FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2026
Contact:
Hans Torgerson
hans@kansasdems.org
NEW: Philip Sarnecki Inflated His Voting Record, Skipped Primary Vote That Decided Reproductive Rights in Kansas
TOPEKA — New reporting from the Kansas Reflector reveals that Republican gubernatorial candidate Philip Sarnecki falsely inflated his voting record and missed key votes in the state he’s running to represent.
Sarnecki told the crowd at a Leawood fundraiser he had missed only two primaries in 20 years and no general elections. Secretary of State records show he actually missed five primaries — in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2022, and 2024 — plus the 2012 general election.
The most notable gap: August 2022, when Kansans rejected the "Value Them Both" amendment to strip reproductive rights from the state constitution. When asked about the discrepancy, Sarnecki declined to address it directly, instead pointing to his campaign treasurer's ties to the "Value Them Both" campaign.
Read the full story:
Kansas Reflector: Kansas GOP gubernatorial candidate Philip Sarnecki inflates personal record on voting frequency
By Tim Carpenter
June 26, 2026
Key points:
Sarnecki, while taking questions from the crowd, touted his record of participation as a voter in Kansas elections. And, that’s where his rhetoric ran up against hard facts.
“I missed two primaries in 20 years. No general elections. Two primaries. That’s pretty good… One, I was sick, and one, we were out of the country.”
The public record reveals Sarnecki voted in 15 elections during the past 17 years, but he missed the 2012 general election and the primary elections of 2012, 2014, 2016, 2022 and 2024.
Sarnecki… missed the August 2022 primary that featured a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to nullify a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision declaring the state’s Bill of Rights guaranteed Kansan women the right to end a pregnancy.
In response to inquiries by Kansas Reflector, Sarnecki declined to explain his absence in five — not two — primary elections. He conceded he didn’t have a clean record of taking part in general elections.
“That is so telling that he couldn’t even make the effort to vote in the ‘Value Them Both’ election,” O’Hara said in an interview. “That’s damaging. There’s no excuse.”
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