2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas


The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the four U.S. Representatives from the state of Kansas, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The state congressional delegation changed from a 4–0 Republican majority to a 3–1 Republican majority, the first time the Democrats held a house seat in the state since 2010.

Overview

Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas by district:

District 1

The first district is one of the largest geographically in the nation, encompassing more than half of the area of the state. It is located in western and northern Kansas, and includes the cities of Manhattan and Salina. Republican Roger Marshall won this district in 2016 by defeating the incumbent Congressman, Tim Huelskamp, in the Republican primary 57% to 43% and winning the general election.

Democratic primary

Former school administrator Alan LaPolice, who previously ran as a Republican in 2014 and an independent in 2016, filed to run as a Democrat.

Primary results

Republican primary

Tim Huelskamp filed a statement of candidacy with the FEC on October 17, 2016, to run for this seat in 2018. Huelskamp made no announcement about whether he is considering a potential rematch with Marshall, but sent a fundraising email attacking Marshall and soliciting donations. On June 29, 2017, it was announced that Huelskamp had accepted a position with The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Primary results

General election

Polling

Results

District 2

This district is located in eastern Kansas and is anchored by the state capital, Topeka. It also includes the city of Lawrence. Incumbent Republican Lynn Jenkins has represented the district since 2009. Jenkins was re-elected with 61% of the vote in 2016.
Jenkins had considered running for governor instead of re-election, but decided to retire and not run for any office in 2018.

Democratic primary

Former Kansas State House Minority Leader, Blue dog Democrat and 2014 gubernatorial nominee Paul Davis ran unopposed, for the seat which retiring Republican Lynn Jenkins held since 2009. She had beaten former six-term District congressman Jim Ryun in the primary, and incumbent Democrat, Nancy Boyda, in the general election. When Davis ran against incumbent governor Sam Brownback in 2014, he carried the district. Before Ryun won the seat, it had been held by retiring Democratic Representative Jim Slattery. He left Congress and ran unsuccessfully in the 1994 election for the Kansas Governorship, against Republican Bill Graves.

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

Although Watkins had his residency challenged by other Kansas Republicans, he remained on the ballot. On October 2, 2018, the Associated Press released a story that questioned not only his residency, but numerous inconsistencies in the background he claimed. He alleged that he had provided substantial assistance to those who had suffered from the results of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, but there was no evidence of that. He claimed he had lived in Alaska, but returned to Kansas to run, but he owned two homes in Alaska, yet did not apparently live in either. He collected a Permanent Fund Dividend, which is only given to eligible state residents.

Libertarian primary

Longtime resident and business developer Kelly Standley filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission as a Libertarian candidate.

General election

Debates

Hypothetical polling-------

Results

District 3

The district is based in the Kansas City metropolitan area and surrounding suburbs in eastern Kansas. Cities include Kansas City and Overland Park. Incumbent Republican Kevin Yoder had represented the district since 2011. Yoder was re-elected with 51% of the vote in 2016. Yoder lost to his Democratic challenger, attorney Sharice Davids, who became one of the first Native American women ever elected to Congress.

Democratic primary

Candidates

;Declared
  • Sharice Davids, attorney, mixed martial artist, and former White House Fellow
  • Mike McCamon, businessman
  • Tom Niermann, teacher
  • Jay Sidie, nominee in 2016
  • Brent Welder, attorney
  • Sylvia Williams, former financial services manager
;Withdrew
  • Chris Haulmark
  • Joe McConnell, businessman and Iraq War veteran
  • Andrea Ramsey, attorney and former healthcare executive
;Potential

Endorsements

Polling

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

;Declared
  • Trevor Keegan
  • Joe Myers
  • Kevin Yoder, incumbent representative

    Primary results

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Hypothetical polling-------

Results

District 4

The fourth district is based in southern Kansas, including Wichita and the surrounding suburbs. Incumbent Republican Ron Estes has represented the district since 2017. Estes was elected with 52.5% of the vote in 2017.
Prior to Estes, Mike Pompeo represented the district. Pompeo had been nominated as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Donald Trump administration. After Pompeo was confirmed, a special election was be held for the remainder of Pompeo's term. Ron Estes won the special election on April 11, 2017.

Republican primary

The Republican Party selected a nominee during a Republican Party primary election which took place on August 7, 2018. The Republican primary was open to registered voters who were either unaffiliated or registered as Republicans.
Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle considered making a primary challenge of Estes, but declined to do so. Because there were two Republican candidates named Ron Estes, the names will appear on the ballot as "Rep. Ron Estes" and "Ron M. Estes", which some criticized as breaking state law that prohibits identifying an incumbent on the ballot.

Primary candidates

The candidates in the Republican primary were:

Democratic primary

The Democratic Party selected a nominee during a Democratic Party primary election that took place on August 7, 2018. The Democratic primary was open to registered voters who were either unaffiliated or registered as Democrats.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for Democrat James Thompson on July 20, 2018, after the national Democratic party would not support him. Laura Lombard criticized the state's decision to list incumbent Ron Estes as "Rep. Ron Estes" on the ballot, because she believes it breaks state laws which prohibit a candidate from being identified as an incumbent on the ballot.

Primary candidates

  • Laura Lombard, businesswoman and CEO of ImEpik
  • James Thompson, civil rights attorney and military veteran

    Primary results

General election

Polling

Results


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