Kansas elections, 2014
2015→ ←2013 |
Thestate ofKansas held elections in 2014.Below are the dates of note:
| 2014 elections and events in Kansas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signature filing deadline for party candidates | June 2, 2014 | |||
| Voter registration deadline for primary election | July 15, 2014 | |||
| Filing deadline for independent candidates for primary election | August 4, 2014 | |||
| Primary election date | August 5, 2014 | |||
| Voter registration deadline for general election | October 14, 2014 | |||
| Filing deadline for write-in candidates for general election | October 27, 2014 | |||
| General election date | November 4, 2014 | |||
Below are the types of elections that were scheduled inKansas in 2014:
2014 elections
Races to watch in Kansas
State Executive Officials
TheKansas gubernatorial election took place onNovember 4, 2014. IncumbentSam Brownback (R) ran for and won re-election. He will serve his second four-year term in office.
The race was considered to be very competitive, with early polls showingDemocratPaul Davis, thestate HouseMinority Leader, with a small lead over the incumbent governor,RepublicanSam Brownback. TheWashington Post namedKansas as one of the top 15 gubernatorial races of 2014, declaring that "it's hard to ignore polls that show Gov. Sam Brownback's approval ratings well shy of 50%."[1] Brownback's approval ratings hovered around 35 percent since January of 2012.[2]
Kansas State Legislature
Elections for theKansas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 2, 2014. Heading into the election, theRepublican Party controlled the chamber. The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6, 2012, general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Kansas House of Representatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 54 |  Ken Corbet | 0.2% | 10,767 | Ann Mah |
| District 65 | Melody Saxton | 0.4% | 4,237 | Allan Rothlisberg |
| District 79 |  Larry Alley | 0.8% | 8,403 | Ed Trimmer |
| District 25 | Melissa Rooker | 1.5% | 12,949 | Megan England |
| District 23 | Kelly Meigs | 1.9% | 8,618 | Dave Pack |
| District 98 | Phil Hermanson | 2.1% | 6,090 | Geraldine Flaharty |
| District 40 | John Bradford | 2.3% | 8,060 | Linda Johnson |
| District 56 | Virgil Weigel | 3.8% | 9,617 | Janet Mitchell |
| District 5 | Kevin Jones | 5.2% | 9,318 | Bill Feuerborn |
| District 21 | Barbara Bollier | 6.4% | 12,683 | Amy Bell |
Elections by type
U.S. Senate
U.S. Senate elections in Kansas
Voters inKansaselected one member to theU.S. Senate in theelection on November 4, 2014.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Aprimary 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. In Kansas, parties decide who may vote in their primaries. As of October 2025, the Democratic Party held anopen primary and the Republican Party held aclosed primary. Regardless of the party's rules, an unaffiliated voter can declare their affiliation with a party on the day of the primary and vote in that party's primary. Previously affiliated voters who want to change their affiliation to vote in a different party's primary must do so before the candidate filing deadline, which is June 1 or the next business day.[3][4]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.
Voter registration: Tovote in the primary, voters had to register by June 15, 2014. For thegeneral election, the voter registration deadline was October 14, 2014.[5]
- See also:Kansas elections, 2014
Incumbent: The election filled the Senate seat held byPat Roberts (R). Roberts was first elected in 1996.
Candidates
General election candidates
- Pat Roberts - Incumbent
Greg Orman
Randall Batson
August 5, 2014, primary results
|
|
|
Declined to run
- Kathleen Sebelius: Former U.S. Secretary ofHealth and Human Services[11][12][13]
- Dennis Pyle:State Senator[14]
Race background
Early predictions forPat Roberts' (R) run for re-election said that it was unlikely he would face a serious challenge in the general election in 2014.[15] He entered the campaign with $886,694 cash on hand, slightly more than he had at the outset of his 2008 campaign for re-election.[15]
IfRoberts would have changed his mind about re-election, there was no shortage of potentialRepublican nominees, from both thecongressional delegation andstatewide offices.
