Here’s a look at a host of statewide, congressional or state legislative races that Douglas County residents will have on their ballot, depending on where they live in the county.

U.S. Senate

All residents will have this race on their ballot, as Sen. Jerry Moran faces two challengers to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.

Moran, a Republican from Manhattan, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010. Moran previously served as a state senator for eight years in the 1990s, and then was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving the 1st Congressional District, which then primarily represented western and central Kansas.

In this year’s campaign, Moran has touted his ties to former President Donald Trump, saying on his campaign website that they “worked together to fix our immigration system, build the wall, support our military and veterans, strengthen our relationship with Israel, create the most pro-life administration in our nation’s history and put America first.” He also touted providing additional resources for the agricultural industry and holding China accountable for unfair trade practices.

Mark Holland, a Democrat from Kansas City, Kan., is a former mayor of that city and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, where he also served as a commissioner before being elected mayor in 2013. Holland also is reverend and has been the executive director of Mainstream UMC, a Johnson County-based organization that has worked to re-organize the governance structure of the United Methodist Church, including supporting the ordaining and marriage of LGBTQ people in the church.

On his campaign website, Holland advocates for affordable health care for all, and said there “have also been too many irresponsible conspiracy theories about this global pandemic and vaccines that risk setting our country back 100 years in public health and wellbeing.” On other issues, his website says that he would defend the right of women to make decisions about abortion, that there is no widespread fraud in the American voting system, and that America must “stop criminalizing social issues,” such as abortion, mental health, addiction and gender identity.

David Graham, a Libertarian from Overland Park, is a lawyer in a sole practitioner law office where he handles a variety of cases, he said on his campaign website.

According to his campaign website, he supports reducing the size of government, reforming the criminal justice system so it focuses more on violent crime, and changing America’s approach to national defense by reining in efforts such as “proxy wars” and “nation building” activities.

U.S. House of Representatives, 1st District

This is a new district for Lawrence residents. The once-a-decade process of congressional redistricting put parts of Douglas County in the 1st Congressional District, which stretches all the way to the Kansas-Colorado border. Most of the Lawrence city limits, and the area north of the city limits, is in the 1st District, while the rest of Douglas County is in the 2nd District.

Tracey Mann, a Republican from Salina, currently serves the 1st District and is seeking reelection. Mann previously served as lieutenant governor of Kansas in 2018 and 2019 under Gov. Jeff Colyer. Prior to his appointment as lieutenant governor, he had an active career in commercial real estate, according to his campaign website.

On his campaign website, Mann says he believes life begins at conception and “will fight to protect the innocent life of the unborn,” is “pro-gun,” will be a strong voice for agriculture, believes more needs to be done to promote rural revitalization and supports securing our southern border by constructing a wall. He also said he supports former President Trump in “his efforts to make America Great Again.”

James “Jimmy” Beard, a Democrat from Garden City, has been a high school math teacher in Garden City and has been an advocate working to improve the culture for LGBTQ youth and community members, according to his campaign website.

Beard said on his campaign website that he would work to strengthen support for public education, reform the criminal justice system to reduce the number of people who are jailed, pass legislation to fully legalize marijuana and would support “expunging any past marijuana conviction and releasing anyone who has been arrested solely on non-violent marijuana related charges.” He also said he believes in transitioning the U.S. health care system to a “Medicare for all” system, and that he wants to reform the tax code so that billionaires pay a higher income tax rate.

U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd District

Jake LaTurner, a Republican from Topeka, currently serves this district and is seeking reelection. Before being elected to Congress in 2020, LaTurner served as a state senator for the Pittsburg area, and later was elected to serve as state treasurer.

On his campaign website, LaTurner said he supports policies to make America energy independent, crack down on prosecutors who refuse to prosecute crimes, advance a Parents’ Bill of Rights and create more parental choice in education, “protect the lives of unborn children” and also protect constitutional rights such as religious freedom and the Second Amendment, and increase “accountability in the election process through voter ID, accurate voter rolls, and observer access.”

