2014 Kansas gubernatorial election explained

See also: 2014 Kansas elections.

Election Name:	2014 Kansas gubernatorial election
Country:	Kansas
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2010 Kansas gubernatorial election
Previous Year:	2010
Next Election:	2018 Kansas gubernatorial election
Next Year:	2018
Election Date:	November 4, 2014
Image1:	File:Sam Brownback by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
Nominee1:	Sam Brownback
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Running Mate1:	Jeff Colyer
Popular Vote1:	433,196
Percentage1:	49.82%
Nominee2:	Paul Davis
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Running Mate2:	Jill Docking
Popular Vote2:	401,100
Percentage2:	46.13%
Map Size:	270px
Governor
Before Election:	Sam Brownback
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Sam Brownback
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 2014 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Kansas, concurrently with the election of Kansas' Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Incumbent Republican Governor Sam Brownback ran for re-election to a second term. He was opposed in the general election by Democrat Paul Davis, the Minority Leader of the Kansas House of Representatives, and Libertarian attorney Keen Umbehr.

The election was viewed as a referendum on Brownback's aggressive tax cutting initiatives and his conservative values.^[1] The consensus among The Cook Political Report, Governing, The Rothenberg Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, Daily Kos Elections, and others was that the contest was a tossup. Brownback won the election by a margin of 3.69%. Davis carried seven counties, all in eastern Kansas. As of, this is the most recent time a Republican and/or a man was elected Governor of Kansas. This was also the last gubernatorial election in which a Democratic candidate won Jefferson County, as well as the last time that a candidate was elected Governor of Kansas by winning a majority of counties.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Sam Brownback, incumbent Governor^[2]

• Running mate: Jeff Colyer, incumbent Lieutenant Governor
• Jennifer Winn, businesswoman^[3]

• Running mate: Robin Lais, advertising agency owner and natural healing shop owner^[4]

• Former running mate: Ethan McCord, Iraq War veteran^[5]

Declined

• Kris Kobach, Secretary of State of Kansas (running for re-election)^[6]
• Steve Morris, former President of the Kansas Senate
• Sandy Praeger, Kansas Insurance Commissioner (endorsed Paul Davis)^[7]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Sam Brownback	Jennifer Winn	Undecided
SurveyUSA	July 17–22, 2014	691	± 3.7%	align=center	60%	30%	9%
SurveyUSA	June 19–23, 2014	508	± 4.4%	align=center	55%	37%	8%

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Paul Davis, Minority Leader of the Kansas House of Representatives^[8]

• Running mate: Jill Docking, businesswoman, former member of the Kansas Board of Regents and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1996 (running for Lieutenant Governor)^{[9] [10]}

Declined

• Carl Brewer, mayor of Wichita^[11]
• Jill Docking
• Tom Holland, state senator and nominee for governor in 2010
• Deb Miller, former secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation
• Stephen Morris, former Republican President of the Kansas Senate
• Mark Parkinson, former governor, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living^[11]
• Sandy Praeger, Republican Kansas Insurance Commissioner^{[7] [11]}
• Joe Reardon, former mayor of Kansas City^[11]
• Joshua Svaty, vice president of The Land Institute and former Secretary of Agriculture of Kansas^[12]

Results

Libertarian nomination

Candidates

Declared

• Keen Umbehr, attorney^[13]

• Running mate: Josh Umbehr, physician and son of Keen Umbehr^[14]

General election

Debates

• Complete video of debate, September 6, 2014 - C-SPAN
• Complete video of debate, October 21, 2014 - C-SPAN

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report^[15]		November 3, 2014
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball^[16]		November 3, 2014
align=left	Rothenberg Political Report^[17]		November 3, 2014
align=left	Real Clear Politics^[18]		November 3, 2014

