(Nov. 5, 2026) – Kansas voters turned out in large numbers for Tuesday's general election, which reshaped the state's political landscape.

The race to succeed term-limited Gov. Laura Kelly remains too close to call, with more than 1.08 million votes cast. Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher currently leads Republican Senate President Ty Masterson by about 7,000 votes as of Thursday morning. Kansas allows qualifying mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive within three days of the election, and provisional ballots must be reviewed before results are finalized.

Democrats also made significant gains in the Kansas House of Representatives, with preliminary results showing a net gain of about 20 seats. If these results hold, the House will shift from an 88-37 Republican majority to roughly 68 Republicans and 57 Democrats, ending the Republican supermajority in that chamber. However, several races remain close, and those numbers could change as additional ballots are counted.

Among the more notable House results are several races featuring current legislative leaders and committee chairs.

• House Majority Leader Chris Croft (R-Overland Park) was defeated by Megan Phillips, a clinical program director at Larned State Hospital, by a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent.
• House Insurance Committee Chairman Bill Sutton (R-Gardner) was defeated by Kristen Schultz, a small-business owner, 51 percent to 49 percent.
• House Commerce Committee Chairman Sean Tarwater (R-Stilwell) is currently trailing by just 42 votes in his race against Sara Kiewiet, who works in legal technology.

While several Democratic gains occurred in the Kansas City area, Democrats also picked up House seats in Wichita, Manhattan, Hutchinson and Garden City. The full Kansas Senate was not up for election this year, so Republicans will retain their 31-9 majority.

As the results are finalized, KHA looks forward to working with returning and newly elected policymakers from both parties on issues affecting Kansas hospitals, patients and communities.