12:07 a.m.
Moran spoke briefly with reporters after declaring victory and said he has yet to hear from Tiahrt's campaign. But he said he doesn't think the contentious primary will hurt his chances in November.
"I'm sorry the campaign became so negative," he said. "Kansas voters became tired with the nature of this campaign.... it's fine. We'll be fine."
While the race was a little closer than expected, Moran said he had a surprisingly calm day.
"It's been a long day," he said. "But it's been a calm day. The outcome was (already) determined."
12 a.m.
U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran has won the Kansas GOP Primary for U.S. Senate, the hardest fought race of the year in Kansas.
“My guess is we have a younger audience than we had earlier,†he joked as he took the stage just before midnight. Most of the Republicans gathered in Overland Park left a few hours before, but at least a hundred waited to see who won the Tiahrt-Moran battle.
“This is a very humbling experience for what used to be a small town boy,†he said. “… I will never forget where I come from, I will never forget how I got there.â€
“Let’s take this enthusiasm to November and restore America,†he said.
Now it’s on to the matchup with Democrat Lisa Johnston.
11:50 p.m.
Moran is taking the stage to loud cheers.
11:30 p.m.
The Associated Press has called the U.S. Senate GOP Primary for Moran. A round of applause went up among the Republicans sticking it out til the bitter end.
Moran is here and is expected to speak to the crowd shortly.
10:25 p.m.
We have results...
John Rizzo bested Will Royster in the Democratic Primary for Missouri House, 40th District.
T.J. Berry beat Noel Shull in the GOP Primary for Missouri House, 35th District.
Robert Schaaf won the GOP nomination over John DeStefano in Missouri House District 34.
And Susan Montee easily beat Abdul Akram in the Democratic Primary for Missouri Auditor.
In Kansas, Republican state Sen. Terrie Hutington of Fairway defeated primary challenger David Harvey in the GOP primary in the state’s 17th Senate district in Johnson County.
Jim Denning won the GOP nod in the 19th Kansas House district Over James A. Walker.
Rob Bruchman easily won the GOP nomination to take Kevin Yoder’s old Statehouse Seat, the 20th House District. Bruchman, of Overland Park, beat out Stephanie Sawyer Clayton.
And we have our first vanquished incumbent. Republican state Rep. Jill Quigley was defeated by Kelly Meigs in the 17th House District GOP Primary.
10:20 p.m.
It’s Yoder Voter time.
“It’s time we return this seat back home where it belongs,†Yoder told a jubilant crowd in accepting the Republican nomination for Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District.
“We are ready to win this seat,†he said. “We know that it’s time that we return fiscally responsible leadership back to Washington.â€
Yoder thanked his eight opponents in the primary – and did something that challenged many a political observer this year: he ticked off all eight names by heart. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for every single one,†he said.
10 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins is claiming victory over Kansas state Sen. Dennis Pyle in the GOP Primary for Kansas' 2nd Congressional district.
Good enough to announce a "Nancy Pelosi Retirement Kickoff" event Wednesday in Topeka. Her fellow Republican nominees for Congressional seats will join her, according to her statement.
With 94 percent of votes counted, Jenkins was beating Pyle 57 percent to 43 percent.
The 2nd District includes Leavenworth, Topeka, Manhattan, southeast Kansas and parts of Lawrence.
9:50 p.m.
Republicans Derek Schmidt and Sandy Praeger have both claimed victory in their respective primaries. Schmidt, the state Senate Majority Leader, faced Junction City prosecutor Ralph De Zago in the GOP primary for KS Attorney General
Schmidt faces incumbent AG Steve Six, a Democrat, in what’s likely to be a tough general election race.
“Now we start a 91-day sprint,†said Schmidt, of Independence.
Praeger faced David J. Powell in the Republican Primary for KS Insurance Commissioner. She faces no opposition in November.
9:30 p.m.
Biggest surprises so far?
Not Prop C. The Missouri ballot initiative – a rebuttal of the federal health care reform law – is winning by 3:1 margin. Hardly a shocker.
Kevin Yoder and Patricia Lightner are pretty close in the GOP Primary for KS’ 3rd Congressional District – a 10 point race at this point. A lot of people thought Yoder would cruise.
Many people expected Kris Kobach to win the Republican Primary for KS Secretary of State. But as of 9:25 he’s cruising to an easy win with 62,000 votes compared to Libby Ensley’s 34,000.
But the biggest surprise has got to be Todd Tiahrt’s strong showing – so far. Yesterday a poll showed him 10 points behind Jerry Moran in the GOP Primary for U.S. Senate in Kansas. But right now the two are neck and neck. But it’s early. Look for the Johnson County results to seal the deal for one candidate or the other.
