Here’s your voter guide to primary elections in south-central Kansas
Kansas voters will have the chance to cast a primary ballot on Aug. 2 for a whole bunch of positions: governor and other statewide offices, congressional representatives to send to Washington, D.C. and state representatives to serve in Topeka.
You must be registered as a Democrat or Republican to vote on candidates in the primary races.
But all Kansas voters — regardless of party affiliation — can vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would remove statewide abortion protections.
There is a lot of confusion and misinformation swirling around about the amendment. We answered the most common questions we’ve been hearing from readers and fact-checked some common claims in this guide here.
On Election Day, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Sedgwick County. Some counties open polling places at 7 a.m. You can check your voter registration and find your polling place through the Kansas secretary of state. Early voting has already started in many Kansas counties, including Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties.
A lot is on the line for the future of the state, and we believe that our democracy is stronger when more people have the information they need to participate in and shape it. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to decide who is most likely to make choices you believe will best serve you and your community.
Go directly to a race
How the voter guide works:
Click on the race you are curious about, and the candidate names and their responses will be listed in alphabetical order. You can filter by political party to see what will be on your party’s primary ballot, or by district, depending on the race.
Only two state House races in the Wichita area have primary races. Those candidates were not asked to fill out surveys but are listed below.
In other races, any candidates that do not have answers below their names did not respond to the survey. Star reporters contacted campaigns multiple times via both email and phone calls over the past several weeks.
If you are a candidate in one of these races and would like to submit responses still, you can email us at mwerts@wichitaeagle.com.
A note on editing and fact-checking
Some survey responses were very lightly edited for grammar, but the substance of the responses were not edited at all and are the candidates’ own words. The Star did not fact-check all of the candidates’ responses.
U.S. Senate
Senators create and vote on bills that can become federal laws if also passed through the House of Representatives and signed by the president. Senators also hold hearings on different issues, confirm people the president appoints to certain positions in the federal government and try impeachment cases for federal officials.
Each state gets two senators that serve six-year terms in Congress in Washington, D.C. Currently, Republicans Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran represent Kansas in the Senate. Moran is running for re-election this year.
U.S. House
Representatives create and vote on bills that can become federal laws if also passed through the Senate and signed by the president, and serve on committees. The House of Representatives is the chamber of Congress that first introduces spending bills and can impeach federal officials.
The representatives for the state of Kansas serve the people of their district in Congress in Washington, D.C. for two year terms. Kansas has four U.S. representatives.
If you don’t know your district, look here.
The representative for south-central Kansas, in District 4, is Republican Ron Estes of Wichita. He is seeking re-election and will be challenged by Democrat Bob Hernandez of Wichita. Neither has a primary. We will ask both to respond to questions before the general election in November.
Governor
The governor is the head of the state government and is responsible for carrying out state laws, administering the executive budget and overseeing and appointing the heads of state agencies. The governor can sign bills into state law or can veto a bill and send it back to the Legislature.
Governors serve four-year terms. Democrat Laura Kelly is the current governor, and she is running for re-election.
To see candidate responses to our questions, please go to the article on our website.
Secretary of State
This official’s office is responsible for conducting elections in the state of Kansas, issuing official state publications and maintaining business records for all companies authorized to do business in the state.
The position is currently held by Scott Schwab, a Republican who is running for re-election.
Attorney General
The attorney general is responsible for enforcing Kansas’ laws and is the state’s top lawyer, bringing and defending lawsuits on behalf of the state and issuing legal opinions. The office also defends consumers from fraud.
The attorney general serves a four-year term. The position is currently held by Derek Schmidt, a Republican who is now running for governor.
State Treasurer
The state treasurer is responsible for managing the state’s funds and acting as a chief banker of sorts for the state. The state treasurer’s office handles items such as bond services, cash management, the state’s education savings program and unclaimed property. The state’s current treasurer is Lynn Rogers, a Democrat who was appointed by Kelly in 2021 after Republican Jake LaTurner was elected to Congress.
Kansas Insurance Commissioner
This statewide official is in charge of regulating the insurance policies and financial securities offered by private companies in Kansas. The position is currently held by Republican Vicki Schmidt.
State House
State representatives are lawmakers responsible for drafting and voting on legislation. They also help create the state budget and create legislation that helps regulate state agencies.
There are 125 state representatives in the Kansas House, each serving a two-year term at a time.
If you don’t know your district, look here.
Two Wichita-area House districts have primaries. The rest either have general election contests or one candidate. The two primary races:
District 79
The most competitive legislative race in south-central Kansas is south of Wichita in neighboring Cowley and Sumner counties.
Cheryl Helmer, a Republican from Mulvane, is the only incumbent in the Wichita area with challengers from both parties.
Helmer has made headlines for falsely labeling Wichita as a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants, leveling transphobic attacks on the state’s first openly transgender legislator and co-sponsoring model legislation backed by special interest groups that would require schools and other government buildings to display the religious motto “In God We Trust.”
Webster Roth, a Winfield Republican, substitute teacher and owner of Roth Auction Service, filed to run against her in the Republican primary.
Democrats Kris Trimmer, a former Winfield High School teacher who is in the Kansas Teachers’ Hall of Fame, and Cristel Heffron Love, of Peck, have also filed to run for the seat.
The winner will represent the newly expanded District 79, south of Wichita in Sumner and Cowley counties, including residents from Arkansas City, Belle Plaine, Mayfield, Milton, Mulvane, Oxford, Peck, Rock, Udall and Wellington.
Candidate Facebook pages:
District 101
Republican Rep. Joe Seiwert, of Pretty Prairie, and former Goddard Mayor Jamey Blubaugh will square off in the Republican primary for District 101.
This won’t be their first primary battle. Seiwert defeated Blubaugh and another candidate, Mark Holick, in the 2012 Republican primary.
That covers a small part of southwest Wichita. It also includes several small towns in western Sedgwick and eastern Reno counties. No Democratic candidate is running for the seat.
If you have election questions, send them to mwerts@wichitaeagle.com.