In September 2013, reports circulated thatBarack Obama’s second cousin once removed,Milton Wolf, was laying the groundwork for a potential Republican primary challenge againstPat Roberts.[16] Wolf gauged support and reportedly sent an email to GOP activists in August 2013 asking them to get in touch if they want more senators likeTed Cruz,Mike Lee andRand Paul before formally announcing his candidacy.[16][17] Roberts defeated Wolf in the Republican primary by roughly 7 percent.
Democratic primary winnerChad Taylor dropped out of the race on September 3, 2014. However, due to legal restrictions, the Kansas Secretary of State ordered his name to still appear on the ballot due to the face that he did not provide a reason that he would be unable to perform the job if elected, a requirement of Kansas law.[18] Taylor subsequently filed an appeal and the decision was overturned, thus removing him from the November ballot. Following the ruling, the Secretary of State said that Democrats were required to nominate a replacement candidate by September 26. Additionally, a lawsuit was filed by Democratic voter David Orel to force Democrats to nominate a replacement. However, the lawsuit was sent to a lower court. This delayed the case until the ballots were printed, effectively making it so no Democratic candidate appeared on the ballot.[19][20]
IndependentGreg Orman surged in popularity in the weeks leading up to the election. Chad Reeves, a Kansas Democratic operative, said "What most Democrats know is that Orman would be better than Pat Roberts, and we want Roberts out. We wanted to win, this is the year to win, and Chad Taylor couldn’t be that candidate."[21]
U.S. House
U.S. House of Representatives elections in Kansas
The2014 U.S. House of Representatives elections inKansas took place onNovember 4, 2014. Voterselected four candidates to serve in theU.S. House, one from each of the state's four congressional districts.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Aprimary 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. In Kansas, parties decide who may vote in their primaries. As of October 2025, the Democratic Party held anopen primary and the Republican Party held aclosed primary. Regardless of the party's rules, an unaffiliated voter can declare their affiliation with a party on the day of the primary and vote in that party's primary. Previously affiliated voters who want to change their affiliation to vote in a different party's primary must do so before the candidate filing deadline, which is June 1 or the next business day.[3][4]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.
Voter registration: Tovote in the primary, voters had to register by June 15, 2014. For thegeneral election, the voter registration deadline was October 14, 2014.[22]
- See also:Kansas elections, 2014
Partisan breakdown
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held all of the four congressional seats fromKansas.
| Members of the U.S. House from Kansas -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2014 | After the 2014 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 0 | 0 | |
| Republican Party | 4 | 4 | |
| Total | 4 | 4 | |
Incumbents
Heading into the 2014 election, the incumbents for the four congressional districts were:
| Name | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Huelskamp |  Republican | 1 |
| Lynn Jenkins | Republican | 2 |
| Kevin Yoder | Republican | 3 |
| Mike Pompeo | Republican | 4 |
List of candidates by district
1st Congressional District
General election candidates
- Tim Huelskamp - Incumbent
- James Sherow
August 5, 2014, primary results
|
|
Withdrawn prior to primary
Potential candidates
- Jim Sherow: Former Mayor of Manhattan,Kansas[25]
2nd Congressional District
General election candidates
- Lynn Jenkins - Incumbent
- Margie Wakefield
- Chris Clemmons
August 5, 2014, primary results
|
|
|
Declined to run
3rd Congressional District
General election candidates
- Kevin Yoder - Incumbent
- Kelly Kultala
August 5, 2014, primary results
|
|
4th Congressional District
General election candidates
- Mike Pompeo - Incumbent
- Perry Schuckman
August 5, 2014, primary results
|
|
State Executives
State executive official elections in Kansas
Six state executive positions were up for election in2014 in the state ofKansas.
