By: Tim Carpenter
Kansas Reflector
Seven GOP candidates file to compete in August gubernatorial primary
TOPEKA — Former Gov. Jeff Colyer ended a Republican campaign Monday for the party’s 2026 nomination for governor in wake of President Donald Trump’s endorsement of rival Senate President Ty Masterson.
Colyer, who was sworn in as governor in 2018 after the resignation of GOP Gov. Sam Brownback, was attempting to claim the nomination in 2026 after withdrawing from the race for health reasons in 2022 and falling several hundred votes short of winning the nomination in the 2018 primary.
Masterson, who chose Leavenworth state Sen. Jeff Klemp to be his running mate, said the April 24 endorsement by Trump was based on careful analysis of the Kansas campaign to select a replacement for Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
“They really did do their due diligence in evaluating the race,” said Masterson, who has served in the Kansas Legislature for 20 years. “He decided to go with a battle-tested conservative leader. That’s really what it came down to. They didn’t want to gamble.”
Masterson said the presidential endorsement two months prior to the Aug. 4 primary meant he had the luxury of choosing a running mate who was the best person to serve as lieutenant governor rather than consider other political factors. Masterson said the goal was to win the August primary and November general election so they could hit the ground running in January 2027.
“I had the luxury of choosing the best man for the job,” Masterson said of Klemp. “I don’t have to have a particular gender or demographic.”
At noon Monday, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, himself a candidate for governor, slammed a ceremonial gavel to mark closure of the window for candidates to file for legislative, state and federal offices in Kansas.