Dennis Pyle didn’t spoil the 2022 gubernatorial election for Kansas Republicans. But he did come awfully close.
Pyle, you might remember, is the conservative state senator from Hiawatha who ran as an independent candidate against Gov. Laura Kelly and her GOP challenger, then-Attorney General Derek Schmidt. Kelly beat Schmidt by 22,000 votes — and Pyle got 20,000 votes on a platform that ran well to Schmidt’s right.
Not a spoiler. But close. Close enough that a few Republicans blamed Pyle for cluttering up the race.
