FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 28, 2026
Contact:
Hans Torgerson
hans@kansasdems.org
NEW: Vicki Schmidt Took More Than $300,000 From Billionaire Donor and His Allies Before Her Department Backed Regulatory Delay
TOPEKA — New reporting from The Kansas City Star reveals that Republican candidate for governor and Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt accepted more than $300,000 in campaign contributions from billionaire Todd Boehly and his allies in the weeks before her department supported delaying new capital rules that Boehly’s Topeka-based company, Security Benefit, had pushed to postpone.
According to The Star, Schmidt received dozens of maximum contributions from Boehly, corporate executives, spouses and business entities connected to Security Benefit or its parent company. Then, in February, one of Schmidt’s deputies voiced support for delaying implementation of the new rules. Schmidt’s campaign refused to comment on her relationship with the billionaire donor or how it might have impacted her department’s actions.
The report comes just weeks after The Star revealed that Ty Masterson accepted the maximum corporate contribution from a company tied to the dangerous 7-OH industry, while Philip Sarnecki received thousands of dollars in in-kind support from a major kratom wholesaler and his wife.
Statement from Hans Torgerson, spokesperson for the Kansas Democratic Party:
“This entire field reeks of pay-to-play politics. While Kansas families are worried about rising costs, public schools and access to health care, Republican candidates for governor are taking money from powerful special interests and refusing to give Kansans straight answers. They are not fighting for Kansas families — they are auditioning to serve the donors bankrolling their campaigns.”
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