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Primary preview: Kansas state executive elections, 2014
August 4, 2014
| August 4, 2014 Election Preview |
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TOPEKA, Kansas: Six state executive positions are up for election in 2014 in the state of Kansas: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer and insurance commissioner. Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run together on a single ticket.
Five of the six incumbents are seeking re-election, including Governor Sam Brownback (R), Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer (R), Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R), Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Treasurer Ron Estes.[1][2][3][4]
The sole exception is Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger (R), who has opted to retire from office next January upon completing her third term as head of the Kansas Department of Insurance, which regulates and reviews companies for financial solvency and regulatory compliance, educates consumers and helps license agents selling insurance products in the state.[5][6]
All six state executive positions in Kansas are currently held by Republicans.
On August 5, voters will nominate candidates from three total contested fields—the Republican primaries for governor/lieutenant governor, secretary of state and insurance commissioner—to send to the general election. The other nine potential fields failed to draw more than one candidate from each of the major parties. The unopposed nominees will automatically advance to the November 4 ballot.[7] A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Kansas utilizes a semi-closed primary process, in which previously unaffiliated voters can participate in the partisan primary of their choice (a voter who is already affiliated with a party can only vote in that party's primary).[8][9][10][11]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Below, Ballotpedia has put together a preview of those upcoming elections.
In Kansas, most polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time, as Kansas mandates in its state laws that the polls must be open a minimum of 12 hours. Counties may open the polls earlier and close them later.[12]
Kansas is divided between Central and Mountain time zones.
Kansas Governor/Lt. Governor
- See also: Kansas Gubernatorial election, 2014
Running mates listed together in order of "Governor/Lieutenant Governor"
General election
Sam Brownback/Jeff Colyer- Incumbents
Paul Davis/Jill Docking[15][16][17]
Keen A. Umbehr/Josh Umbehr[18][19][20]
Lost in primary
Jennifer Winn/Robin Lais[21][22]
Tresa McAlhaney/Grant Nelson[23][24]
Race background
Candidate filing period
On June 2, the filing window for Republican and Democratic candidates pursuing a place on the 2014 Kansas gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial ballot came to a close. One set of Republicans - led by landscape contractor Jennifer Winn - filed to take on the incumbent duo in the August 5 primary election. Meanwhile, Paul Davis, the state House Minority Leader, along with his running mate Jill Docking, were the only Democratic pair to enter the race, advancing to the general election. Also joining the November lineup in advance of the primary election were Libertarian candidates Keen and Josh Umbehr. The father and son ticket defeated a single set of opponents for their party's nomination at the Kansas Libertarian Party convention, which took place April 26, 2014.[25][26]
A competitive race
This contest was considered to be competitive, with match-up polls and race ratings dating back to the fall of 2013. One of the first publications to note Brownback's vulnerability was The Washington Post, which named Kansas as one of its top 15 gubernatorial races of 2014, citing Brownback's approval ratings.[27] Brownback's approval ratings had been hovering around 35 percent since January 2012.[28]
Kansas was one of nine gubernatorial seats to be flagged as a toss-up or vulnerable for partisan switch in the 2014 cycle, based on polling data and projections courtesy of The Cook Political Report, FiveThirtyEight, Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball and Governing, among others.[29][30][31]
Republican endorsements for Davis
By July 2014, the Davis campaign had over 100 influential Republicans endorsements. The self-styled "Republicans for Kansas Values," comprised of GOP retirees and current officeholders, explained the endorsement of Brownback's Democratic challenger as a response to a $340 million budget shortfall during the 2014 fiscal year.[32][33] Polling in July also indicated that 29 percent of Republicans would vote for Davis, which marked a five-point increase from the previous month. These polls, conducted by Survey USA/KSN News, also showed Brownback losing by an average of seven points. In contrast, YouGov poll in July that showed a 10-point lead for Brownback.[34]