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Sam Brownback (R)	Paul Davis (D)	Keen Umbehr (L)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	align=center rowspan=2	November 1–3, 2014	align=center rowspan=2	963	align=center rowspan=2	± 3.2%	45%	align=center	46%	4%	—	4%
	47%	align=center	48%	—	—	3%
Public Policy Polling	October 30–31, 2014	752	± ?	44%	align=center	48%	5%	—	3%
YouGov	October 25–31, 2014	1,137	± 4.8%	align=center	39%	38%	2%	1%	21%
Fox News	October 28–30, 2014	907	± 3%	42%	align=center	48%	4%	<1%	5%
Survey USA	October 22–26, 2014	623	± 4%	43%	align=center	46%	5%	—	7%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov	October 16–23, 2014	1,973	± 4%	align=center	43%	40%	—	1%	16%
NBC News/Marist	align=center rowspan=2	October 18–22, 2014	757 LV	± 3.6%	44%	align=center	45%	5%	1%	6%
	1,055 RV	± 3%	43%	43%	6%	1%	7%
Rasmussen Reports	October 20–21, 2014	960	± 3%	45%	align=center	52%	—	1%	2%
Gravis Marketing	October 20–21, 2014	1,124	± 3%	44%	align=center	49%	—	—	7%
Monmouth University	October 16–19, 2014	429	± 4.7%	45%	align=center	50%	—	2%	5%
Remington Research	October 9–12, 2014	1,091	± 2.97%	align=center	48%	45%	3%	—	4%
Public Policy Polling	align=center rowspan=2	October 9–12, 2014	align=center rowspan=2	1,081	align=center rowspan=2	± 3%	42%	42%	6%	—	10%
	44%	align=center	45%	—	—	12%
Fox News	October 4–7, 2014	702	± 3.5%	align=center	46%	40%	2%	2%	11%
CNN/ORC	October 2–6, 2014	687	± 3.5%	49%	49%	—	—	2%
SurveyUSA	October 2–5, 2014	549	± 4.3%	42%	align=center	47%	4%	—	7%
Gravis Marketing	September 30–October 1, 2014	850	± 3%	40%	align=center	48%	—	—	12%
NBC News/Marist	align=center rowspan=2	September 27–October 1, 2014	636 LV	± 3.9%	43%	align=center	44%	4%	1%	7%
	1,097 RV	± 3%	41%	align=center	43%	5%	1%	10%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov	September 20–October 1, 2014	2,013	± 3%	align=center	45%	42%	—	0%	12%
Suffolk University	September 27–30, 2014	500	± 4.4%	42%	align=center	46%	6%	—	7%
Fort Hays State University	September 10–27, 2014	685	± 3.8%	37%	align=center	39%	9%	—	16%
Remington Research	September 23, 2014	625	± 3.91%	44%	align=center	46%	5%	—	5%
Rasmussen Reports	September 16–17, 2014	750	± 4%	43%	align=center	47%	—	4%	6%
Fox News	September 14–16, 2014	604	± 4%	41%	align=center	45%	4%	—	8%
Public Policy Polling	align=center rowspan=2	September 11–14, 2014	align=center rowspan=2	1,328	align=center rowspan=2	± 2.7%	38%	align=center	42%	7%	—	14%
	39%	align=center	45%	—	—	15%
KSN/SurveyUSA	September 4–7, 2014	555	± 4.2%	40%	align=center	47%	5%	—	7%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov	August 18–September 2, 2014	839	± 5%	align=center	47%	40%	—	2%	11%
SurveyUSA	August 20–23, 2014	560	± 4.2%	40%	align=center	48%	5%	—	6%
Public Policy Polling	August 14–17, 2014	903	± 3.3%	37%	align=center	39%	9%	—	15%
Rasmussen Reports	August 6–7, 2014	750	± 4%	41%	align=center	51%	—	3%	5%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov	July 5–24, 2014	1,274	± 6.1%	align=center	52%	40%	—	3%	5%
SurveyUSA	July 17–22, 2014	1,208	± 2.9%	40%	align=center	48%	5%	—	7%
SurveyUSA	June 19–23, 2014	1,068	± 3.1%	41%	align=center	47%	—	5%	7%
Rasmussen Reports	April 16–17, 2014	750	± 4%	align=center	47%	40%	—	6%	7%
Public Policy Polling	April 1–2, 2014	886	± 3.1%	41%	align=center	45%	—	—	14%
Public Policy Polling	February 18–20, 2014	693	± 3.7%	40%	align=center	42%	—	—	18%
Wilson Perkins Allen	January 29, 2014	?	± ?	align=center	42%	31%	—	—	27%
SurveyUSA	October 23–24, 2013	511	± 4.4%	39%	align=center	43%	—	12%	6%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Sam Brownback (R)	Carl Brewer (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	February 21–24, 2013	1,229	± 2.8%	align=center	44%	40%	—	15%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Sam Brownback (R)	Tom Holland (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	February 21–24, 2013	1,229	± 2.8%	align=center	45%	38%	—	17%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Sam Brownback (R)	Mark Parkinson (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	February 21–24, 2013	1,229	± 2.8%	align=center	45%	39%	—	16%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Sam Brownback (R)	Joe Reardon (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	February 21–24, 2013	1,229	± 2.8%	align=center	45%	36%	—	19%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Sam Brownback (R)	Kathleen Sebelius (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	February 21–24, 2013	1,229	± 2.8%	align=center	48%	43%	—	9%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Sam Brownback (R)	Chad Taylor (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	February 21–24, 2013	1,229	± 2.8%	align=center	44%	34%	—	22%

