Topeka ? Kansas Democrats scored big victories on Election night 2006.

Kathleen Sebelius won a second term as governor, Paul Morrison routed Attorney General Phill Kline, and Nancy Boyda defeated five-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun.

The Dems were coloring a traditionally Republican red state purple and boasting about making it blue.

Put away the crayons.

While the rest of the nation on Tuesday rode another Democratic wave with President-elect Barack Obama, Kansas was firmly back on shore in the red column.

Boyda failed to win re-election, Democratic senatorial hopeful Jim Slattery didn’t come close to toppling incumbent U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Democrats remain vastly outnumbered in the Legislature. While Obama did better in Kansas than recent Democratic presidential candidates, he still trailed Republican John McCain, 57 percent to 41 percent.

“Kansas remains bright red,” said Kansas Republican Party executive director Christian Morgan.

Republicans credit a get out the vote effort spearheaded by Roberts’ campaign, a message of low taxes, and Sebelius spending a lot of time out-of-state campaigning for Obama.

“Whatever political success she has enjoyed has clearly been very lonely,” Morgan said.

Outside money pouring in from the national Republican Party and other pro-GOP groups also played a role in the 2nd congressional district race won by State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins over first-termer Boyda.

Sebelius said Kansas Democrats have trouble in presidential years because Kansans haven’t supported a Democrat for the White House since 1964. That hurts Democrats in downballot contests, she said.

“Kansans have a difficult time voting for a Democrat for president,” Sebelius said. “I think it’s tough when you have a candidate at the top of the ticket who is going to lose in double digits, to then convince people who want to vote one way for president to switch party allegiance. That’s always been an uphill climb.”

In the legislative races, the Democrats lost one seat in the state Senate and now are outnumbered 9-31, and they gained one seat in the House, and are down 48-77.

State Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, who won re-election as a member of the shrinking Senate Democratic caucus, looked at the party’s setbacks philosophically.

“There is always an action and reaction,” she said. Maybe Kansas voters expected Obama would become president “and people wanted to make sure there are Republicans for balance,” she said.

“It has been a Republican state. I think we now have this opportunity to see how this administration will work,” said Francisco, adding that she was confident Obama would be good for Kansas.