Polls
| Governor of Kansas - All candidates | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sam Brownback* (R) | Paul Davis (D) | Keen Umbehr(L) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| KSN/SurveyUSA October 28, 2014 | 43% | 46% | 5% | 7% | +/-4 | 623 | |||||||||||||
| NBC News/Marist October 24, 2014 | 44% | 45% | 5% | 7% | +/-3.6 | 757 | |||||||||||||
| Rasmussen Reports October 20-21, 2014 | 45% | 52% | 1% | 2% | +/-3 | 960 | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling October 9-12, 2014 | 42% | 42% | 6% | 10% | +/-3 | 1,081 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/KSN-TV October 2-5, 2014 | 42% | 47% | 4% | 7% | +/-4.3 | 775 | |||||||||||||
| NBC News/Marist Poll October 2014 | 43% | 44% | 4% | 8% | +/-3.9 | 636 | |||||||||||||
| Fort Hays State University September 10-27, 2014 | 36.5% | 38.8% | 8.5% | 16% | +/-3.8 | 952 | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling September 11-14, 2014 | 38% | 42% | 7% | 14% | +/-2.7 | 1,328 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/KSN-TV September 4-7, 2014 | 40% | 47% | 5% | 7% | +/-4.2 | 555 | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling August 14-17, 2014 | 37% | 39% | 9% | 15% | +/-3.3 | 903 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/KSN News Poll July 23, 2014 | 40% | 48% | 5% | 7% | +/-2.9 | 1,208 | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA/KSN News Poll June 19-23, 2014 | 41% | 47% | 5% | 7% | +/-3.1 | 1,068 | |||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 40.96% | 44.82% | 5.38% | 8.92% | +/-3.48 | 903.83 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kansas - Major party candidates and undecided | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sam Brownback * (R) | Paul Davis (D) | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| New York Times/CBS News/YouGov {October 16-23, 2014) | 43% | 40% | 17% | +/-4 | 1,973 | ||||||||||||||
| Gravis Marketing (October 20-21, 2014) | 44% | 49% | 7% | +/-3 | 1,124 | ||||||||||||||
| Monmouth University (October 16-19, 2014) | 45% | 50% | 5% | +/-4.7 | 429 | ||||||||||||||
| Gravis Marketing (September 30-October 1, 2014) | 40% | 48% | 12% | +/-3 | 850 | ||||||||||||||
| New York Times/CBS News/YouGov {September 20-October 1, 2014) | 45% | 42% | 12% | +/-3 | 2,013 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 43.4% | 45.8% | 10.6% | +/-3.54 | 1,277.8 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kansas - Major party candidates, other and undecided | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sam Brownback* (R) | Paul Davis (D) | Other | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling (Umbehr supporters reallocated September 11-14, 2014 | 39% | 45% | 0% | 15% | +/-2.7 | 1,328 | |||||||||||||
| CBS/NYT/YouGov August 18-September 2, 2014 | 47% | 40% | 2% | 11% | +/-5.0 | 839 | |||||||||||||
| Cole Hargrave Snodgrass (R-Brownback) August 17-30, 2014 | 43% | 42% | 0% | 0% | +/-4.3 | 500 | |||||||||||||
| Rasmussen Reports August 6-7, 2014 | 41% | 51% | 3% | 5% | +/-4.0 | 750 | |||||||||||||
| CBS/NYT/YouGov (With leaners) July 5-24, 2014 | 52% | 40% | 3% | 2% | +/-- | 1,274 | |||||||||||||
| CBS/NYT/YouGov (Without leaners) July 5-24, 2014 | 47% | 37% | 3% | 2% | +/-- | 1,274 | |||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 44.83% | 42.5% | 1.83% | 5.83% | +/-2.67 | 994.17 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governor of Kansas - Major party candidates and "third party" category | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Sam Brownback/Jeff Coyler (R) | Paul Davis/Jill Docking (D) | Third Party | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
| SurveyUSA Poll (October 23-24, 2013) | 39% | 43% | 12% | 6% | +/-4.4 | 511 | |||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Kansas Attorney General
- See also: Kansas attorney general election, 2014
General election
Derek Schmidt - Incumbent
A.J. Kotich[35]
Kansas Secretary of State
- See also: Kansas secretary of state election, 2014
General election
Kris Kobach - Incumbent
Jean Schodorf - Former Republican state Sen. representing District 25[37]
Lost in the primary
Scott Morgan - Former Lawrence School Board President, businessman, attorney[38][39]
Kansas Treasurer
General election
Ron Estes - Incumbent
Carmen Alldritt[40]
Kansas Insurance Commissioner
Republican incumbent Sandy Praeger is not running for re-election in 2014, leaving the seat open.