The following offices were elected in 2014 inKansas:
- Governor of Kansas
- Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
- Kansas Attorney General
- Kansas Secretary of State
- Kansas Treasurer
- Kansas Insurance Commissioner
List of candidates by office
Governor
Running mates listed together in order of "Governor/Lieutenant Governor"
General election
Sam Brownback/Jeff Colyer-Incumbents[35][36]Paul Davis/Jill Docking[37][38][39]Keen A. Umbehr/Josh Umbehr[40][41][42]
Lost in primary
Jennifer Winn/Robin Lais[43][44]Tresa McAlhaney/Grant Nelson[45][46]
Lieutenant Governor
- Jeff Colyer -Incumbent
- Jill Docking - Witchita investment adviser, former member of Kansas Board of Regents[47]
- Robin Lais[48]
- Josh Umbehr - Physician, owner of Atlas MD[49]
Lost in the Primary
Attorney General
General election
Derek Schmidt -IncumbentA.J. Kotich[51]
Secretary of State
General election
Kris Kobach -Incumbent[52]Jean Schodorf - FormerRepublican state Sen. representing District 25[53]
Lost in the primary
Scott Morgan - Former Lawrence School Board President, businessman, attorney[54][55]
Down ballot offices
| Office | Incumbent | Assumed Office | Incumbent running? | General Election Candidates | 2015 Winner | Partisan Switch? |
| Treasurer | Ron Estes | 2011 | Yes[56] | Ron EstesCarmen Alldritt | Ron Estes | No |
| Commissioner of Insurance | Sandy Praeger | 2003 | No[57] | Ken SelzerDennis Anderson | Ken Selzer | No |
State House
State House elections in Kansas
Elections for theKansas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 2, 2014.
Majority control
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the majority in theKansas House of Representatives:
| Kansas House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 32 | 28 | |
| Republican Party | 93 | 97 | |
| Total | 125 | 125 | |
List of candidates by district
- Note: Pending until the filing deadline occurs in 2014.
District 1 •District 2 •District 3 •District 4 •District 5 •District 6 •District 7 •District 8 •District 9 •District 10 •District 11 •District 12 •District 13 •District 14 •District 15 •District 16 •District 17 •District 18 •District 19 •District 20 •District 21 •District 22 •District 23 •District 24 •District 25 •District 26 •District 27 •District 28 •District 29 •District 30 •District 31 •District 32 •District 33 •District 34 •District 35 •District 36 •District 37 •District 38 •District 39 •District 40 •District 41 •District 42 •District 43 •District 44 •District 45 •District 46 •District 47 •District 48 •District 49 •District 50 •District 51 •District 52 •District 53 •District 54 •District 55 •District 56 •District 57 •District 58 •District 59 •District 60 •District 61 •District 62 •District 63 •District 64 •District 65 •District 66 •District 67 •District 68 •District 69 •District 70 •District 71 •District 72 •District 73 •District 74 •District 75 •District 76 •District 77 •District 78 •District 79 •District 80 •District 81 •District 82 •District 83 •District 84 •District 85 •District 86 •District 87 •District 88 •District 89 •District 90 •District 91 •District 92 •District 93 •District 94 •District 95 •District 96 •District 97 •District 98 •District 99 •District 100 •District 101 •District 102 •District 103 •District 104 •District 105 •District 106 •District 107 •District 108 •District 109 •District 110 •District 111 •District 112 •District 113 •District 114 •District 115 •District 116 •District 117 •District 118 •District 119 •District 120 •District 121 •District 122 •District 123 •District 124 •District 125
Statewide ballot measures
Statewide ballot measure elections in Kansas
- See also:Kansas 2014 ballot measures and2014 ballot measures
One statewide ballot questions was certified for the2014 ballot in the state ofKansas.
On the ballot
November 4:
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRCA | SCR 1618 | Gambling | Authorizes thelegislature to permit charitable raffles or other forms of charitable gaming by certain nonprofit organizations |  a |
Voting in Kansas
- See also:Voting in Kansas
Important voting information
- Aprimary 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. In Kansas, parties decide who may vote in their primaries. As of October 2025, the Democratic Party held anopen primary and the Republican Party held aclosed primary. Regardless of the party's rules, an unaffiliated voter can declare their affiliation with a party on the day of the primary and vote in that party's primary. Previously affiliated voters who want to change their affiliation to vote in a different party's primary must do so before the candidate filing deadline, which is June 1 or the next business day.[3][4]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.
- Kansas has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visitingthis website.
Voting absentee
- See also:Absentee voting by state
For information abouteligibility,deadlines,military and overseas voting andupdates to the voting laws in Kansas, please visit ourabsentee voting by state page.
