Here’s where the Kansas governor candidates stand on issues most important to voters

Kansas voters will have the chance to cast a ballot on Nov. 8, or earlier — in-person advance voting starts on Oct. 24 in Sedgwick County.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is running for reelection against Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Libertarian Seth Cordell and Independent Dennis Pyle.

Below are the candidates’ responses to our survey.

And here is a link to voter guide information for other races in south-central Kansas.

How the voter guide works:

Click on the race you are curious about, and you’ll go to a page with candidates’ responses. There, you can use the jump menu to get to a specific race or district.

Any candidates that do not have answers below their names did not respond to the survey. Our team contacted campaigns multiple times via both email and phone calls over the past month.

If you are a candidate who would like to still submit responses, you can email us at mwerts@wichitaeagle.com. Voters will continue using this tool through Election Day.

A note on editing and fact-checking

Some survey responses were very lightly edited for grammar. The substance of the responses was not edited and is in the candidates’ own words. We did not fact-check all of the candidates’ responses.

Kansas Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Laura Kelly and David Toland, Democrat

Do you believe that Kansas should expand Medicaid?

I have always been an advocate for Medicaid expansion, which would expand access to affordable healthcare for over 150,000 hard-working Kansans, boost our economy, create nearly 23,000 jobs, and help our rural hospitals – without raising taxes. All Kansans deserve accessible, affordable health care. When we have a healthy workforce, we have a strong economy.

I have proposed a plan to expand Medicaid four times to the Kansas Legislature. When I’m re-elected, I will send my fifth plan to expand Medicaid. We must get this done. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

Should the Kansas government do anything different when it comes to school funding, policies or curriculum? If yes, what?

After years of chronic underfunding, I fully funded our schools four years in a row – and I’ll continue to invest in our education system. That’s why in my second term we’ll implement a robust, comprehensive early childhood education system. To give our kids the best possible future, they need access to care and education before kindergarten, and implementing a plan that extends into early childhood will create a stronger, more prosperous Kansas for generations to come.

My opponent, Derek Schmidt, defended Sam Brownback’s cuts to our schools in the courts.We can’t risk going backward.

After Kansans voted to preserve the right to abortion in the state constitution, what role should the state government play in creating or enforcing policies that affect people’s access to abortion or reproductive health care?

I stand with the majority of Kansans who do not want the government involved in their private health care decisions. It’s clear that this issue isn’t a partisan issue. Kansans of all political stripes agree to keeping our fundamental rights and leaving private health care decisions to women and their physicians.

I will not support any regressive legislation that takes away rights from Kansans or threatens our ability to attract new business to Kansas.

Do you believe that the 2020 presidential election was fairly decided and that Joe Biden is the legitimate president, and do you condemn the Jan. 6 insurrection?

Yes and yes.

Do you have a position on a specific issue that crosses partisan lines, or that you think is often misunderstood? What is it, and what do you wish voters better understood about your stance?

Working together to get things done is how I’ve always operated. I’ve worked with Republicans in the Legislature to do what is best for Kansans including passing over $1 billion in tax cuts, balancing the budget, investing in our rainy day fund, and axing the food sales tax.

My entire career, I’ve brought together Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to get things done. I work for what is best for Kansas, not any particular party. Since I first took office, I’ve signed nearly 300 bipartisan bills. I govern from the middle to build consensus and move Kansas forward.

Campaign website: www.laurakellyforkansas.com

Derek Schmidt and Katie Sawyer, Republican

After numerous emails, phone calls and text messages over a span of more than two weeks, Attorney General Schmidt did not respond to requests to complete the candidate survey.

Campaign website: schmidtforkansas.com

Seth Cordell and Evan Laudick-Gains, Libertarian

Do you believe that Kansas should expand Medicaid?

No. I believe that the less involved the government becomes with health care, the more affordable it will become.

Should the Kansas government do anything different when it comes to school funding, policies or curriculum? If yes, what?

I believe that curriculum and policies should be set by individual school boards. I also support school choice and rebates for home school families.

After Kansans voted to preserve the right to abortion in the state constitution, what role should the state government play in creating or enforcing policies that affect people’s access to abortion or reproductive health care?

I don’t believe the government should interfere with an individual’s health care choices.

Do you believe that the 2020 presidential election was fairly decided and that Joe Biden is the legitimate president, and do you condemn the Jan. 6 insurrection?

This question is irrelevant to the governorship of Kansas. Arguing about this accomplishes nothing.

Do you have a position on a specific issue that crosses partisan lines, or that you think is often misunderstood? What is it, and what do you wish voters better understood about your stance?

This question is irrelevant to the governorship of Kansas. Arguing about this accomplishes nothing.

Campaign website: CordellforKansas.com

Dennis Pyle and Kathleen E. Garrison, Independent

After numerous attempts to contact via email and phone over a span of more than two weeks, Dennis Pyle did not respond to requests to complete the candidate survey.

Campaign website: pyleforkansas.com

This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 5:21 AM with the headline "Here’s where the Kansas governor candidates stand on issues most important to voters."