General election
Dennis Anderson - Family business owner[41]
Ken Selzer
Retiring
Sandy Praeger Incumbent[43]
Lost in the primary
Beverly Gossage - Republican Party Activist, Businesswoman[44]
David Powell - Insurance Agent[45]
Clark Shultz - State Rep. and insurance auditor[42]
John Toplikar - 6th District Johnson County Commissioner[46]
See also
- Kansas elections, 2014
- Kansas Gubernatorial election, 2014
- Kansas attorney general election, 2014
- Kansas secretary of state election, 2014
- Kansas down ballot state executive elections, 2014
Footnotes
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World, "Brownback running for re-election," June 21, 2013
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2013-2014 Gubernatorial races," March 4, 2013
- ↑ Kris Kobach for Secretary of State, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013
- ↑ Ron Estes for Treasurer 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013
- ↑ Kansas Insurance Commission, "About us," accessed December 17, 2012
- ↑ The Topeka Capitol-Journal, "Robust GOP primary likely for insurance commissioner," April 12, 2013
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidates for the 2014 Primary (official)," accessed August 4, 2014
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," February 6, 2024
- ↑ FairVote, "Open and closed primaries," accessed July 25, 2024
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Scott Schwab Kansas Secretary of State, "Voter information," accessed July 25, 2024
- ↑ Vote Kansas, "A Guide to Voting in Kansas - 2014," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World, "Brownback running for re-election," June 21, 2013
- ↑ Lawrence Journal-World, "Brownback running for re-election," June 21, 2013
- ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Davis launches Democratic campaign for Kansas governor," September 17, 2013
- ↑ Wichita Eagle, "Paul Davis forms committee for governor's race," August 8, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Kentucky.com, "Davis teams with Docking in Kansas governor's race," October 22, 2013
- ↑ Keen A. Umbehr for Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed October 8, 2013
- ↑ Kansas First News, Alma lawyer seeks Libertarian nod for governor, August 29, 2013
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Physician campaigning as Libertarian dad’s running mate in Kansas governor’s race," May 22, 2014
- ↑ Jennifer Winn for Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed February 18, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Candidates List," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ Tresa McAlhane for Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Grant Nelson for Lieutenant Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Physician campaigning as Libertarian dad’s running mate in Kansas governor’s race," May 22, 2014
- ↑ Keen For Kansas, "Home," accessed October 6, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The Fix's top 15 gubernatorial races of 2014," November 15, 2013
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Surveys find a hint of election vulnerability in Gov. Sam Brownback," October 29, 2013
- ↑ University of Virginia Center for Politics, "2014 Governor," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Governing, "2014 Governors Races: A Look at the Too-Close-to-Call Contests," March 6, 2014
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Governors’ Races Are Close, But There’s More Upside For Democrats," July 17, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Kansas Democrats Turn to Data in Governor's Race," July 30, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "More than 100 Republicans endorse Democrat against Kansas Gov. Brownback (R)," July 15, 2014
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Polls on the Kansas governor's race vary widely," July 26, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Candidates List," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ Kris Kobach for Secretary of State, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013
- ↑ Saline Journal, "Schodorf to run for secretary of state," September 25, 2013
- ↑ Scott Morgan for Secretary of State 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed June 9, 2014
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "GOP’s Scott Morgan to take on Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach," May 22, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Candidates List," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ Dennis Anderson for Insurance Commissioner 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed April 28, 2014
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Kansas.com, "Former budget chief Anderson joins Selzer campaign for Insurance Commissioner," September 12, 2013
- ↑ The Topeka Capitol-Journal, "Robust GOP primary likely for insurance commissioner," April 12, 2013
- ↑ Beverly Gossage for Insurance Commissioner 2014 Official Campaign Website, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013
- ↑ David Powell for Insurance Commissioner 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013
- ↑ John Toplikar, Kansas, "Timeline," accessed April 28, 2014
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