FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2026
Contact:
Hans Torgerson,
hans@kansasdems.org
WHAT TO WATCH TOMORROW: FOUR EXTREME CANDIDATES, NO ANSWERS FOR KANSAS FAMILIES
Republicans in Wichita Tomorrow — All Four Are Out of Step with Kansans
TOPEKA — Tomorrow, four of the Republican candidates for Kansas governor will take the stage at the Wichita Area Builders Association for a live roundtable, broadcast on KNSS 98.7/1330.
Ty Masterson, Philip Sarnecki, Charlotte O'Hara, and Scott Schwab have spent this primary racing to the right and attacking each other rather than focusing on the issues Kansans actually care about.
Here's what to look for on the debate stage tomorrow:
Watch for the feuds:
The last time these candidates shared a stage, Masterson called Sarnecki "a bit of an angry elf," and O'Hara has since taken to calling him "Cranky Sarnecki."
O'Hara is now publicly claiming that Sarnecki told her Clark Hunt and Terry Dunn, two figures deeply involved in tax incentive deals, recruited him to run for governor, undermining his entire outsider pitch.
Watch for the Medicaid silence:
Kansas leads the nation in rural hospitals at risk of closing — 28 of them on the brink, more than any other state. Not one candidate on that stage supports Medicaid expansion.
That leaves 150,000 Kansans uninsured and rural hospitals bleeding out, while 72% of Kansans — including a majority of Republicans — want KanCare expanded.
Watch for the inflation dodge:
Inflation just hit a three-year high of 4.2%, driven by the war in Iran sending gas prices up more than 40% in a year — and Kansas families are paying the price every time they fill up or check out at the grocery store.
These four candidates have spent this primary competing for Trump's favor instead of standing up for Kansas families getting squeezed at the pump and the register.
Tomorrow’s debate is a chance for Kansans to see exactly what the Republican Party is offering in 2026: extreme candidates, personal feuds, silence on tariffs, and opposition to healthcare that the vast majority of Kansans want. Kansas families deserve better than this.
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