Ty Masterson joins crowded field for Kansas governorship in 2026
- Ty Masterson, Kansas Senate President, has officially entered the race for governor.
- He is among various Republican candidates seeking to replace Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is term-limited.
- With the GOP looking to regain control of the state's leadership, Masterson's candidacy is a significant development in the 2026 elections.
In Kansas, the state Senate President Ty Masterson announced his candidacy for the governorship in the 2026 race. This development occurred in July 2025 as the Republican primary field began to grow, particularly because the state's current Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, is unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Masterson, who has served as a state senator since 2009 and became Senate president in 2021, is a small-business owner with a history in Kansas politics dating back to his tenure in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2005 to 2008. The Republican Party is eager to reclaim the governorship, which has been held by Kelly since 2019. Her narrow victory in the 2022 election raised expectations within the GOP, especially as Kansas has consistently voted Republican in presidential elections for over fifty years. This political landscape presents an exciting opportunity for Masterson and other Republican candidates, as they aim to leverage the state's historical voting patterns to retake the governorship. Other Republicans competing for the nomination include Scott Schwab, the Kansas Secretary of State, who gained recognition for his skepticism of unfounded election claims, and former Governor Jeff Colyer, who briefly held the office after Sam Brownback's resignation in 2018. Colyer's previous primary challenge in the gubernatorial race in 2018 was unsuccessful, and he faced personal adversity in 2022 due to health issues that led him to withdraw from that election. Masterson's entry into the race adds another layer of competition within the Republican ranks, as he describes himself as a results-oriented conservative. This position reflects a broader trend among Republican candidates in Kansas who are attempting to connect with voters on conservative values while challenging the current Democratic leadership. As the race heats up, voters will closely watch how Masterson and his fellow candidates position themselves on key issues in an effort to sway electoral support.