Republicans poised to win KS treasurer, secretary of state, insurance commissioner races

Republicans after Tuesday’s vote were poised to take back the Kansas state treasurer’s office and retain positions as secretary of state and insurance commissioner.

Republican Steven Johnson ousted Democrat Lynn Rogers from the treasurer seat, earning 54% of the vote, with 3,790 of 4,040 precincts reporting results by midnight. The Kansas Secretary of State’s Office unofficial race results showed Rogers trailing by more than 115,000 votes as tallying continued into early Wednesday morning.

Johnson, in an acceptance speech, thanked Kansans for selecting him for the job.

“It’s been great talking to Kansans across the state about the issues, about making sure that we handle risks right and are aware of how our assets are invested, and that we continue to solve math problems with math and not rhetoric — which is what we want to do from the treasurer’s office,” he said.

“But no candidate wins alone. It takes a team, and I am so thankful for everyone we have, for everyone that voted. That’s what makes our democracy work.”

Rogers, the state’s chief financial officer, was one of two Democratic officeholders in statewide contests Tuesday, along with Gov. Laura Kelly. While early returns put Rogers in the lead, Johnson later outpaced him, securing wins or was projected to win in nearly all of the state’s 105 counties.

Libertarian candidate Steven Roberts of Overland Park, who also ran for treasurer, drew 5% of the vote.

The state treasurer position often serves as a springboard to higher office. Kelly appointed Rogers, her lieutenant governor for her first two years in office, to state treasurer after Republican Jake LaTurner was elected to Congress. Three of the last four treasurers — LaTurner, Ron Estes and Lynn Jenkins — were later elected to Congress.

Johnson, a Republican farmer from Assaria, challenged Rogers after more than a decade in the Kansas Legislature, where he chairs the Senate Tax Committee.

The office handles over $20 billion, has an annual operating budget of $3.5 million and is responsible for distributing the state’s budget and payroll, overseeing the state’s education savings plans, issuing municipal bonds and maintaining a list of unclaimed property in the state.

The state treasurer also holds a seat on the board of trustees for KPERS, short for Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Republican Scott Schwab defended his seat against Democratic challenger Jeanna Repass, although the number of votes separating the two were close at times. At midnight, with nearly 94% of precincts counted, Schwab led with 545,737 votes, about 58%, according to unofficial race results.

Repass had 363,704 votes, or 39%, while Libertarian candidate Cullene Lang had 25,938 votes, or about 3%.

In an acceptance speech Tuesday night, Schwab said he is “thankful for the next four years” and vowed to move the office forward.

“I want to thank the state of Kansas for electing us for four more years to make sure we carry the integrity we served the last four years into the next four years,” he said.

Schwab, a former state legislator, has been secretary of state since 2019. During his time as secretary of state, he has been criticized for being both too strict and too loose on elections. He has refused to embrace false fraud claims of former President Donald Trump about the 2020 election and has embraced the use of ballot dropboxes, although some Sedgwick County commissioners have accused him of slow-rolling regulations to block the implementation of a 2019 law intended to allow voters to vote at any polling location on election day.

Repass, the former director of urban mission at the United Church of the Resurrection, had vowed to expedite regulations to allow voters to vote anywhere if elected.

Republicans have held the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office for all but three of the past 100 years.

Commissioner of Insurance

Republican Vicki Schmidt, a Topeka pharmacist who previously represented Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties in the Kansas Senate, successfully fended off challenger Kiel Corkran, an Olathe Democrat, in the race for commissioner of insurance.

She told supporters T,uesday that she’s looking forward to continuing her work that has so far included reducing fees and “burdensome regulations” on Kansans and putting money back in their pockets.

“I want to thank you for the opportunity that you’ve given me this past four years to do this work,” she said, adding: “Tonight, we celebrate. And tomorrow, we’ll be back at work again.”

As of midnight, Schmidt led Corkran by nearly 240,000 votes, with more than 93% of precincts reporting.

The state Insurance Department is responsible for regulating, reviewing and auditing insurance companies to make sure they comply with insurance laws and settles disputes between Kansans and insurance companies.