Kansas Democrat outlines vision for governor that relies on community conversations to set agenda
Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog appears for a June 22, 2026, recording of the Kansas Reflector podcast in Topeka. (Photo by Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)
TOPEKA — Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog’s vision for leading the state is to bring people together from local communities to determine priorities for lawmakers.
Currently, the agenda is being set by Republican extremists in charge of the Legislature, he said on the Kansas Reflector podcast.
Skoog, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, sees his town’s commercial development during his 21 years in elected office as a blueprint for creating thriving communities. His sights are trained on Senate President Ty Masterson, who has the president’s endorsement in the GOP race for governor.
“This is not easy. This is not for the faint of heart,” Skoog said. “There is hard work ahead, and we have to bring the residents from across the state, citizens and Kansans across the state, together and establish our priorities.”
“That’s the way that we get this machine turned into a community conversation, instead of political bickering for 90 days,” he added, referring to the length of the legislative session.
Skoog contrasted his approach with Masterson’s failure to deliver property tax relief as the session ended in April. The way Skoog sees it, Masterson’s approach was to wait until the last minute and try to impose his will.
“I was sitting in the mayor’s office watching the dysfunctional Legislature again this year, and just couldn’t sit by and let Ty Masterson walk into the governor’s office,” Skoog said.
Skoog said he was approached a year ago by “a group of people that were concerned about the existing field.” That field would be Cindy Holscher and Ethan Corson, two state senators from Johnson County who are also seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. At the time, Skoog was busy running for reelection as mayor.
He said he was approached again at the start of this year but declined because a family member was dying. Shortly before the June 1 filing deadline, he said, he was approached again with “lots of information about the polling and what was going on.” This time, he joined the race.
“After a year of campaigning, Ethan was significantly behind Cindy, and people do not believe Cindy can win against Ty Masterson in November,” Skoog said. “And then on Memorial Day weekend, Donald Trump endorsed Ty Masterson on the Republican side, and that was the last straw.”
Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog, center, speaks with reporters on June 1, 2026, at the Secretary of State’s Office in Topeka after filing as candidates for the Democratic primary for governor. His running mate, Fredonia physician Jennifer Bacani McKenney is on the right. His wife, Amy, is on the left. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)
Skoog said he respects both of his primary opponents. All three maintain they are the only candidate who can win in November.
Holscher’s populist positions have won support from Democratic voters. She opposed the massive incentive package to lure the Kansas City Chiefs across state lines and has called for a moratorium on building new data centers.
Corson has the benefit of endorsements from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, as well as Planned Parenthood and labor leaders.
But, Skoog said, “what you hear is Ethan has not been able to connect with voters.”
“I hear it everywhere I go. It’s that, ‘Hey, I’ve met Ethan. He’s an impressive guy, but I don’t feel like I connected with him, or I understand what his objective is in this race,’ ” Skoog said. “Cindy is running a grassroots race. She’s worked really hard. She has always worked hard, but what I hear from people across the state is, ‘I like many of the things she says, but her voting record will be attacked in November by Ty Masterson and the Republicans.’ ”
Skoog has the advantage of being an outsider to Statehouse politics.
He describes himself as a sixth-generation Kansan whose forefathers were homesteaders in Franklin and Wabaunsee counties. They fought for the the Union during the Civil War, he said.
He said he grew up as “a Bob Dole Republican” in Topeka, where his parents were involved with the Republican Party. He graduated from Topeka High School, earned a business degree at the University of Kansas, and moved to Overland Park.
He started off at the electric utility that became Evergy and now works for the Institute for Building Technology and Safety, a national nonprofit that provides business services to cities and counties.
“I worked on Bob Dole campaigns when I was young. I learned how to fold letters in a Bob Dole Senate race,” Skoog said. “Over time, it became clear that my values weren’t changing, but the Republican Party sure was.”
For example, he said, he believes elections should be free and fair. He wants to fully fund public schools, including special education. He wants to expand Medicaid and, with the help of his running mate, Fredonia physician Jennifer Bacani McKenney, ensure every Kansan has access to quality health care. He wants to preserve the state’s strong rural roots, which means fighting with the federal delegation about tariffs.
And he wants to make sure everybody is welcome in Kansas.
“This current legislature is pushing people away, right?” Skoog said. “They have in their rhetoric, it’s all about pointing to ‘them,’ and depending on the conversation, the ‘them’ changes from LGBTQ to immigrants to second-generation Americans, first-generation Americans, to minority groups, to different religious groups. And I want everybody to feel welcome, no matter when you came to this country.”
“It takes all of us to build a state that is thriving,” he added, “and we need to build thriving communities where our kids and grandkids want to stay and come back to, and we need others to join us in Kansas to fill the jobs, to start businesses, to work on farms and ranches, and we need to make sure that everybody is included in that mission.”