Democrat Cindy Holscher led Republican Ty Masterson by 5,557 votes in the Kansas governor's race with all precincts reporting, according to unofficial results from the Kansas Secretary of State's office updated at 11:22 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.
The Associated Press had not called the race as of 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, the Kansas Reflector reported. Provisional ballots and late-arriving mail ballots had yet to be counted.
The Secretary of State's office showed Holscher with 546,587 votes and Masterson with 541,030, according to the Kansas Reflector. More than 1.09 million ballots were cast in the race, The Kansas City Star reported. Unofficial results showed each candidate at roughly 50% of the vote.
Candidate | Party | Votes | % (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
Cindy Holscher | Democrat | 546,587 | 50.3% |
Ty Masterson | Republican | 541,030 | 49.7% |
Source: Kansas Secretary of State unofficial results via Kansas Reflector, as of 11:22 a.m. Nov. 4. Precincts reporting: 4,168 of 4,168. Results are unofficial and do not include provisional ballots.
Holscher claims victory; Masterson awaits count
Holscher declared victory Wednesday morning. "The people of Kansas made their voices heard, and I'm deeply honored by the trust Kansans placed in me to serve as your next governor," Holscher said in a statement, according to the Kansas Reflector. "Whether I earned your vote or not, I will work for you."
Masterson stopped short of conceding. "The first count does not seem to be going our way, but the margin is narrow enough that Kansas law calls for another look, and we'll let that process finish," Masterson said, according to the Kansas Reflector. "Every Kansan deserves to know the result is right."
Campaign spokesman Garrett Henson told the Kansas Reflector that Masterson was referring to the audit required by state law, not a separate recount request.
What happens next
Kansas law requires county election officers to audit 10% of a county's precincts when the margin falls within 1% of the total vote, according to the Kansas Reflector. Mail ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 6 will also be counted under a court-ordered three-day grace period, according to a Kansas Secretary of State press release.
Provisional ballots must be counted during county canvasses no later than Nov. 16. The State Board of Canvassers must certify results by Dec. 1, according to the Secretary of State's office.
Masterson, the state Senate president from Andover, and Holscher, a state senator from Overland Park, are competing to replace Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat prevented by term limits from seeking a third term.
A Holscher victory would mark the first time Kansas voters elected consecutive governors of the same party in 62 years, The Kansas City Star reported.
The winner will be inaugurated as the 49th governor on Jan. 11, 2027, in Topeka.
