Two Kansas alternative political parties merge in quest to build support for centrist candidates

Scott Morgan, the new executive director of United Kansas, the Free State Party, says the merger of two centrist political organizes will give voters an alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties in Kansas. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — Two small political parties in Kansas agreed to a merger that organizers believe better serves interests of voters who feel underrepresented by the dominant Republican and Democratic parties.

The Free State Party and United Kansas Party, both seeking to move Kansas politics closer to the political center, plan to operate under the banner of United Kansas, the Free State Party. The apparatus would strive to influence the state’s electoral process by “restoring balance and accountability,” elevating the competence and decency of elected officials and play a role in making certain no political party governed “without meaningful opposition.”

“Quite simply, this makes too much sense not to do,” said Scott Morgan, executive director of United Kansas. “Kansans are ready for less yelling and more solving.”

Morgan was co-founder of the Free State Party and ran for Kansas secretary of state in 2014 in the Republican primary.

In 2024, United Kansas was created in conjunction with a petition drive to earn certification. It remained the state’s smallest among political parties recognized by the state.

In November, the Kansas secretary of state reported there were 2 million registered voters in Kansas. The Republican Party led with 897,200 registrations. The number of Kansans choosing to be unaffiliated voters stood at 575,900, while Democrats had a following of 495,600. Membership in the three other parties: Libertarian, 23,700; No Labels Kansas, 5,900; and United Kansas, 940.

“Over the past two years, we’ve seen a clear hunger for a more practical and less divisive approach to politics,” said Aaron Estabrook, the former executive director of United Kansas. “Joining forces with Free State allows us to broaden that effort and connect with more Kansans.”

The combined party was expected to endorse candidates in the 2026 election cycle. The emphasis would be on Kansas House races that often lacked more than one candidate in the general election. United Kansas also planned to endorse a candidate for statewide office and to support individuals in local races.

In addition, organizers said United Kansas would strive to bring together voters convinced democracy was worth saving, the Constitution and rule of law were foundational, fiscal responsibility was important and “practical solutions matter more than political posturing.”

United Kansas has sought to reshape the state’s electoral system by returning to “fusion voting,” in which more than one political party could nominate the same candidate. Under this cross-nomination model, voters could support their preferred candidate without joining one of the state’s two major parties.

Scott Schwab, the Kansas secretary of state and the state’s chief election officer, determined dual nomination of candidates wasn’t allowed under Kansas law. The state banned the practice in 1901. However, United Kansas filed a lawsuit in 2024 challenging the state’s ban and lost at the district court level. The Kansas Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in February on United Kansas’ appeal in the case.

The Free State Party was developed to gain traction for candidates interested in building a coalition of moderate voters.