History has not been kind to candidates who’ve challenged Kansas governors in party primaries.
Only two challengers have unseated governors in the August elections since the state started them in 1910. And both of them were Republicans who went on to lose in the November general election.
This year, Gov. Sam Brownback faces Jennifer Winn in the Aug. 5 Republican primary. She’s the owner of a Wichita-area property management company.
The first governor to lose a primary was Republican Clyde Reed Sr. in 1930, and the second was Republican Fred Hall in 1956.
Two Republican governors, Mike Hayden in 1990, and Bill Graves in 1998, also survived vigorous primary challenges as they sought re-election.
Hayden lost in the November general election, while Graves won easily.
