Democrat Cindy Holscher has been elected Kansas' next governor, fending off Republican Ty Masterson of Andover to keep the office in her party's hands and extend a massive wave of Democratic victories across the country. The Associated Press called the race on Thursday.
On X, Masterson posted "I've called Senator Holscher to congratulate her on her election. It has been the honor of my life to carry the Republican banner for the state I love. This was a hard election for people who share our vision, here and across the country. But I believe in this state and in the people who live here, and that hasn't changed."
Holscher won the election by a less-than-a-percentage margin.
This is the first time in Kansas history a Democrat succeeds a Democrat as governor.
Thank you, Kansas! It’s the honor of a lifetime to serve as your next Governor. https://t.co/1usu8IBmgr
— Cindy Holscher (@cindy4kansas) November 12, 2026
Kansas’ next lieutenant governor will be its first Black statewide official since 1887.
State Rep. K.C. Ohaebosim of Wichita was elected Thursday on a ticket with Democratic Gov.-elect Holscher that narrowly defeated Republican gubernatorial nominee Ty Masterson and his running mate, Jeff Klemp.
Both Ohaebosim and Holscher were elected to the Kansas House in 2016, and Holscher won a Senate seat four years later.
The last Black statewide state official in Kansas was Edward McCabe, a Republican who served as state auditor from 1883 to 1887.
Holscher and Ohaebosim are part of a wave that saw Democrats secure a majority of U.S. governorships for the first time in two decades.
BREAKING: Democrat Cindy Holscher wins the Kansas governor's race, keeping the governor's mansion in Democratic hands. Holscher succeeds term-limited Gov. Laura Kelly, extending the party's hold on the state's top office despite Kansas' Republican lean in presidential elections. See the full election results: https://t.co/7XlRQpieJX
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 12, 2026
Holscher won the election by fewer than 8,000 votes.
Holscher had already declared victory following last week's midterm elections.
Masterson posted on X: "To the hundreds of thousands of Kansans who voted for me, thank you. It looks like we will come up just short, but the things we fought for are no less important today than they were yesterday."
Kansas becomes the first state in the U.S. to have elected four Democratic women as governors.