9:15 p.m.
Brownback, speaking with reporters after addressing the crowd, said repealing Kansas' 1-cent sales tax isn't his "top priority." That may come as a shock to some voters who wanted the Republican to undo what the Legislature and Gov. Mark Parkinson did this year to balance the state budget.
Brownback did say a state spending freeze is a priority.
9:05 p.m.
Sam Brownback has claimed victory in the Kansas GOP primary for Kansas governor. Though the results are just starting to come in, Brownback’s victory is all but assured. The U.S. Senator faced Joan Heffington in the primary; Heffington, of Derby, raised little funds and isn’t widely known.
“We’re excited and we’re humbled,†Brownback told the crowd here in Overland Park. “…. You aint’ see nothing yet. We’re just getting started."
He was joined on the podium by his runningmate, state Sen. Jeff Colyer, an Overland Park Republican.
“We face a number of serious problems in this state. We’ve got to move forward. We’ve lost 50,000 private sector jobs," Brownback said. "… Our families are hurting. Eighty percent of our counties are losing population. We’ve got to get out of this rut.
“We’re going on a highway, a highway of growth, of opportunity, of excellence of education that’s the Brownback-Colyer path. It’s a highway to the future.â€
“To put it pretty simply, we gotta take our state back. It’s time. We’re going to lay out a new map.â€
8:25 p.m.
Quotes from the KS GOP watch party in Overland Park:
“We’re up against a hill, if not a mountain, in Wyandotte County†– Chiquita Coggs, Republican running for the Kansas House in heavily Democratic Wyandotte County.
“Is there anything better than being in a room full of Republicans?†– Greg Smith, Republican running for the Kansas House in Overland Park.
“Amanda has the distinction of being bitten by a dog more times than any other candidate this year.†– Ronnie Metzker, Johnson County Republican Party Chairman, speaking of GOP state House candidate Amanda Grosserode, who was severely bitten by a dog while walking door to door. Must have been a yellow dog.
7:35 p.m.
The place is decked out like New Year’s. The candidates look nervous even though most are unopposed. The rock band includes not one but TWO former Johnson County Republican Party chairmen.
It’s election night in Overland Park, GOP style.
A few hundred are here so far to watch the results come in. Two giant projector screens are tuned in to the local returns. Nothing yet.
Ronnie Metzker, current chairman of the county party, just welcomed everyone and noted that candidates without opponents can relax. The wide majority of candidates for state legislature and county and local races have no primary opposition.
“Four hundred and seventy people become an instant winner tonight,†Metzker said.
Three of those Republican candidates then took the stage – state Rep. Rob Olson of Olathe, House Majority Leader Ray Merrick of Stilwell and state Rep. Marvin Kleeb of Overland Park. All three said it’s time to turn the focus to November.
“It’s time to take our state back and our country and quit allowing these Democrats to raise our taxes,†Olson said.
Merrick noted that the Democrats have made inroads in Johnson County by winning state House seats long occupied by Republicans.
“It’s hard to be in Topeka and watch four of our seats here in Johnson County have Democrats in those seats,†Merrick said. “We need to take back those seats.â€
5 p.m.
This may be a first: protesting an election winner before he's even won.
Kansas Families for Education, a group that lobbies lawmakers for school funding, plans to protest Kevin Yoder tonight at the Overland Park Marriott where Yoder and other Republican candidates will be watching the results. Yoder, a Kansas House member from Overland Park, is a front runner in the GOP primary for Kansas' 3rd District Congressional Seat. He's considered the frontrunner in the field of nine seeking the nomination.
The fact that he hasn't won yet doesn't seem to deter his critics.
“Yoder campaigned for the Kansas legislature as a Johnson County moderate and promised his constituents he would protect the interests of local school districts such as Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley,†KFE said in a press release announcing the protest. “But when he decided to run for Congress and knew he would have to win a tough Republican primary against an anti-education conservative, Yoder turned his back on our schools, our kids and his constituents.â€
4:45 p.m.
We’re not even done with today’s elections and already November’s ballot is getting bigger.
Missouri voters will vote in November on whether Kansas City and St. Louis have to let their voters decide to keep their one-percent earnings taxes.
The Missouri Secretary of State approved the ballot question today.
This from my colleague Dave Helling:
The Secretary of State’s office today certified petition signatures submitted by Let Voters Decide, a committee largely funded by St. Louis multi-millionaire businessman Rex Sinquefield, who has given more than $6.8 million to the effort.
