One of the most surprising results in Kansas was Democrat Kristen Schultz beating 7-term incumbent Bill Sutton in Trump+23 HD-43, which includes the city of Gardner, an outer exurb in southwest JoCo!
Schultz ran an affordability-centered campaign, calling for ending tax breaks for data centers, fully funding public schools, lowering property taxes, and expanding Medicaid.
Gardner is a rapidly-growing exurb of Kansas City, but a Democrat winning here is unprecedented.
Some counties in Kansas release precinct-level results on election night, and one of those counties is Douglas County, home to Lawrence and the University of Kansas. Douglas is the bluest county in Kansas, and it's no surprise that Hamilton and Holscher walloped here.
Hamilton actually won the City of Lecompton in the county's northwest, which was the proslavery legislature's capital during the Bleeding Kansas era. In a couple precincts in central Lawrence, the Democrats pulled over 90% of the vote.
Alright it's time to get back on the horse. I think that precinct results will be out in mid-late December and I want to have my shapefile done before then.
Here's a quick and dirty map of the flips in the Kansas House. Democrats flipped 20 seats, making massive inroads especially in the JoCo suburbs and exurbs.
The Kansas governor's race is a nailbiter right now. Either way, I think:
1) It will be decided by less than a point
2) Masterson is favored at the moment
Streak broken 🤩🤩
Now the longest streak belongs to a tie between Utah and Wyoming, who haven't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1970. Clock's ticking!
The Kansas governor's race is a nailbiter right now. Either way, I think:
1) It will be decided by less than a point
2) Masterson is favored at the moment
