There are now four candidates for Governor in Kansas. Libertarian Seth Cordell and Independent Dennis Pyle join Republican Derek Schmidt and Democratic Incumbent Laura Kelly.

This is the only governorship that the Democrats are defending in 2022 in a state that was won by Donald Trump in 2020. It is shaping up as a very tight race. Most independent observers rate the election as a toss-up. It’s not surprising, because by the end of July Kelly and Schmidt had spent a combined 3.7 million, the most spent on a Governor's race in the history of Kansas.

The extra candidates would seem to bode well for Kelly, but Schmidt seems to have history on his side. In the past 50 years, the incumbent governor in Kansas lost re-election when their party held the presidency.