The certification means voters across the state will face a change in state law that would:
1) Prohibit any city from enacting an earnings tax.
2) Require KC and St. Louis to put their taxes up for a vote every five years, starting next year. If voters in either city failed to re-authorize the tax, it would phase out over ten years and could not be re-imposed unless the state law is repealed or changed.
Let Voters Decide said it submitted more than 210,000 petition signatures, roughly double the number needed to put the measure on the November ballot.
Kansas City officials are not surprised at the outcome, despite a campaign to discourage local voters from signing the petition. They are now deciding if they’ll campaign against the ballot measure this fall, or wait and see if statewide voters say yes — then focus, if necessary on the citywide campaign next year if needed.
That vote would likely come in April, after the primary and runoff elections for city council and mayor, and could cost more than $500,000. There could also be a court challenge.
The earnings tax is a one-percent levy on the income of anyone who lives or works in Kansas City, Mo. It provides the city roughly $200 million each year for its general operating fund.
Under the terms of the statewide proposal, Kansas City voters would have to vote “yes†to keep the tax and “no†to end it. If Kansas City failed to put the measure on the ballot, it would automatically be repealed and would phase out over ten years.
4:15 p.m.
So where’s the party tonight?
Most candidates are planning small events to watch the results roll in. But a few groups are hosting larger election watch parties for the faithful.
Kansas Republican candidates in Kansas – many of them, anyway – will gather at the Marriott in Overland Park tonight to watch the returns. Sam Brownback, Jerry Moran and Kevin Yoder will be there, along with many of the local lawmakers up for election.
Todd Tiahrt will celebrate/bemoan tonight’s results in Wichita. Kris Kobach will be in Topeka.
In Missouri, Democrats are gathering at Kansas City’s Uptown Theater. Some Republican candidates plan to stop by an election night party at JPI Glass in Kansas City.
The Wyandotte County Democrats will hold a primary election watch party at Jalisco’s in KCK. The Johnson County Democratic Women picked an auspicious spot: the Lucky Brewgrille in Mission.
3:20 p.m.
We’re getting a lot of calls from Kansas voters confused by party affiliation when voting in a primary.
No wonder. It is confusing.
The parties get to set the rules for their primaries, so they vary between the Republicans and the Democrats.
Kansas Democrats typically hold open primaries, meaning that unaffiliated voters may cast a ballot in the Democratic Primary.
The Republicans, however, conduct closed primaries, meaning only registered Republicans can cast a ballot.
But it’s still more complicated. Unaffiliated voters are allowed to align with either party at the polls on Election Day. So unaffiliated voters can vote in either primary as long as they declare a party affiliation at the polls. They can always shift back to unaffiliated after the election.
Here’s what the Johnson County Election Office website has to say:
“An unaffiliated voter may declare a party at the polls on Election Day.
A voter who is already affiliated with a party may not change party affiliation on Election Day.
A voter must reregister to change party affiliation. Registration is closed 14 days prior to each election.
In a primary election, voters who are registered as unaffiliated, Libertarian and Reform may vote "only" on the county commissioner candidates or on ballot questions.â€
3:05 p.m.
Just a primary? Several races could easily be decided tonight.
First among them is the U.S. Senate race in Kansas. Yes, the Democrats have a field of candidates each fighting to be the nominee. But Republicans have held the seat since the Great Depression – the nation’s longest Senate winning streak. If it continues, you can expect the next U.S. Senator from Kansas to be either Jerry Moran or Todd Tiarht.
Over in Jackson County, several county legislative races will be decided tonight with no need for a November vote. Democrats Henry Rizzo, Patricia Flucas and Crystal Williams are running for the 2nd District At Large. The winner faces no opposition in November.
Fred Arbanas and Terry Riley square off tonight in the Democratic Primary for the 3rd District At Large. The winner is home free in November.
Ditto the 1st District At Large race. Theresa Garza Ruiz and Ray Salva are the candidates in today’s Democratic Primary. There are no other contenders.
Same is true in the 3rd District, where Democrats will pick either Dennis Waits or Curt Dougherty today. Likewise with the 5th District, where Republican primary candidates Jay Still, Patricia Bottcher and Gregory Grounds are the only candidates in the race.
Today’s Republican Primary for Kansas Board of Education will decide who represents parts of Johnson County on the school board. Kansas Board of Education member John Bacon faces fellow Republican Dennis George today; there’s no general election opposition.
Unless David Powell bests Sandy Praeger tonight in the GOP Primary for Kansas Insurance Commissioner Praeger will get a third term. There’s no general election opposition so whoever the GOP nominee is, they can take a vacation this fall.