Voting early
- See also:Early voting
Kansas is one of 33 states (plus the District of Columbia) that permit some form of early voting. Early voting begins 20 days before an election. Ballots must be received by close of polls on Election Day.[58]
Elections Performance Index
Kansas ranked27th out of the 50 states and District of Columbia in thePew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performance Index (EPI), based on the2012 elections. The EPI examined election administration performance and assigned an average percentage score based on 17 indicators of election performance. These indicators were chosen in order to determine both the convenience and integrity of these three phases of an election: registration, voting and counting. Kansas received an overall score of 64 percent.[59]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑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
- ↑3.03.13.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, "Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25–3301," accessed October 15, 2025
- ↑4.04.14.2Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, "Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25–3304," accessed October 15, 2025
- ↑Kansas Secretary of State Website, "Registration & Voting," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑Talking Points Memo, "Obama's Second Cousin To Challenge Sen. Pat Roberts," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑7.007.017.027.037.047.057.067.077.087.097.10Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidates for the 2014 Primary (official)," accessed June 2, 2014
- ↑Federal Election Commission, "Chad Taylor 2014 Summary reports," accessed November 25, 2013
- ↑Anchorage Daily News, "Kansas independent to run for US Senate," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑Miami Herald, "Kansas independent to run for US Senate," accessed June 5, 2014(dead link)
- ↑NY Times, "Sebelius Says She’s Not Interested in Senate Run," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑NY Times, "Sebelius Said to Weigh Run for Kansas Senate Seat," accessed April 16, 2014
- ↑Washington Post, "Sebelius for Senate? It makes no sense.," accessed April 16, 2014
- ↑Star Telegram, "Kansas candidate filing deadline passes," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑15.015.1Huffington Post " Senate 2014: How Much Money Do The Candidates Have?" accessed February 25, 2012
- ↑16.016.1Politico, "Obama’s GOP cousin may primary Pat Roberts," accessed September 16, 2013
- ↑Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; name "withdrew" defined multiple times with different content - ↑Kansas Secretary of State Website, "Registration & Voting," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑Alan LaPolice for Congress, "Home," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑Kent Roth for Kansas, "Home," accessed January 22, 2014
- ↑CJ Online, "Former Manhattan mayor considers 1st District run," accessed February 4, 2014
- ↑KSDP, "Margie Wakefield Biography - 2nd Congressional District," accessed November 20, 2013
- ↑Chris Clemmons for Kansas, "Home," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ADN.com, "Kan. lawmaker to challenge Jenkins in primary," accessed January 25, 2014(dead link)
- ↑Hutchinson Kansas News, "Congressional shake up not likely," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑30.030.1Kansas City Star, "Second Democrat to enter race for Congress in Kansas 3rd District," accessed January 22, 2014
- ↑Kansas City Star, "Todd Tiahrt will run for his old seat in Congress," accessed May 31, 2014(dead link)
- ↑Washington Post, "Want to see a nasty GOP House primary? Oh, it’s just getting started in Kansas," accessed May 31, 2014
- ↑The Wichita Eagle, "Democrat Perry Schuckman will run for Fourth District congressional seat," accessed April 12, 2014
- ↑Biz Journals, "Perry Schuckman says he’ll run for Kansas 4th Congressional seat," accessed April 12, 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)
- ↑Kentucky.com, "Davis teams with Docking in Kansas governor's race," October 22, 2013
- ↑Kansas Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Candidates List," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑The Wichita Eagle, "Physician campaigning as Libertarian dad’s running mate in Kansas governor’s race," May 22, 2014
- ↑Grant Nelson for Lieutenant Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013(dead link)
- ↑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
- ↑Ron Estes for Treasurer 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2013
- ↑The Topeka Capitol-Journal, "Robust GOP primary likely for insurance commissioner," April 12, 2013
- ↑Kansas Secretary of State Website, "Advance Voting," accessed December 19, 2013
- ↑Pew Charitable Trusts, "Election Performance Index Report," accessed April 23, 2014
