Both major parties say the Kansas governor's race is a tossup in its last days as abortion politics, lingering ill will toward former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and an independent conservative candidate make for a tighter-than-expected contest in the Republican-leaning state.
Democratic incumbent Gov. Laura Kelly should be on the defensive as the only Democratic governor in the U.S. running for reelection in a state carried by former President Donald Trump in 2020. But a decisive statewide vote in August affirming abortion rights energized Democrats and moderates and boosted Kelly's chance of holding the votes crucial to her victory four years ago.
