Kansas — Governor

D Democratic Cindy Holscher

Supports property tax assessment cuts

Holscher proposes lowering residential property tax assessment rates from 11.5% to 9.0% and expanding tax exemptions for seniors and disabled veterans. She also advocates raising the minimum wage to $16 per hour, repealing right-to-work laws, and making essential family items tax-free.

• Lower residential property tax assessment rates from 11.5% to 9.0%
• Expand homestead property tax exemptions for seniors and disabled veterans
• Increase state minimum wage to $16 per hour and allow local minimum wage adjustments
• Repeal right-to-work laws and enact paid sick leave protections
• Eliminate sales tax on essential hygiene products such as diapers and feminine hygiene items

“lower residential property tax assessment rates from 11.5% to 9.0%, providing significant tax relief for homeowners across all income levels.”

R Republican Ty Masterson

Supports tax cuts and spending caps

Masterson highlights leading legislative efforts to enact $2 billion in tax relief and promises continued tax reductions as governor. He advocates for the Kansas Homeowners Bill of Rights to cap property tax hikes and reining in state spending.

• Implement the Kansas Homeowners Bill of Rights to cap rapid property tax increases
• Continue cutting overall income and state taxes building on past legislative packages
• Reduce government spending and cut regulatory burdens to stimulate business growth

“caps the rapid increases, reins in government spending, and puts the brakes on the runaway train that's pricing Kansans out of their homes.”

D Democratic Cindy Holscher

Supports special education and free meals

Holscher prioritizes fully funding public school classrooms and special education using savings from Medicaid expansion and legal marijuana tax revenue. She also supports providing free school lunches for all public school students.

• Fully fund special education using Medicaid expansion savings and medical marijuana tax revenue
• Provide universal free school lunches for all public school students
• Avoid shifting public education funding obligations onto local property taxes

“Fully fund Special Education using the savings from expanding Medicaid and new tax revenue from sales of medical marijuana.”

R Republican Ty Masterson

Supports teacher pay, choice, and accountability

Masterson advocates raising pay for effective teachers, expanding parental choice in education, and enforcing spending accountability. He emphasizes focusing core instruction on reading and math while eliminating diversity and equity programs.

• Increase compensation for high-performing teachers
• Refocus curriculum on reading and math proficiency
• Expand parental rights and educational choice options
• Eliminate DEI programs in public education systems

“I’ll raise pay for good teachers, make sure parents have a say in their kids’ education, and hold our education dollars accountable.”

D Democratic Cindy Holscher

Passionate about criminal justice reform

Holscher states in survey responses that she is personally passionate about criminal justice and minority issues as part of her public policy focus.

• Focus policy efforts on criminal justice reform and minority advocacy

R Republican Ty Masterson

Supports police funding and tough crime laws

Masterson points to supporting a 24% increase in public safety funding over five years. He advocates for backing law enforcement personnel and enforcing strict criminal justice measures to reduce violent crime.

• Increase budgetary support and resources for law enforcement agencies
• Enact tough-on-crime legislation to curb violent crime rates

“I will stand with the men and women in law enforcement, back tough on crime policies, and ensure we fund our police.”

D Democratic Cindy Holscher

Supports independent redistricting and term limits

Holscher advocates creating an independent redistricting panel, prohibiting mid-decade redistricting, enacting term limits, and restricting corporate PAC contributions in elections.

• Create an independent panel for legislative redistricting and prohibit mid-decade redistricting
• Enact term limits for state politicians
• Limit corporate PAC contributions in political campaigns

“Creating an independent panel for redistricting and prohibiting mid-decade redistricting to ensure that Kansans’ voting rights are further protected.”

R Republican Ty Masterson

Supports term limits and election security

Masterson signed a pledge supporting U.S. term limits and highlights passing legislative measures aimed at securing ballot boxes and ensuring election integrity.

• Signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge
• Enact voting security measures to maintain election integrity

“And we’ve preserved the integrity of our elections with commonsense measures to protect the ballot box.”

D Democratic Cindy Holscher

Supports Medicaid expansion and safety nets

Holscher supports expanding Medicaid to low- and moderate-income Kansans to improve healthcare access and prevent rural hospital closures. She also pledges to protect Social Security and Medicare.

• Expand Medicaid to cover low- and moderate-income residents and sustain rural hospitals
• Protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits

“She’s also determined to make Medicaid available to more low- and moderate-income Kansans, which Kansas GOP extremists have refused to do over and over.”

R Republican Ty Masterson

Opposes DEI and gender transitions

Masterson highlights passing legislation to ban transgender women from women's sports, prohibit gender transition procedures for minors, and ban DEI initiatives in higher education. He identifies as pro-life and pro-family.

• Prohibit transgender women from competing in female sports categories
• Ban gender transition medical procedures for minors
• End Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies in higher education
• Support pro-life and traditional family policies

“We’ve banned men from competing in women’s sports, ended transgender surgeries for minors, and stopped DEI policies in our higher education system – all while overriding vetoes from Laura Kelly.”

D Democratic Cindy Holscher

Supports data center pause and affordable housing

Holscher advocates for building affordable housing, capping late rental payment penalties, and instituting a moratorium on new corporate data centers to prevent rising energy costs and protect local natural resources.

• Establish a moratorium on new corporate data centers until environmental and budget protections are enacted
• Increase development of affordable housing units
• Limit late rental payment penalties to safeguard tenants from eviction risks

“Cindy has called for a moratorium on new giant corporate data centers — which raise our energy costs and put our farmland and water supplies at risk, often in exchange for taxpayer handouts — until we can set up guardrails to protect our environment, our jobs, and our budgets.”

D Democratic Cindy Holscher

Supports legalizing recreational and medical cannabis

Holscher supports legalizing both medical and recreational marijuana to create tax revenues for special education, foster a domestic farming and business industry, and end criminalization of cannabis use.

• Legalize medical and recreational marijuana in Kansas
• Direct sales tax revenues from marijuana to fund special education
• End criminal penalties for marijuana use

“Legalizing it here at home would raise money for schools and public services, build an industry in Kansas of farmers and small businesses, and end the criminalization of behavior that is already legal in many neighboring states.”