Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector editor in chief
@journalist-sherman.bsky.social
I write news stories of public interest.
Most statewide races, aside from Secretary of State, are uncontested. AP declared for Jennifer Day, a Mission, Kansas, businesswoman who received Gov. Laura Kelly's endorsement, early in the evening. kansasreflector.com/2026/08/04/k...
Kansas Democrats, Republicans firm up teams for statewide office contests • Kansas Reflector
Primary election results will bring few surprises for statewide offices, outside of a skirmish among Democrats for Secretary of State.
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Masterson scores win in GOP primary for Kansas governor; Holscher prevails in Democratic race | via @kansascarpenter.bsky.social #ksleg
Masterson scores win in GOP primary for Kansas governor; Holscher prevails in Democratic race • Kansas Reflector
Kansas GOP nomination for governor goes to Senate President Ty Masterson, while a pair of Democrats Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher prove every vote counts.
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Incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall will face United Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton in November’s U.S. Senate election, according to race calls from the Associated Press. #kansasprimary kansasreflector.com/2026/08/04/u...
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, United Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton to compete in November • Kansas Reflector
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall will face United Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton in November’s U.S. Senate election, according to race calls from the Associated Press.
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I'd be curious to hear from somebody in Detroit on this
matt🌻✌️@28tauri.net · 13h agothat's a really interesting quote from the Kansas GOP chair. The hell is this even supposed to mean? How does the amendment make us Detroit??
Early results — as in too early to draw any conclusions — show 71% voting against the constitutional amendment. That's with 126,572 votes posted. #ksleg
Early version of story: The chair of the Kansas Republican Party issued a stern warning Tuesday morning that the vote on whether to elect Supreme Court justices was “the most important election of our lifetime.” #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/08/04/k...
Kansas GOP chair says constitutional amendment vote is most important 'of our lifetime' • Kansas Reflector
Kansas voters were set to evaluate a proposed constitutional amendment that would spike a 68-year-old system for selecting justices for the highest court
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Crunching numbers on this: Early voting is way down this year compared to four years ago, as you might expect. In 2022, JoCo accounted for 40.3% of the state's early votes. This year, it accounted for 40.2%. #ksleg
Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector editor in chief@journalist-sherman.bsky.social · 17h ago(2/) Schwab: "They've had incredibly high advance in-person voting turnout. Her plan to save the county money but also disperse the voting centers ... worked excellent, and there was a lot of folks that kind of questioned whether or not it would work. But the the jury's in, she did great." #ksleg
At Kansas Reflector tonight, we are tracking the constitutional amendment; the governor's race and statewide races; the U.S. Senate and U.S. House races; Kansas State Board of Education races; and legislative races. #ksleg
Schwab also said at the briefing that this is the "smoothest" election (so far) since he became secretary of state #ksleg
(1/) At a press briefing this afternoon, Secretary of State Scott Schwab praised Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt for her plan to eliminate eight early voting sites in the core of the metro and add two at the rural edges of the county. #ksleg
Kansas judge says decision to strike abortion restrictions not ‘even a close call’ The controversial case was made even more so by the timing of the judge’s opinion #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/08/04/k...
Kansas judge says decision to strike abortion restrictions not ‘even a close call’ • Kansas Reflector
A Kansas judge took a sledgehammer to a slate of abortion restrictions dating back to 1997, ruling the state came up short in arguing the Kansas Legislature should be able to impose waiting periods, m...
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Minutes before becoming the newest Kansas Supreme Court justice, Christopher Jayaram issued an opinion from his district bench that invalidates abortion restrictions | #ksleg via @anna-writes.bsky.social kansasreflector.com/2026/08/04/k...
Kansas judge says decision to strike abortion restrictions not ‘even a close call’ • Kansas Reflector
A Kansas judge took a sledgehammer to a slate of abortion restrictions dating back to 1997, ruling the state came up short in arguing the Kansas Legislature should be able to impose waiting periods, m...
kansasreflector.com
Dark money, misleading claims flood Kansas ahead of judicial selection referendum | via @anna-writes.bsky.social and @crazeywriter.bsky.social #ksleg
Dark money, misleading claims flood Kansas ahead of judicial selection referendum • Kansas Reflector
Partisan donors have spent at least $12.8 million in Kansas on dozens of television ads and stacks of mailers, advocating for or against a ballot referendum that could determine the political temperat...
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Group backing constitutional amendment on Kansas Supreme Court sends mailers short on detail, nuance. kansasreflector.com/2026/08/03/f... @kansascarpenter.bsky.social
Fact check: Kansas organization's mailer on constitutional amendment ignores details of cases • Kansas Reflector
Group championing constitutional amendment requiring election of Kansas Supreme Court justices sidelines murder case details to make a point.
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My @kansasreflector.com column today.
A decade after Obama’s historic Hiroshima trip, the world edges toward oblivion. Can we step away? • Kansas Reflector
Thursday is the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and we’re still struggling with the ability to annihilate ourselves.
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Actually, the legacy media covers each of those topics. What happens is people have been >told< that the legacy media doesn’t cover them. @democracydocket.com does fine work, but it’s not exactly a beacon in a cave. It’s one bright light of many, no matter their age.
