FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2026
Contact:
Hans Torgerson,
hans@kansasdems.org
MELTDOWN: MASTERSON AND SARNECKI IN NASTY FEUD AHEAD OF TOMORROW'S GOP DEBATE
The nastiest feud in the Kansas GOP primary is about to be live on TV
TOPEKA, Kan. — Over the past week, the Kansas GOP primary has collapsed even further into a bitter, deeply personal brawl — with accusations of corruption, backroom dealing, and outright lying flying. Tomorrow night it plays out live on television as the far-right candidates appear in their first televised debate of the cycle.
Here's how we got here:
After Trump's endorsement of Masterson, Sarnecki came out swinging — calling Masterson's record "an absolute disaster," accusing him of being "bought and paid for by lobbyists and special interests," and alleging Masterson "straight up LIED about his record on green energy" at the last debate.
According to radio personality Pete Mundo, a Masterson surrogate allegedly offered Sarnecki the lieutenant governor slot before the June 1 filing deadline — an offer Sarnecki publicly and loudly refused.
Masterson responded by preaching ‘party unity’ — while telling a radio audience that he feared the debate would devolve into angry exchanges and that getting involved would be like getting "in the mud with the pigs" — before floating skipping the debate entirely.
When Sarnecki publicly dared him to show up, Masterson clapped back: "You always struggled with the truth, Phil. See you tomorrow."
Just today, with the debate one day away, Sarnecki fired one final warning: "Looking forward to talking about the TRUTH of YOUR record tomorrow night! Can't wait!"
Statement from Hans Torgerson, Spokesperson for the Kansas Democratic Party:
"While Masterson and Sarnecki are busy with their petty personal grudge match, Kansas families are drowning in rising costs, surging gas prices, and a trade war decimating rural communities. Neither of these extreme, out-of-touch politicians has offered a single real answer. The chaos is all they've got."
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