KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas’ and Missouri’s primary elections are over, and now the candidates who remain have their sights set on November.
But if you missed the action Tuesday night, 4Star Politics is diving into the results of the biggest races on both sides of the state line.
The Star’s Dave Helling and FOX4’s John Holt are joined this week by The Star’s editorial editor Colleen Nelson and KU Professor Emeritus Burdett Loomis to break down what you need to know.
Kansas’ U.S. Senate race
One of the most talked about races was Kansas’ open U.S. Senate seat and the crowded battle on the Republican side.
Four candidates grabbed serious votes Tuesday, but in the end, it was Roger Marshall who earned the nomination with 40% of the vote over polarizing Kris Kobach.
Many thought the vote would be much closer, but more than 74,000 votes for Bob Hamilton could have affected the race.
Marshall will now go on to face Barbara Bollier, who easily won the Democratic nod, in the general election.
Hear what Holt, Helling and the group thought of this Congressional race in the video above.
Missouri’s Amendment 2
While Kansas had the big races, Missouri had a big ballot issue: expanding Medicaid to thousands of low-income adults.
With 53% of the unofficial vote, Missouri voters passed Amendment 2 on Tuesday night. The Show-Me State is now the 38th state to expand Medicaid.
Helling said, there was a clear rural-urban split of votes, but based on the votes, it’s clear urban votes liked Medicaid expansion more than rural voters didn’t.
Hear more recap and analysis in the video above.
Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District
Rep. Sharice Davids will face Republican Amanda Adkins this November to defend her seat in the U.S. House.
With a lot of support in Johnson County, Adkins got the nod Tuesday for the state’s 3rd Congressional District. She’s an executive at Cerner and a former chairwoman of the Kansas Republican Party.
During her victory speech Tuesday night, Adkins was quick to challenge Davids to three debates.
Now a big question Holt and Helling have is how Adkins will address President Donald Trump. Does she embrace the president in a left-leaning district or steer clear?
Hear more from the roundtable in the video table above.
Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District
Just outside the immediate metro in Kansas’ 2nd District, incumbent Rep. Steve Watkins was unseated Tuesday night.
State Treasurer Jake LaTurner won the Republican primary as Watkins faces criminal charges for alleged voter fraud, among other counts.
Watkins is accused of listing a UPS Inc. store postal box as his residence on a state voter registration form, voting illegally in a Topeka City Council race and trying to mislead a sheriff’s detective.
But how much did the charges play into LaTurner’s win? Will we ever know? The group breaks it all down in the video player at the top of the page.
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