Patrick Schmidt, a Democrat from Topeka, is a Naval reservist and former Naval intelligence officer.

On his campaign website, Schmidt said he would work to support legislation that makes it easier for employees to join a union and collectively bargain, allows for medical marijuana as treatment for veterans, and creates more resources for people addicted to opioids. He said he “will only support policies that will revitalize small businesses and the working class – not the rich and powerful.”

Kansas governor

Laura Kelly, a Democrat from Topeka, is seeking her second term as governor. Prior to being elected governor, she served in the Kansas Senate and also was the executive director of the Kansas Recreation & Park Association.

Kelly has said her campaign will focus on ensuring we are “funding our schools, funding our roads, growing our economy, bringing jobs into the state.” On her campaign website, Kelly touts that her first term has helped produce $8.6 billion in new business initiatives, has helped create or retain more than 41,000 jobs, and has helped fund 425 infrastructure projects such as road and bridge repairs. Her running mate for lieutenant governor is David Toland of Iola, who also is the state secretary of commerce.

Derek Schmidt, a Republican from Independence, has been Kansas’ attorney general since 2010, winning election three times. Prior to serving as attorney general, Schmidt was a member of the Kansas Senate, including serving as Senate majority leader.

On his campaign website, Schmidt had touted that as attorney general he has “defended President Trump’s America First policies that grew jobs, promoted freedom and made our economy strong.” On his website, he said planks of his campaign include strong support for “personal responsibility, individual freedoms, and the Constitution,” plus “protecting traditional values like religious freedom, the rule of law, life, freedom to speak openly, and the Second Amendment.” His running mate for lieutenant governor is Katie Sawyer of McPherson.

Dennis Pyle, an independent candidate from Hiawatha, is a Kansas state senator who previously was a Republican but has changed his party affiliation to independent this election season. Outside of politics, he works as a grain and livestock farmer.

On his campaign website, Pyle says he partially authored the “Value Them Both” constitutional amendment that would have eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion in Kansas; supported legislation to end vaccine mandates in the name of health freedom; and has sponsored legislation to prohibit tax dollars from being spent on medical care of people who have entered the country illegally. His running mate is Kathleen Garrison of Haysville.

Seth Cordell, a Libertarian from Lyons, describes himself as a small business owner on his campaign website.

Cordell said on his website that he supports reforming the criminal justice system, including legalizing cannabis; eliminating any “state interference with privately held businesses regarding who they employ, who they serve, or when they are allowed to be open”; and improving the state’s food supply by easing regulations related to the processing of livestock for food consumption. Cordell’s running mate is Evan Laudick-Gains of Hutchinson.

Kansas secretary of state

Scott Schwab, a Republican from Overland Park, is seeking a second term as secretary of state. Schwab is a former member of the Kansas House of Representatives and previously was a national sales trainer for a company in the pharmaceutical industry. On his campaign website, he has touted improvements he has made to election security in Kansas, and to the process individuals must go through to form a new corporation in the state.

Jeanna Repass, a Democrat from Overland Park, is a former director of urban outreach for the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood where she worked on food programs, pregnancy prevention programs for teens and other projects. For the last four years, she has stepped away from paid employment to focus on community service, according to her website. Repass said on her website that she supports the “Vote Anywhere” law that allows Kansans to vote at any polling location in their county, and would work to modernize how campaign finance records are kept in the state to increase transparency of the records.

Cullene Lang, a Libertarian from Paola, is a state coordinator and membership director for the Libertarian Party of Kansas. Lang does not appear to have a campaign website stating her positions.

Kansas attorney general

Kris Kobach, a Republican from Lecompton, is an attorney, a former constitutional law professor and former secretary of state and lost a bid to become Kansas governor as the Republican nominee four years ago. As secretary of state, he pushed voter ID policies, and also gained a national reputation for promoting new restrictions on illegal immigration. His campaign website lists issues of prosecuting voter fraud, creating a special litigation team to sue the federal government, and a plan to “restore pro-life laws.”

