photo by: Peter Hancock

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Laura Kelly speaks with reporters after voting at her polling place in Topeka on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.

11:45 p.m. Tuesday

A small crowd remained on hand for Paul Davis’ concession speech at about 11 p.m.

Afterwards, several Davis supporters were still trying to comprehend how Democrat Laura Kelly won the governor’s race but Davis lost the 2nd District race.

“It is a mystery,” Jill Allen of Lawrence said.

The state as a whole is generally more conservative than the 2nd District, yet the 2nd District is where conservatives scored their biggest win of the night.

Margaret Kramar, of rural Douglas County, theorized that unsuccessful GOP gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach had even higher negative ratings with female voters than once believed.

“He may have turned women voters off more than we even knew,” Kramar said.

In that regard, Watkins may have benefited from being much less known than Kobach.

“He definitely had his negatives, but he stayed really quiet,” Allen said.

Kelly also had one thing going for her that Davis could not benefit from, Tad Kramar said. Kelly benefited from the voter turnout generated by rising Democratic star Sharice Davids in the 3rd Congressional District in Kansas City. Since Kansas City area voters couldn’t vote in the 2nd District race, Davis didn’t benefit from that groundswell.

“I think Johnson County helped Kelly a lot,” Kramar said.

Unofficial results show that Kelly won Johnson County 55 percent to 38 percent.

11:15 p.m. Tuesday

Paul Davis conceded defeat in his race to win the 2nd District congressional seat and told a Lawrence crowd that he is done seeking public office.

Davis said he called Republican Steve Watkins and congratulated him on his victory.

“He has served our country and I wish him well,” Davis said in remarks at the Douglas County watch party for the Democratic Party in downtown Lawrence.

Davis held an early lead in the race as he won both Douglas and Shawnee counties, but lost in the many rural counties that make up the sprawling 2nd District.

photo by: Ashley Hocking

Democrat Paul Davis, candidate for the 2nd congressional district, conceded to Republican Steve Watkins Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, at Maceli’s in Lawrence.

Davis also ran unsuccessfully to unseat Gov. Sam Brownback four years ago. Davis told the Lawrence crowd that he would not seek office again.

“Tonight marks the conclusion of my last run for public office,” Davis said. He said he sought to start a new chapter but would continue to look for ways to build on his belief that “government can and should make people’s lives better.”

Davis didn’t comment on what he thought turned the race in Watkins’ favor, and left the watch party shortly after making his remarks.

10:45 p.m. Tuesday

As Lawrence resident Paul Davis is locked in a near dead heat with Republican opponent Steve Watkins for the 2nd District congressional seat, it is clear that Douglas County was good to Davis.

But perhaps more importantly is that rural counties have not broken Davis’ way, and those are the only counties still left to report in the 2nd District race.

With about 89 percent of precincts reporting, it appears Davis has won in only two counties — Douglas and Shawnee — according to unofficial results. Davis had a commanding 72 percent to 25 percent advantage in his home county of Douglas. He also won Shawnee County by a 54 percent to 41 percent margin.

Those are the two most urban counties in the 2nd District. The rest are primarily rural counties that stretch from the Nebraska border to the Oklahoma line. Leavenworth County, which borders the Kansas City metro area is probably next in line in terms of size and urban nature, but it broke for Watkins 54 percent to 41 percent. Crawford County, which is home to Pittsburg State University and previously has had pockets Democratic success, favored Watkins 49 percent to 44 percent.

Watkins landslides were evident in many of the smaller counties: Nemaha 70 percent to 25 percent for Watkins; Doniphan 73 percent to 23 percent for Watkins; Linn 71 percent to 23 percent for Davis.

According to the Kansas Secretary of State’s office, only rural counties are left to report in the 2nd District.

Davis has not yet made an appearance at the Douglas County watch party for Democrats in downtown Lawrence. The Maceli’s banquet hall was at capacity earlier in the evening, but the crowd has begun to shrink as the race remains tight.

10:10 p.m. Tuesday

Lawrence resident Marci Francisco has fallen short in her bid to become the state’s treasurer.

Francisco, a Democrat who represents Lawrence in the Kansas Senate, said she was set to call Republican Treasurer Jake LaTurner to congratulate him on his victory.

But Francisco will keep her seat as a state senator and believes Democratic governor Laura Kelly will be successful in brokering more compromises with a still-Republican controlled Legislature.

“I think we are going to fund our schools and hopefully pass Medicaid expansion,” Francisco said.

She’s also optimistic that a budget put together by Kelly will provide opportunities for Republicans and Democrats to come together on some funding priorities for the state

“What she said in the campaign and what I know to be true is that she wants to work in a bipartisan manner,” Francisco said.