Marc Elias@marcelias.bsky.social · 5d agoThis is what the legacy media doesn't cover. Luckily, I built Democracy Docket to fill this gap. Help support independent, pro-democracy media by subscribing to Democracy Docket now. demdock.com/4w6emld
The Wyandotte County Election Office sent voters mail-in ballots printed with an incorrect return address, causing completed ballots to be returned to voters instead of the election office. | #ksleg via @maya3smith.bsky.social kansasreflector.com/2026/07/31/w...
Wyandotte County mail ballots printed with wrong address, returned to voters after they sent them in • Kansas Reflector
The Wyandotte County Election Office sent voters mail-in ballots printed with an incorrect return address, causing completed ballots to be returned to voters instead of the election office.
kansasreflector.com
The attorneys for former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody have asked the court to withdraw from his criminal case because of a broken relationship between the attorneys and their client | #ksleg kansasreflector.com/briefs/attor...
Attorneys for former police chief who led Kansas newspaper raid want to drop him as a client • Kansas Reflector
The attorneys for former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody have asked the court to withdraw from his criminal case because of a broken relationship between the attorneys and their client.
kansasreflector.com
Sorting out the finger-pointing over Kansas Democrats imposing unnecessary restrictions on county parties and federal candidates #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/07/30/k...
Kansas Democrats, confused by ethics rules, restricted interactions with federal candidates • Kansas Reflector
The Kansas Democratic Party stoked confusion and frustration by issuing restrictive guidelines to county party leaders about ethics rules surrounding candidates for federal office, saying county parti...
kansasreflector.com
Northeast Kansas education board candidates share ideas for funding, local control, technology | via @bayaburgess.bsky.social #ksleg
Northeast Kansas education board candidates share ideas for funding, local control, technology • Kansas Reflector
While a Democrat running for the state education board wants fully funded special education, the Republican candidate wants to investigate spending.
kansasreflector.com
Trump calls on Kansans to vote early while promoting GOP candidate for governor | via @anna-writes.bsky.social #ksleg
Trump calls on Kansans to vote early while promoting GOP candidate for governor • Kansas Reflector
President Donald Trump encouraged Kansans to vote leading up to Tuesday’s primary election while on a phone call Wednesday to boost Kansas GOP gubernatorial candidate Ty Masterson’s profile.
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The president's "tele-rally" with Senate President Ty Masterson starts by playing Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." #ksleg
State education board candidates for the southeast district share their views on curriculum and digital technology in the classroom. kansasreflector.com/2026/07/24/s...
Southeast Kansas education board candidates share perspectives on curriculum, digital technology • Kansas Reflector
Candidates running for a southeast Kansas State Board of Education seat differ on whether social issues belong in classroom conversations.
kansasreflector.com
A lawyer from Lawrence decided to run for congress after DOGE cuts slashed her job. She's focused on rural Kansas, grassroots fundraising and challenging the Trump administration. kansasreflector.com/2026/07/27/u...
U.S. House candidate who lost job to DOGE campaigns on grassroots fundraising, rural Kansas issues • Kansas Reflector
Democrat Lauren Reinhold decided to run for Congress in Kansas after the Trump administration’s DOGE eliminated her federal position.
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An in-depth look by @crazeywriter.bsky.social at the impact murals can have on local communities #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/07/27/i...
'Inspired by art': Murals help unite and define Kansas towns, boosting pride, health and economy • Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Artist Sarah Fizell doesn’t need convincing that public art affects neighborhood pride, community perceptions and even residents’ physical health. But sometimes the real impact is conveyed in...
kansasreflector.com
Flood of poll watchers, observers, monitors to descend on midterm voters | #ksleg via David Lightman kansasreflector.com/2026/07/24/r...
Flood of poll watchers, observers, monitors to descend on midterm voters • Kansas Reflector
Political party poll watchers are showing up more and more, usually outside polling places.
kansasreflector.com
Kansas Reflector columnist @maxmccoy.com won a first-place National Society of Newspaper Columnists award for the second year in a row, claiming the top prize for humor writing #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/07/23/k...
Kansas Reflector columnist wins first-place national award for second-straight year • Kansas Reflector
Kansas Reflector columnist Max McCoy won a first-place National Society of Newspaper Columnists award for the second year in a row, claiming the top prize for humor writing.
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Former employees of megachurch pastor and U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton say he was a caring but demanding boss, and some scrutinize his response to child sex abuse at a church camp in 2005 | #ksleg w/ @anna-writes.bsky.social and @kansascarpenter.bsky.social kansasreflector.com/2026/07/22/a...
At nation's largest Methodist church, ex-employees split on Kansas pastor running for U.S. Senate • Kansas Reflector
Former employees of megachurch pastor and U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton say he was a caring but demanding boss, and some scrutinize his response to the first report of child sex abuse at a churc...
kansasreflector.com
Today, we’re celebrating our 6th birthday! The best birthday gift is a donation to Kansas Reflector. Your support allows us to keep reporting on the stories that matter most to you. Will you join the celebration today? kansasreflector.com/donate/
Donate • Kansas Reflector
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Late posting this. Just got back from trout fishing in the Ozarks. My @kansasreflector.com column today.
The ‘developer’ of a Kansas data center swore under oath he wasn’t involved. My town is bamboozled. • Kansas Reflector
The debate over the data center proposal has been fierce in Emporia, mirroring arguments in Kansas and across the rest of the country.
kansasreflector.com