1:35 p.m.
Got an update on turnout in Wyandotte County: as of noon 6,211 voters had cast a ballot, or about 7.5 percent of the county's registered voters.
County elections guru Bruce Newby said turnout is on track to meet his prediction of 12-15 percent turnout.
1:30 p.m.
Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran are staying busy on Election Day, hoping for any last-minute advantage in what’s been the area’s most contentious race.
The two Republican U.S. Senate candidates continued their non-stop war of press releases, tweets and facebook updates with Tiahrt claiming yet more help from Sarah Palin.
Palin didn’t show up to help Tiahrt in person, but she did issue another tweet and a facebook update on his behalf:
"I want to remind the good people of Kansas to vote on Tuesday for Todd Tiahrt for U.S. Senate. He is a strong commonsense conservative who will serve Kansans with honor and help put our country on the right fiscal track."
A poll yesterday gave Moran a 10-point advantage over Tiahrt, but he’s not taking today off. Along with a flurry of press releases and emails to supporters, Moran made a stop in Hays before heading to Russell and then to Johnson County for tonight’s results.
12:55 p.m.
Results won’t be in for several hours but already Kansas Republicans are claiming one victory: more Republicans than Democrats cast advance ballots.
As of last night, 57,534 Republican ballots had been received by election officials, compared to 17,668 Democratic ballots.
It’s hardly surprising – afterall registered Republicans outnumber Democrats in Kansas by nearly two to one. But state GOP Chairwoman Amanda Adkins was happy to argue the GOP’s hot races this year had something to do with it too.
“Our ballot has something the Democrat ballot does not; competition,†she said. “Competition promotes excellence and Kansans will today choose the candidates who can propel our state on a path to growth and prosperity.â€
12:45 p.m.
Reports of light voting are coming in from both sides of the stateline. When I voted just after 11 a.m. at the local high school I was voter No. 22.
Traffic is similarly slow at other polling places. Kansas City election officials report 5,000 voters by 12:30 – a good number, but only if you forget that it’s only 2 percent of registered voters.
We are checking on complaints that the primary ballots for both parties in Missouri are too wide to fit the vote tabulators. That’s a problem that could set back results tonight if the ballots must be hand counted, but one local official just told my colleague Dave Helling that they’re working around the problem.
7:35 a.m.
Good morning! Happy Election Day.
The polls are open and the temperature is surging. Turnout is expected to be dismal – 24 percent in Missouri and 19 percent in Kansas – but those few voters who struggle to the polls are mighty powerful.
After all, they’ll decide dozens of hard-fought races in both states, and set the stage for more political drama ahead of the November fall elections.
Here are the big ones:
U.S. Senate, Kansas GOP Primary. Jerry Moran vs. Todd Tiahrt in one of the most contentious races in years. Voters today will most likely pick Kansas’ next Senator, since the Democrats haven’t won the office in Kansas in 70 years.
Missouri 4th Congressional District race, the GOP primary. Bill Stouffer vs. Vicky Hartzler.
U.S. House, Kansas 3rd District. Kevin Yoder is the front runner in a nine-person GOP Primary Field determined to succeed Dennis Moore in Congress.
U.S. Senate, Missouri GOP Primary. Will Roy Blunt win the GOP nod?
Several ballot questions in the area. All Missouri voters will get to weigh in on federal health care reform thanks to Prop C.
Lots of close legislative races too. The 8th District state Senate seat in eastern Jackson County is seeing a hot GOP primary. Bryan Pratt vs. Will Kraus vs. Gary Dusenberg.
A hot race in Kansas? Kansas Secretary of State, GOP Primary. Kris Kobach has single handedly made this one to watch. But he'll have to make it past J.R. Claeys and Libby Ensley today.
Johnson County Commission chair. Annabeth Surbaugh, Ed Eilert, John Segale and John Toplikar. (Two advance to November).
Jackson County Legislature. Henry Rizzo vs. Crystal Williams, Fred Arbanas vs. Terry Riley.
Still not sure who’s who? We got you covered. We’ll be blogging the latest news, observations and reports throughout the day from the polls, the election offices and the campaign headquarters.
While you’re here let us know about your voting experience. What issues and candidates drove you out to vote today? Was it a good crop of candidates, or a bunch of clunkers? What races are you most looking forward to this fall? We want to hear about it.
Send your emails to dklepper@kcstar.com or just drop a comment below.
And results… we’ll post them as soon as they start trickling in.
Stay cool and stay in touch.
Google+
Share
Tweet