Competiton for county offices minimal as filing deadline nears

With the filing deadline for candidates in the August primary election coming at noon Monday, only one incumbent Shawnee County elected official has an opponent.

Sheriff Brian Hill, a Republican, faces opposition for his seat from fellow Republican Tony Weingartner, the assistant director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

But only the sitting incumbent has filed to run for the other five county elected offices.

Those are held by 2nd District County Commissioner Kevin Cook, a Democrat; 3rd District County Commissioner Aaron D. Mays, a Republican; County Treasurer Larry Mah, a Democrat; County Clerk Cynthia “Cyndi” Beck, a Republican; and Register of Deeds Becky Nioce, a Republican.

Candidates hoping to run in this year’s Aug. 4 primary in Shawnee County must file to run by noon Monday at election commissioner Andrew Howell’s office at 3420 S.W. Van Buren. The general elections will be Nov. 3.

The website for Howell’s office on Sunday listed 48 candidates — including 29 Republicans and 19 Democrats — as having filed to run for federal, state and county offices in Shawnee County.

That’s five fewer than the 53 who ran for those offices in the Aug. 2 primary during the last presidential election year, 2016.

Information posted on the website of Howell’s office indicates that in other races:

• Incumbent Republican Mike Kagay and Democrat Joshua Luttrell are the only candidates to have filed for the office Kagay holds as Shawnee County district attorney.

• Three candidates — Republican incumbent Steve Watkins, Republican State Treasurer Jake LaTurner and Michelle De La Isla – a Democrat who is Topeka’s mayor – have filed here to run for the seat Watkins holds representing the state’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

• Eight Republicans and two Democrats have filed to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Pat Roberts. The Democrats are Barbara Bollier and Robert Leon Tillman. The Republicans are 1st District Congressman Roger Marshall, former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Lance Berland, Bob Hamilton, David Alan Lindstrom, Brian Matlock, Steve Roberts and Gabriel Mark Robles.

• Democrats Joe Cheray and Tobias Schlingensiepen and Republican Kristen O’Shea have filed to run for the 18th District seat being vacated by Democrat Vic Miller in the Kansas Senate.

• Democratic incumbent Anthony Hensley and Republican Rick Kloos have filed to run for the 19th District seat in the Kansas Senate.

• Republican incumbent Eric Rucker, Republican Brenda Dietrich — who represents the 52nd District in the Kansas House of Representatives — and Democrat Rachel Willis have filed to run for the 20th District seat in the Kansas Senate.

• Republican incumbent Ronald B. Ellis is the only candidate to have filed to run for the 47th District seat in the Kansas House.

• Republican incumbent Fred C. Patton is the only candidate to have filed to run for the 50th District seat in the Kansas House.

• Republican incumbent Ron Highland is the only candidate to have filed to run for the 51st District seat in the Kansas House.

• Democrats Mary Lou Davis and Sam A. Nasser and Republicans Jesse Borjon and Daniel R. Donaldson have filed to run for the 52nd District seat being vacated by Dietrich in the Kansas House.

• Democratic incumbent Jim Gartner and Republican Jeff Coen have filed to run for the 53rd District seat in the Kansas House.

• Republican incumbent Ken Corbet and Democrat John Brosz have filed to run for the 54th District seat in the Kansas House.

• Democratic incumbent Annie Kuether is the only candidate to have filed to run to retain her 55th District seat in the Kansas House.

• Democratic incumbent Virgil Weigel and Republican Tim Clothier have filed to run for the 56th District seat in the Kansas House.

• Democratic incumbent John Alcala and Republican Michael Martin have filed to run for the 57th district seat in the Kansas House.

• Democrat Vic Miller, who represents the 18th District in the Kansas Senate, is the only candidate to have filed to run for the 58th District seat in the Kansas House, which he formerly held.

• Democratic incumbent Ann E. Mah is the only candidate to have filed to run for the 4th District seat she holds on the State Board of Education.