Chris Mann, a Democrat from Lawrence, is a private practice attorney who previously was a police officer and a prosecutor for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office and then the Kansas Securities Commission. Mann’s campaign website said he “will protect the rule of law and ensure Kansas families are safe,” but didn’t provide a specific campaign platform, instead saying he would “focus on law enforcement, not politics.”

Kansas state treasurer

Lynn Rogers, a Democrat from Wichita, has served as the state’s treasurer since January 2021, after Gov. Laura Kelly appointed him to fill the unexpired term created by Jake LaTurner’s resignation to serve in the U.S. Congress. Rogers at the time was the lieutenant governor in Kelly’s administration. Previously, Rogers was a state senator, served 15 years on the Wichita school board and has had a long career in banking, with an emphasis on agricultural lending.

Steven Johnson, a Republican from Assaria, is a member of the Kansas House of Representatives and previously developed software for the financial services firm Ameriprise, according to his campaign website. In the Legislature, he has served as chair of the tax, pension and insurance committees.

Steve Roberts, a Libertarian from Overland Park, is a former member of the State Board of Education, where he served for eight years as a Republican. On his campaign website he said he wants to use the treasurer’s office to “upgrade public education” in Kansas.

Kansas commissioner of insurance

Vicki Schmidt, a Republican from Topeka, is seeking her second term as Kansas’ insurance commissioner. Previously, Schmidt was a state senator serving Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties. She worked for more than 40 years as a local pharmacist.

Kiel Corkran, a Democrat from Olathe, is a mathematician who currently is studying actuarial science, according to a report published on the website for the Green Party of the United States. The report lists Corkran as a former treasurer for the Kansas City Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Kansas House of Representatives

The vast majority of seats up for election in Douglas County are uncontested this election season. State legislators with Douglas County districts who are running unopposed for reelection include: Christina Haswood, District 10; Lance Neelly, District 42; Barbara Ballard, District 44; Mike Amyx, District 45; and Dennis “Boog” Highberger, District 46. Carrie Barth, a Baldwin City Republican, also is running unopposed for her first term in District 5. She defeated the incumbent in the primary, and no Democrat filed for the seat.

A newly drawn district that represents parts of south Eudora and far eastern Douglas County, but has the majority of its population in Johnson County, does have a contested race. House District No. 117 does not have an incumbent, because it was recently created as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process.

Courtney Tripp, a Democrat from De Soto, is a marketing and communications professional, according to her website. Tripp said via her website that she will work to fully fund public education in Kansas, will seek to expand Medicaid in the state, and will support “innovative tax incentives for entrepreneurs and main street businesses.”

Adam Turk, a Republican from Shawnee, is an owner of multiple fitness clubs and a business leadership consulting firm. Turk said on his campaign website that he would “fight one-size-fits-all mandates, vaccine passports, and other restrictions while fiercely resisting overreach from the Biden administration,” and would support legislation to empower parents in their children’s education.

Judges

Six of the seven justices of the Kansas Supreme Court face routine retention elections. Justices are nominated through a state process and ultimately appointed by the governor. They are: Melissa Taylor Standridge, of Leawood, appointed to the Supreme Court in 2020 after serving nearly 13 years on the Kansas Court of Appeals; Dan Biles, of Shawnee, appointed in 2009 after having worked in private practice as an attorney; K.J. Wall, of Lawrence, appointed in 2020 after having worked in private practice; Chief Justice Marla Luckert, of Topeka, appointed in 2002 and has been a judge or justice for the last 30 years; Evelyn Wilson, of Topeka, appointed in 2020 after having served as a district court judge in Shawnee County; and Caleb Stegall, of Lawrence, appointed in 2014 after having served as chief counsel to Gov. Sam Brownback.

Seven members of the Kansas Court of Appeals also are facing retention votes, as are three judges who serve Douglas County District Court. The three Douglas County District Court Judges are Amy Hanley, Sally Pokorny, and Stacey Donovan, all of Lawrence.