OVERLAND PARK — Incumbents cruised to victory in three of Kansas’ four Congressional seats Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat, and Republican Reps. Tracey Mann and Ron Estes will all serve another term. Former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, won the state’s only open seat in the 2nd District.
Davids took the stage at the Overland Park Convention Center around 9:45 p.m. as results kept streaming in. She said she would be a representative for everyone in the district “whether you voted for me or not.”
“I want to make sure that we’re doing what we can to start getting past all of this partisan bickering,” Davids said. “The partisanship, the awful rhetoric — that stuff is not going to get us where we need to go. It’s not going to move Kansas forward.”
Davids said “the fight for a better Kansas isn’t over.”
“There’s still stuff in front of us,” she said. “There’s still extreme politicians who want to take our country backward. We’re facing attempts to strip away basic freedoms, like a woman’s right to make her own decisions about health care without political interference.”
Davids’ district includes Johnson, Miami, Franklin and Anderson counties along with part of Wyandotte County.
Libertarian Steve Roberts, a former Kansas State Board of Education member, was also a 3rd District candidate.
Schmidt, a Republican, won the 2nd District seat over former one-term U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, a Democrat, who conceded the race around 9:45 p.m. At that time, Schmidt was winning with 55% of the vote to Boyda’s 40%, according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office unofficial vote totals.
The district covers most of Kansas’ eastern third. The incumbent, Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner, decided not to seek reelection.
The 2nd District seat has been held by Republicans since former Rep. Lynn Jenkins defeated Boyda in 2008. Lawrence, a reliably liberal area, was removed from the 2nd District after the 2020 Census.
Schmidt thanked supporters in a statement released after Boyda conceded. He said what’s best for the 2nd District and the nation will be his guidepost in office.
“I will start immediately to prepare so that on day one … we can get straight to work securing our border, reducing the high cost of living, reducing the regulatory burden and addressing the many other priorities Kansans have told me are important for our great country,” Schmidt said.
Boyda said in a statement that she called Schmidt to concede and wish him well.
“I wish him all the best as our next representative,” Boyda said. “For the sake of our democracy, I can hope that the next Congress will get serious about governing and set aside the divisive posturing that has been tearing us apart.”
