Jeff Colyer exits Kansas governor race after losing out on Trump endorsement
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jeff Colyer abandoned his campaign after Trump endorsed Ty Masterson.
- Colyer missed the noon filing deadline, and his campaign social media went silent.
- The Republican primary field remains crowded with multiple declared candidates.
Former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer has abandoned his campaign to reclaim the office after President Donald Trump sidestepped him to endorse Senate President Ty Masterson in the Republican primary.
Colyer’s campaign social media fell silent after the endorsement early last week, and the Johnson County surgeon didn’t show at the Secretary of State’s office in Topeka, where candidates had until noon on Monday to officially file.
Compounding the snub, Trump so far hasn’t made any announcement about a consolation prize for Colyer, the chair of his 2024 campaign operation in Kansas, who built his gubernatorial campaign message around supporting the Republican president.
In the aftermath of the Masterson endorsement, rumors swirled that Trump might award Colyer a post in his administration to soften the blow. A future appointment could still materialize, but Monday’s filing deadline came and went with no such announcement and no statement from Colyer about his plans.
A spokesperson for Colyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This isn’t the first time Trump has scuttled his ambitions.
In 2018, when Colyer was the sitting governor, Trump intervened in the Republican primary to support now-Attorney General Kris Kobach — a move that likely proved decisive, as Kobach defeated Colyer by fewer than 350 votes before losing out to Democrat Laura Kelly.
Colyer was elevated from lieutenant governor to governor after former Gov. Sam Brownback accepted an appointment to become Trump’s ambassador for international religious freedom.
The Republican primary field remains crowded despite Colyer’s exit from the race. Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and Secretary of State Scott Schwab are still in the running, as are Philip Sarnecki, Charlotte O’Hara, Stacy Rogers and Nick Reinecker.
Three Democratic candidates are in contention for the party’s nomination — state Sens. Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher and late arrival Curt Skoog, the mayor of Overland Park, who announced his candidacy and filed to run on Monday.
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Jeff Colyer exits Kansas governor race after losing out on Trump endorsement."
