A former Kansas governor has broken ranks with his party, becoming the second ex-Republican leader to endorse a Democratic challenger in the state’s high-stakes Senate race. In an op-ed published this week, the conservative-leaning official—who held office in the late 1980s—argued that the Democratic candidate better aligns with the values and priorities of Kansas voters than the incumbent Republican senator. The endorsement adds to a growing rift within the state’s GOP, where two former governors have now publicly backed the opposition in a contest for a seat that has long been held by Republicans. The move underscores shifting dynamics in Kansas politics ahead of November’s election.
Former Kansas Gov. Mike Hayden (R) became the second former GOP governor to support Democrat Adam Hamilton over Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) in November's Kansas Senate race. Hayden, who served from 1987 to 1991, published an op-ed in The Wichita Eagle on Friday endorsing Hamilton for a seat that has not been held by a...
