Matthew Kelly
@bymatthewkelly.bsky.social
Reporter covering Kansas state government for The Kansas City Star & The Wichita Eagle, mkelly@kcstar.com for tips, he/they
Kansas has captured America’s imagination as pundits, high-dollar donors and the president himself have descended on the state ahead of Election Day. But the focus on a hypercompetitive U.S. Senate race could be allowing another high-stakes race to fall under the radar.
The Kansas governor race is now rated a ‘toss-up.’ Here’s why it may matter the most
“What is really at risk here by focusing so much on the Senate race is all of the air being sucked out of the room.”
kansascity.com
Kansas GOP Chair Danedri Herbert said she heard the news from the Republican National Committee. “That’s all they told me that it was canceled and we’d get more information,” Herbert said. “They are going to do a series of tele-rallies but I don’t have any information about those.”
Kacen J. Bayless@kacen.bsky.social · 5d agoNew: Trump’s second Kansas rally canceled amid high-stakes Senate race, GOP says w/ @bymatthewkelly.bsky.social #ksleg www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback contributed $2,000 to Republican nominee Ty Masterson’s campaign in September. The Kansas Secretary of State’s campaign finance database shows Masterson is the first statewide candidate Brownback has given money to aside from himself.
Marshall is 66. The next time his seat is set to be on the ballot in 2032, he will be 72 — the same age as fellow Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran.
Would Marshall run again? He asked voters for ‘one more term, for six more years’
Marshall is 66. The next time his seat is set to be on the ballot in 2032, he will be 72 — the same age as fellow Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran.
kansascity.com
At one point, Vance, who arrived in Topeka fresh off another rally in Montana, warned against electing Hamilton to represent Texas. He quickly corrected himself. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Five moments that stood out from JD Vance rally as GOP fights to keep Kansas red
The vice president described the Rev. Adam Hamilton, who has never run for office before, as “a lab creation of Washingtonopolis.”
kansascity.com
“More than 50,000 voters have already cast ballots during early voting,” Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt said. “To date, the Election Office has heard directly from three voters reporting concerns with a ballot marking device.” www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Former Kansas official claims JoCo ballot defaulted to Dems. Election chief responds
“More than 50,000 voters have already cast ballots during early voting. To date, the Election Office has heard directly from three voters reporting concerns with a ballot marking device.”
kansascity.com
(Gift link) Trump praised U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall as a well-respected patriot and hammered his opponent, Johnson County pastor Adam Hamilton, as “a radical left lunatic” who “openly mocks Jesus.”
Five things that stood out in Trump’s night of bluster and revelry at Kansas rally
Trump praised Sen. Roger Marshall as a patriot and hammered the Rev. Adam Hamilton as “a radical left lunatic” who “openly mocks Jesus.”
kansascity.com
(Gift link) Newly released records give evidence of at least some of the work Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson has done as GoCreate director at Wichita State University — a role that has emerged as a political liability during his campaign for governor. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Fourteen emails in 4 months: Records show Masterson’s work at alleged ‘no-show job’
The GoCreate director is set to receive a pay raise of more than $24,000 in 2027, bringing the position’s base salary to $241,781.
kansascity.com
The massive incentive district includes much of KCK, Bonner Springs, Edwardsville, Shawnee, Lenexa and Olathe. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
How big is STAR bond district for Chiefs’ stadium? Check out Kansas incentive map
The massive incentive district includes much of KCK, Bonner Springs, Edwardsville, Shawnee, Lenexa and Olathe.,
kansascity.com
New: President Donald Trump defended Sen. Roger Marshall's history of suing patients in a wide-ranging social media post on Monday. Trump's claim was legally dubious. His review of Marshall was glowing. w/ @bymatthewkelly.bsky.social #ksleg www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
‘Bum rap’: Trump claims Marshall could have been arrested for not suing patients
Trump defended Marshall in a wide-ranging social media post that also cast the Rev. Adam Hamilton as too liberal.
kansascity.com
SUNDAY EXCLUSIVE: My colleague @bymatthewkelly.bsky.social examined thousands of court documents and found no other Kansas medical providers charging annual interest at 18% or any rate above 12%. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
kansascity.com
(Gift link) In reviewing thousands of court documents, The Star found no other Kansas medical providers that charged annual interest at 18% or any other specified rate above 12%. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Marshall charged 18% on medical bills — more than other Kansas doctors who sued
In reviewing thousands of court documents, the Star found no other medical providers that charged annual interest at 18% or any other specified rate above 12%.
kansascity.com
After previously declining an invitation on the grounds that Republican incumbent Roger Marshall didn’t qualify to participate, the Rev. Adam Hamilton on Monday evening agreed to a televised debate hosted by Nexstar Media Group in early October.
Masterson says he won’t debate again. Will KS voters get another Senate showdown?
So far, voters’ only opportunity to size up the candidates on the same stage came during the boisterous Kansas State Fair forums.
kansascity.com
(Gift link) “This is the end of a nightmare and the beginning of a long road back — rebuilding our life and going through her immigration case the way it should always have gone, with due process,” said Dmitry Shyshov, Katsiaryna Bartko’s partner. “But now she will go through it in safety.”
Cancer survivor, pro-democracy activist released by ICE after 4th hospitalization
Katsiarina Bartko’s partner said her release from ICE custody represents “the end of a nightmare and the beginning of a long road back.”
kansascity.com
On Monday, JD Vance reiterated his stance that American manufacturers are getting a raw deal in Canada compared to other countries. He did not respond directly to a question about what the Trump administration plans to do to mitigate economic hardship brought on by the trade war.
