Ty Masterson wins Kansas GOP primary for governor
What's next: Masterson advances to a November race for an open seat Democrats have held for eight years.
Kansas Republicans picked state Senate President Ty Masterson as their nominee for governor Tuesday, setting up a November contest to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. The open-seat race is a key pickup chance for Republicans in a state that leans heavily Republican in federal elections but has repeatedly elected governors from the opposite party. Masterson emerged from a crowded primary field that included Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, Charlotte O'Hara and businessman Philip Sarnecki. On the Democratic side, voters were also choosing a nominee. The primary coincided with a high-profile ballot measure on whether Kansans should directly elect state Supreme Court justices.