TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly won reelection on Wednesday, achieving a historic victory in one of the hardest-fought contests in the country on promises of continued stable, moderate leadership.
Kelly secured four more years in office, becoming the first Kansas governor since 1968 to win a second term while the same party controls the White House. Kelly was especially vulnerable as the only incumbent Democratic governor on the ballot in a state won by former President Donald Trump.
Kelly defeated her Republican challenger, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, by positioning herself as a “middle of the road” politician. The message extended all the way to seemingly ubiquitous TV ads that showed her literally standing in the middle of a street.
