Kansas Legislative Update for july 31st, 2022

The 1861 Team will update this page regularly with LEGISLATIVE UPDATES AND ACTIONS taken by the Governor, other state agencies, and local units of government. We hope you find this information helpful.


Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 2nd. We will be sending a full primary election review tomorrow prior to the election, and an early results analysis following the election.

You can view the full list of candidates for every office in the state here, and find resources and information about the 2022 election here.

Campaign Finance Reports Give a Glimpse into Fundraising Efforts - Last week signaled the deadline for campaign finance reports, where all candidates for office from statewide to legislative must disclose their contributions and expenditures to the Governmental Ethics Commission. The reports are posted publicly and can be found here. With a tough race ahead for governor, incumbent Democrat Laura Kelly reported raising $1.5M in 2022, bringing her total contributions to $4.5M for the full election cycle thus far. Attorney General Derek Schmidt, her Republican opponent, reported raising about $707,300, with $1.5M cash on hand to Kelly’s $1.3M. With last minute contributions, Kelly brought in another $44,000 and Schmidt another $36,000. In the race for Attorney General, state Senator Kellie Warren outraised her two Republican primary opponents, Kris Kobach and Tony Mattivi, by about $54,000 and $107,000, respectively. The only Democrat in the race, Chris Mann, reported raising $309,326, adding an additional $9,000 in last minute contributions. The candidates for Insurance Commissioner, Republican incumbent Vicki Schmidt and Democrat Kiel Corkran, both reported raising a little over $2,000, though Schmidt has $258,000 on hand. Corkran has $13.72. For the Secretary of State race, incumbent Scott Schwab raised $93,520, with last minute contributions coming in at $6,500. His primary challenger, Mike Brown, reported $95,320. Jeanna Repass, the sole Democrat running for Secretary of State, raised $29,039. Sitting House Representative Steven Johnson and sitting Senator Caryn Tyson are in a Republican primary race for State Treasurer, with Johnson bringing in $87,572 and Tyson raising $77,367. The incumbent, Democrat Lynn Rogers, reported $122,834.

You can view the 125 House district reports here and the 40 Senate district reports here.

Pyle Seeks Signatures before Deadline - Former Republican-turned-unaffiliated state Senator Dennis Pyle, from Hiawatha, launched an independent race for the governor’s office in June. In order to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate in the race, he must amass 5,000 legitimate petition signatures by noon on August 1st. Generally if registering by petition, the petitioner attempts to collect many more signatures than required, as the list is verified by the Secretary of State’s office and oftentimes other third parties to ensure no illegitimate voters have signed on. Pyle is taking a stance to the right of Republican candidate for governor, current Attorney General Derek Schmidt, as a self proclaimed “God-loving American, devoted to the Constitution and protecting our children.” Democrats have joined in the effort to help Pyle gather signatures, as his appearance on the ballot would likely peel voters from Schmidt’s voting bloc and not affect incumbent Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s base. A ‘wild card’ candidate, Pyle could significantly impact the results of the race even by winning just a few percentage points.The race between Kelly and Schmidt is anticipated to be very close. Finance reports came out this last week, and Pyle, since announcing his race on June 7th, has raised $35,950. 

AG Primary Intensifies Just Ahead of Primary - A new group has arrived on the scene in the Republican primary for Attorney General between Kris Kobach, Kellie Warren, and Tony Mattivi. The Kansas Rising for Conservative Values PAC last week dropped a $140,000 ad buy in support of Kobach, attacking Warren as unqualified and labeling her a “homeowners association lawyer” who has never argued a case in federal court. Warren’s campaign manager, Jared Suhn, said of the ad: “Kris Kobach has reached a new low,” claiming the group is funded by Democrats. Meanwhile, Warren also launched a new ad touting her latest endorsements, and outraised her Republican opponents as of last week’s campaign finance report deadline. Warren reported raising $272,870, adding $12,850 in last minute contributions, Kobach raised $218,337, and Mattivi raised $165,255, with $15,541 in last minute contributions.

Cybersecurity Company Moving Headquarters to Kansas - Novacoast, a cybersecurity company based in Santa Barbara, California, plans to move its main headquarters to Kansas. The company set up a security operations center in Wichita last year, and will now relocate the entire business to the city. Novacoast will bring 100 jobs and hopes to make Wicihita a cybersecurity training hub. “I’m thrilled Novacoast is moving its headquarters to Wichita and creating 100 high-tech jobs for Kansans. More and more companies are choosing to come to our state because they’ve seen that our talented workforce, strong infrastructure, and pro-business climate will help them grow and succeed.” In a press release, Novacoast CEO Paul Anderson said: “One year ago, we expanded our presence to the area, and we’ve come to realize the incredible potential in the city and its people. This is where we want to grow our company –  officially naming Wichita as our global headquarters.”

UPCOMING INTERIM MEETINGS

  • Joint Committee on Special Claims Against the State, Aug. 11th, 10:00am

  • Joint Committees on Information Technology & Kansas Security, Aug. 17th, TBD

NEWS