Incumbent U.S. House members secure primary victories
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, speaks Aug. 4 about issues raised by constituents during the primary election campaign after casting her ballot in a Johnson County polling station. Davids says 3rd District voters are keen to highlight concern about the rising cost of groceries, fuel, prescription medications and healthcare. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)
TOPEKA — U.S. Reps. Tracey Mann, Derek Schmidt, Sharice Davids and Ron Estes won their primaries Tuesday.
The Associated Press called most Democratic and Republican primaries in U.S. House races in Kansas within an hour of polls closing.
Republicans Mann, Schmidt and Estes each had one Republican opponent, and Davids, a Democrat, defeated Sarah Preu, a technology and communications professional from Fairway who criticized Davids about issues such as Israel’s political influence, immigration enforcement funding and voting with conservatives. Davids led with 83% of votes, according to early totals from the Kansas Secretary of State.
Schmidt congratulated his opponent, Chad Young, and said he was optimistic about the country’s future. Veteran and veterinarian Don Coover was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Schmidt, who led young with 79% of votes, said he “won’t let the pessimists drag us back to their tired politics of whine and decline.”
“And Kansas is stronger because we have delivered these past two years for rural healthcare, our universities, roads and bridges, clean drinking water, affordable housing, public safety, child care, keeping kids safe online, farmers and ranchers, Main Street small businesses, and mental health,” he said in a statement.
Each of the Republican incumbents secured endorsements from President Donald Trump, who mentioned them in praiseworthy posts Monday on Truth Social.
The AP called the Republican primary for the Kansas City-area 3rd District for Eric Jenkins, a former Shawnee City Council member, who had 79% of votes, according to preliminary vote totals, and will face Davids in November.
Davids said in a statement she was “deeply honored to earn the trust of voters.”
“I fundamentally believe the government should work for the people it serves — not special interests, big corporations, or partisan agendas,” she said. “Every single day, I hear from Kansans who are working hard, budgeting carefully and doing everything right, but are still getting squeezed by rising costs on everyday essentials like groceries, healthcare, and housing.”
Mann defeated Craig Musser with 81% of votes.
AP called the Democratic primary the 1st District for Lauren Reinhold, a lawyer who formerly worked for the federal government. She defeated Colin McRoberts, a business law professor at the University of Kansas, leading him with 64% of votes, according to early tallies.
A slate of Democrats lined up to challenge Estes, but some have since suspended their campaigns to endorse Chris Carmichael, a veteran, and Katy Tyndell, a lawyer and oil and gas company owner. Estes defeated Frank McCollum with 80% of votes, and he will face Tyndell in November, according to AP’s race call.