Former Gov. Jeff Colyer maneuvers closer to 2026 GOP campaign for Kansas governor
by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
May 12, 2025
TOPEKA — Former Gov. Jeff Colyer’s campaign for governor accelerated with appointment of a treasurer in advance of filing for the Republican Party’s nomination in 2026.
Colyer, 64, served as Kansas chairman of last year’s campaign by President Donald Trump. He is a former Johnson County member of the Kansas House and Senate who was lieutenant governor on the ticket with GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. Upon Brownback’s resignation to serve in the first Trump administration, Colyer was sworn in as governor in 2018.
Colyer sought a full term as governor but narrowly lost the 2018 primary to Republican Kris Kobach, who was defeated in the general election by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. In terms of the 2026 race, Colyer has yet to formally register as a candidate with the secretary of state.
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Colyer did announce selection of state Rep. Kyle Hoffman, a Coldwater Republican, as treasurer for his gubernational campaign.
“Kyle is a leading voice for rural Kansas and a great advocate for fiscal responsibility and conservative values,” Colyer said. “He’s going to be a huge asset as we carry our winning message to every county in Kansas.”
Kelly, who followed her defeat of Kobach with a victory over former GOP Attorney General Derek Schmidt in 2022, cannot seek reelection. Colyer was poised to seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2022, but withdrew following a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Democratic Governors Association spokesman Sam Newton said in a statement Colyer was the “failed right-hand man” to Brownback.
“Besides reminding Kansans of the broken budgets and underfunded public schools of the Brownback era, Colyer’s announcement confirms that the GOP primary field is going to be crowded, chaotic and focused on extreme partisan policies,” Newton said.
Newton said Kansas would be better off with a governor like Kelly who took a middle-of-the-road approach to leadership, balanced the state budget, promoted business investment and ended the state’s sales tax on groceries.
Hoffman, treasurer of Colyer’s campaign, said Colyer was “more than a politician, he is a humanitarian – selflessly serving those in need around the world. He’ll make a great governor.”
Colyer, a surgeon in the Kansas City area who served international medical missions, was the state’s 47th governor from January 2018 to January 2019.
He was lieutenant governor under Brownback from 2011-2018. He was in the Senate from 2009-2011 and the Kansas House from 2007-2009. In 2002, he unsuccessful sought the GOP nomination for U.S. House.
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