 1992-2025
    No Democratic trifectas  •  Sixteen years of Republican trifectas

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
    Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R


    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties by state

    There are no Pivot Counties in Kansas. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

    In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Kansas with 56.7 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 36.1 percent. In presidential elections between 1864 and 2016, Kansas voted Republican 84.21 percent of the time and Democratic 15.78 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Kansas voted Republican all five times.[7]

    Presidential results by legislative district

    The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Kansas. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[8][9]

    In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 29 out of 125 state House districts in Kansas with an average margin of victory of 21.8 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 34 out of 125 state House districts in Kansas with an average margin of victory of 20.9 points. Clinton won six districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
    In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 96 out of 125 state House districts in Kansas with an average margin of victory of 32.8 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 91 out of 125 state House districts in Kansas with an average margin of victory of 35.5 points. Trump won 11 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kansas secretary of state election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    See also

    Kansas government:

    Elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

    Footnotes