As for her unsuccessful effort to win the treasurer’s position, Francisco said the race would be a benefit in her Senate duties. She said the race has given her a greater desire to push for financial literacy courses to be added to the curriculum of Kansas public schools. She said she also wanted to review possible changes to the state’s 529 college savings plan program. She said that program has become less effective in the wake of changes in federal tax law.

With about 77 percent of the precincts reporting, LaTurner had a 57 percent to 44 percent lead over Francisco.

9:30 p.m. Tuesday

While the Kansas gubernatorial race is being called for Democrat Laura Kelly, don’t expect the Kansas House to become a more liberal body, one Douglas County legislator said Tuesday night.

Rep. Boog Highberger, D-Lawrence, said he expects the Kansas House to turn more conservative this year, as conservative lawmakers did well in many primaries across the state earlier this year.

But Highberger, who was at the Douglas County Democratic watch party in downtown Lawrence, said he thinks there still will be enough Democrats and moderates to get some key legislation passed.

“I think we can get a majority to expand Medicaid in Kansas, as long as there is a governor that won’t veto it,” Highberger said.

Highberger said he thought the apparent Kelly victory was the result of voters connecting Kobach with former Gov. Sam Brownback, who oversaw a period of declining revenues and intense pressure on education funding and the Kansas budget. But Highberger said he also hopes Kelly’s victory will be a victory for a different type of campaign.

“I don’t think the voters have liked the tone Mr. Kobach has brought to this campaign or brought to his time in public service,” Highberger said.

9:20 p.m. Tuesday

TOPEKA – Democratic state Sen. Laura Kelly will become the 48th governor of Kansas in January.

As of 9:15 p.m., with 43 percent of precincts reporting, unofficial results show Kelly defeating her Republican opponent, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, 51-41 percent.

More importantly, Kelly was leading in Sedgwick and Reno counties, key areas that Kobach needed in order to win. She also was leading in Johnson County, a traditional Republican stronghold, as well as Shawnee and Douglas County.

Kelly had made her campaign a referendum on former Gov. Sam Brownback, whose controversial tax policies have been blamed for a fiscal crisis in the state that led to deep cuts in education and highway funding.

Kobach, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, had focused his campaign on issues of illegal immigration and a promise to return to the era of Brownback-style tax cuts, coupled with spending cuts throughout state government.

9 p.m. Tuesday

TOPEKA – Kansas Democrats appeared to be taking early leads in some key races Tuesday night, but Republican officials remain optimistic.

As of about 9 p.m., major networks were declaring Democratic gubernatorial candidate Laura Kelly the winner over Republican Kris Kobach. Meanwhile, Democrat Paul Davis was leading in the 2nd District congressional race over Republican Steve Watkins.

Even before polls closed at 7 p.m., Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Ward, D-Wichita, was feeling optimistic.

But Kansas Republican Party chairman Kelly Arnold wasn’t worried, saying the early returns mainly represented advance voting, which often tilts toward Democrats, while Republican voters tend to turn out on Election Day.

“We went into the 2014 election cycle looking like we were going to have a bad night, and we ended up having a great night,” he said during a separate interview at the GOP’s gathering at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. “And it’s because our Republican voters show up on Election Day. And that’s what I expect today. And as numbers roll in later in the night, those are going to be your in-person Election Day voters, and I expect those numbers to favor our candidates.”

8:45 p.m. Tuesday

Douglas County Democrats were off to a good start in taking over control of one of the few Republican strongholds left in the county.

Democrat Mike Amyx held an approximately 3,400 vote lead over Republican Cynthia Smith in a race to replace 12-term Republican incumbent Tom Sloan in the 45th District Kansas house seat. The returns represented advance ballots counted in Douglas County.

Sloan, who decided not to run again, had been the longest serving Republican in Douglas County, while the rest of the Lawrence delegation at the Statehouse are all Republicans.

Amyx, a former Lawrence mayor and Douglas County commissioner, is making his first run in Statehouse politics. At the Douglas County Democratic watch party at Maceli’s in downtown Lawrence, Amyx said he has worked hard to get to know the 45th District, which includes parts of west Lawrence and much of rural western Douglas County and Lecompton.

Amyx told the crowd that on Saturday he and his wife started the day at a pancake feed for breakfast, went to a chili feed for lunch and ended the day at turkey feed for dinner in the unincorporated town of Clinton.

Democrats have circled the 45th District race as a chance to gain ground on the Republican majority in the Kansas House. At the end of the session, Republicans held an advantage of 85 members to 40 members over Democrats.