Vance defends Trump’s Canadian trade war that could have outsized impact on KC
“If they’re going to mistreat American workers then it’s incumbent upon the president of the United States to fight back,” Vance said.
kansascity.com
“I think it’s a fundamental affront to the idea that every single person is entitled to cast their ballot as they see fit,” Vance said. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Vance calls court’s decision to block MO map ‘affront to the Democratic process’
“I think it’s a fundamental affront to the idea that every single person is entitled to cast their ballot as they see fit,” Vance said.
kansascity.com
Kansas’ junior Republican senator repeatedly found himself on the defensive as he navigated questions about the Trump administration’s controversial foreign policy agenda and tariff regime in front of a boisterous crowd. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Sen. Marshall contends with Hamilton-friendly crowd at Kansas State Fair debate
Marshall found himself on the defensive as he navigated questions about Trump’s controversial foreign policy agenda and tariff regime.
kansascity.com
Kansas voters’ two choices for governor spent Saturday morning clashing over the issues and trading vitriolic personal attacks during a debate at the state fairgrounds in Hutchinson. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Masterson, Holscher land blows in first face-to-face Kansas gubernatorial debate
Kansas voters’ two choices for governor spent Saturday morning clashing over the issues and trading vitriolic personal attacks during a debate at the state fairgrounds.
kansascity.com
Healthcare expenses are the number-one cause of bankruptcies in the U.S. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Sen. Marshall faces backlash over ‘unbelievably aggressive’ lawsuits against patients
Healthcare expenses are the number-one cause of U.S. bankruptcies. A report found Marshall sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills.
kansascity.com
Bombardier’s Wichita workforce primarily focuses on defense work, including preparing Canadian-manufactured planes for the U.S. Air Force.
Wichita is home to Bombardier’s U.S. headquarters. Trump wants to block plane sales
Bombardier’s Wichita workforce primarily focuses on defense work, including preparing Canadian-manufactured planes for the U.S. Air Force.
kansas.com
Kansas governor hopeful Ty Masterson is trying out a new look on his campaign website and social media. The refresh is decidedly less Trump-centric than a month ago. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Trump branding disappeared from Masterson’s campaign after post-primary refresh
Ty Masterson’s campaign says he’s still proud of the endorsement that propelled him to the GOP nomination. His critics see a weakness.
kansascity.com
A high-stakes court case challenging the constitutionality of Kansas abortion restrictions should be retried, the AG’s office argued in a new filing. The question is whether the filing was made in time for a judge to weigh it on its merits or if Kris Kobach’s office missed a key deadline.
Procedural misstep by Kobach’s office complicates bid for abortion case retrial
A district court clerk initially rejected the retrial filing, citing improperly formatted exhibits. The correction came after a deadline.
kansascity.com
The Kansas attorney general said America’s approach to birthright citizenship makes the country “an outlier in the world.” www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Kobach blasts ‘weakly reasoned’ birthright citizenship ruling; pitches workaround
The Kansas attorney general said America’s approach to birthright citizenship makes the county “an outlier in the world.”
kansascity.com
(Gift link) Katsiaryna Bartko alleges life-sustaining medication was confiscated and withheld from her in ICE custody, ratcheting up her risk of slipping into a coma due to extreme hormone deficiency. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Cancer survivor, pro-democracy activist could die in Kansas ICE prison, supporters say
Katsiaryna Bartko alleges life-sustaining medication was withheld from her in ICE custody, ratcheting up risk of hormone deficiency coma.
kansascity.com
The KC area exports about $4 billion in goods to Canada annually, including vehicles, plastics, chemicals and agricultural products. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Trump’s escalating trade war with Canada could hit Kansas City especially hard
The KC metro area exports about $4 billion in goods to Canada annually, including vehicles, plastics, chemicals and agricultural products.
kansascity.com
More than a year and a half after the crash that shocked Kansas and the nation, families of the 67 victims are still waiting for accountability. Story w/ @kacen.bsky.social www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
After ‘wholly avoidable’ Wichita-DC crash, safety reforms stall. Will Congress act?
More than a year and a half after the deadly midair collision, families of the 67 victims are still waiting for safety regulations.
kansascity.com
Marshall is attempting to sell off the hurricane-battered three-bed, two-bath house in Sarasota that has emerged as a possible political liability. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Marshall spent more time, taxpayer money near Florida property. It’s up for sale
Marshall is attempting to sell off the hurricane-battered three-bed, two-bath house that has emerged as a possible political liability.
kansascity.com
The daughter of Kansas political royalty was the only woman in the U.S. Senate for her first two years on the job. But Kassebaum was more than just a pioneer. Over the course of her 18 years in office, the moderate Republican developed a reputation as an independent thinker with firm convictions.
Kansas trailblazer and political legend Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker dead at 94
The daughter of Kansas political royalty was the only woman in the U.S. Senate for her first two years on the job.
kansascity.com
Ty Masterson and Cindy Holscher are competing for independent voters’ support in Kansas’ first gubernatorial contest without any independent or third-party candidates in 32 years. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...
Who has the edge in rare Kansas governor race with only 2 candidates in November?
Ty Masterson and Cindy Holscher are competing for unaffiliated voters’ support in Kansas’ first two-way gubernatorial contest in 32 years.
kansascity.com
The ad splices together quotes from two sermons that the founding pastor of Church of the Resurrection gave in 2020.
Ad quotes snippets of Hamilton sermons. What did he say about BLM, climate change?
The ad splices together quotes from two sermons that the founding pastor of Church of the Resurrection delivered in 2020.
kansascity.com