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Crawford (largest city: Pittsburg)
• Jefferson (largest municipality: Valley Falls)
• Lyon (largest municipality: Emporia)
• Riley (largest municipality: Manhattan)
• Shawnee (largest municipality: Topeka)

External links

Campaign websites

• Sam Brownback for Governor
• Paul Davis for Governor
• Tresa McAlhaney for Governor
• Keen Umbehr for Governor
• Jennifer Winn for Governor

Notes and References

1. Web site: Brownback defeats Davis in Kansas Governor's race. 2014-11-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129151708/http://kansasfirstnews.com/2014/11/04/brownback-defeats-davis-in-kansas-governors-race/. 2014-11-29. dead.
2. Web site: Brownback running for re-election. Lawrence Journal-World. 21 June 2013. 16 August 2013.
3. Web site: Wichita woman enters governor's race. KAKE. January 12, 2014. March 31, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140325001342/http://www.kake.com/news/coveringkakeland/headlines/Wichita-woman-enters-governors-race-239776441.html. March 25, 2014. dead. mdy-all.
4. Web site: Wichita candidate for governor announces new running mate. https://archive.today/20140626022032/http://www.kansas.com/2014/06/02/3488915/wichita-candidate-for-governor.html. dead. June 26, 2014. The Wichita Eagle. Benchaabane. Nassim. June 2, 2014. June 25, 2014.
5. Web site: Wikileaks Soldier to Run for Ks Lt. Governor. The Kansas City Star. February 11, 2014. October 29, 2016.
6. Web site: In case there's any doubt: Kris Kobach running for re-election in 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20130206183349/http://midwestdemocracy.com/articles/case-theres-any-doubt-kris-kobach-running-re-election-2014/. Midwest Democracy. 1 February 2013. 29 July 2013. February 6, 2013.
7. Web site: Sandy Praeger finds herself an outsider among Kansas Republicans. https://web.archive.org/web/20130627054806/http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/23/4309326/sandy-praeger-finds-herself-an.html. Steve. Kraske. The Kansas City Star. 23 June 2013. 15 August 2013. June 27, 2013.
8. Web site: Davis launches Democratic campaign for Kansas governor. https://archive.today/20130917162156/http://cjonline.com/news/state/2013-09-17/davis-launches-democratic-campaign-kansas-governor. dead. September 17, 2013. September 17, 2013. September 17, 2013. The Topeka Capital-Journal. Tim. Carpenter.
9. Web site: Brownback and His Opponents. Morning Sun. 16 April 2013. 14 June 2013.
10. Web site: Paul Davis forms committee for Kansas governor's race. https://web.archive.org/web/20130811102519/http://www.kansas.com/2013/08/08/2931858/dem-leader-forms-committee-for.html. The Wichita Eagle. John Hanna. August 8, 2013. July 20, 2014. August 11, 2013.
11. Web site: Burdett Loomis: Who will take on Brownback?. Burdett. Loomis. The Wichita Eagle. 4 August 2013. 15 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130916141813/http://www.kansas.com/2013/08/04/2921833/burdett-loomis-who-will-take-on.html. 16 September 2013. dead.
12. Web site: Ex-Kan. ag chief not thinking about gov.'s race. https://archive.today/20130806231414/http://www.kansas.com/2013/07/31/2916887/ex-kan-ag-chief-not-thinking-about.html. dead. 6 August 2013. Associated Press. The Wichita Eagle. John. Hanna. 31 July 2013. 9 August 2013.
13. Web site: Alma lawyer seeks Libertarian nomination for governor. CJOnline. Tim. Carpenter. August 29, 2013. October 2, 2013.
14. Web site: Kansas Man Serving as Dad's Running Mate in Governor's Race. Governing. Kelsey Ryan. May 27, 2014. May 27, 2014.
15. Web site: 2014 Governor Race Ratings for November 3, 2014 . The Cook Political Report . September 3, 2018.
16. Web site: The Crystal Ball's Final 2014 Picks . Sabato's Crystal Ball . September 3, 2018.
17. Web site: 2014 Gubernatorial Ratings . Senate Ratings . The Rothenberg Political Report . September 3, 2018.
18. Web site: 2014 Elections Map - 2014 Governors Races . Real Clear Politics . September 3, 2018.