Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Kansas congressional candidate Don Coover expressed frustration with U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt’s refusal to help trigger a House vote on a bill pressuring the administration of President Donald Trump to release more documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Coover, a Democrat seeking to oust Schmidt in the 2nd District of eastern Kansas, urged the Republican congressman to join more than 200 Democrats and a handful of Republicans working on the Epstein Files Transparency Act II. The bill was a response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s failure to fully comply with a 2025 law mandating disclosure of Epstein documents. Critics also accused the DOJ of heavily redacting documents to hide names of alleged Epstein associates.

Schmidt, a former Kansas attorney general, told constituents during a recent town hall that he wouldn’t sign the bipartisan “discharge petition” directing GOP House leadership to bypass normal committee procedure and bring the new Epstein bill to a vote of the House....

TOPEKA — Attorney General Kris Kobach doesn’t plan to request an endorsement from President Donald Trump in the November general election.

Kobach is running for reelection against Democratic nominee Chris Mann, an attorney and former police officer who lost to Kobach in 2022.

Kobach, a prominent Trump ally since endorsing his presidential campaign in 2016, said there was no doubt Trump’s backing could serve as a powerful signal to voters in Kansas....

TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall vowed to be on the Kansas general election ballot in November and to decline administrative appointment from President Donald Trump during the next two years.

Marshall, a Kansas Republican seeking reelection to a second term in the U.S. Senate, made the declaration Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“I will be on the ballot on Election Day (and) will be honored to represent the people of Kansas for the next six years going forward. It’s been the honor of my lifetime,” Marshall said before shifting the conversation to Trump’s economic performance....

TOPEKA — Former Gov. Jeff Colyer ended a Republican campaign Monday for the party’s 2026 nomination for governor in wake of President Donald Trump’s endorsement of rival Senate President Ty Masterson.

Colyer, who was sworn in as governor in 2018 after the resignation of GOP Gov. Sam Brownback, was attempting to claim the nomination in 2026 after withdrawing from the race for health reasons in 2022 and falling several hundred votes short of winning the nomination in the 2018 primary.

“My service will continue, but I shall not be a candidate for governor in 2026,” Colyer said in a statement. “I want to thank the tens of thousands who share our vision of a bold, new Kansas; the thousands who contributed and volunteered; and our fantastic staff who took us to every corner of the state.”...

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

December 31, 2025

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly and Attorney General Kris Kobach filed scorched-earth briefs outlining their disagreement on who possessed authority to advance federal litigation on behalf of the state of Kansas....