Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly voted at the Shawnee County Election Office on July 28, 2026, the first time in more than two decades she cast a ballot without her own name on it.
Kelly entered Kansas politics in 2004, winning a state Senate seat. She was elected governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. Term limits bar her from running again, which is why she greeted reporters after voting with a laughing “hallelujah.”
“This is the first time I voted in 22 years, 23 years, my name has not been on the ballot, and it’s nice.”
Gov. Laura Kelly, speaking to reporters at Shawnee County Election Office, July 28, 2026
Kelly voted for Ethan Corson, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate she endorsed in November. Corson faces two other Democrats in the August 4 primary: state Sen. Cindy Holscher, also from Johnson County, and Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog.
Kansas Democrats Now Running Against Federal Cuts, Not the Brownback Legacy
Kelly described a clear shift in what Kansas Democrats are campaigning on. In her two previous races, she ran against the fiscal damage left by former Gov. Sam Brownback’s deep tax cuts. That framing no longer fits 2026.
“Our problems are really coming from the federal government and a lot of the policies that the Trump administration is forcing down on states.”
Gov. Laura Kelly, Kansas Reflector, July 28, 2026
Kelly said federal policies are pulling funds Kansas uses to build roads and care for elderly and disabled residents. She called those decisions “cruel” and said voters need a governor ready to “fight back and stand up for Kansas.”
The shift matters because it tells Democratic candidates what arguments are landing with Kelly’s coalition. She leaves office with a record of bipartisan budget management, Medicaid expansion, and surviving multiple Republican-dominated legislative sessions. Her read on the race carries practical weight.
All three primary candidates now face the same core question: who can most credibly protect Kansas from federal Medicaid cuts, infrastructure funding losses, and policy mandates imposed from Washington?
The winner of the August 4 primary will face the Republican nominee in November. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the governorship in back-to-back cycles since the 1950s. Kelly did it twice.
What you can do now
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If you live in Kansas, vote by August 4. The Democratic governor primary is that day. Find your polling location at Kansas Secretary of State’s voter portal.
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Call your Kansas state legislators at (785) 296-2149 and tell them to oppose any state-level policies that pass federal Medicaid or transportation funding cuts down to Kansans. Kelly’s remarks named both as targets.
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Ask the three Democratic candidates directly where they stand on Medicaid. Contact the Corson, Holscher, and Skoog campaigns through their official social media or campaign websites and ask for a specific commitment to protect Kansas Medicaid enrollment if federal matching funds are cut.
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Share the Kansas Reflector story with Kansas voters who may not be tracking the primary. Turnout in August primaries is typically low, which means a small number of engaged voters can shift the outcome.
Sources
- New Marquette Law School poll shows Hong ahead following shakeup in Democratic primary race — Wisconsin Examiner (2026-07-29)
Kansas Reflector: Kansas Governor Votes, Celebrates First Time in 22 Years She’s Not on the Ballot
Kansas Secretary of State: Voter Registration and Polling Place Lookup