Former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt won the Republican primary in the open 2nd District, a solid red seat that covers much of the state’s eastern flank.
Schmidt, who had the backing of former President Donald Trump, had nearly 50 percent of the vote in the five-candidate field when The Associated Press called the race at 8:58 p.m. Eastern time. Rancher Shawn Tiffany was running second with 22 percent.
In the Democratic primary, former Rep. Nancy Boyda defeated Matt Kleinmann, a community developer who played basketball at the University of Kansas. Boyda, who held the seat from 2007 to 2009, had 51 percent to Kleinman’s 49 percent when the AP had called the race at 11:38 p.m. Eastern time.
Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner, who has held the seat since 2021, announced in April that he was leaving Congress to spend more time with his family. LaTurner won in 2022 by more than 15 percentage points, and the race in November is rated Solid Republican by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.
In the 3rd District, a battleground centered on Kansas City, Republicans selected physician Prasanth Reddy to take on three-term Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids.
Reddy, who raised $1.3 million — including an $87,000 candidate loan — handily defeated fellow Republican Karen Crnkovich, owner of a HVAC company, in the GOP primary. Reddy had 53 percent of the vote when the AP called the race at 10:24 p.m. Eastern Time. Davids was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Reddy has the support of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which recently added him to its Young Guns program, which provides Republican candidates in competitive races with extra resources.
Davids won reelection in 2022 by more than 12 percentage points and had nearly $2.8 million in her campaign account on July 17, to Reddy’s $696,000.
Inside Elections rates the race in November as Likely Democratic.
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