By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The voters from the 2026 Primary Election are in. Counts are unofficial until confirmed by county canvases in the upcoming days. The winners of Tuesday’s election will move on to the General Election slated for Nov. 3. View the numbers by clicking here.
One item was determined in Tuesday’s Primary Election. Early numbers showed more than 70 percent of Kansas voters said “no” to the proposed constitutional amendment regarding the election of Supreme Court Justices. That number lightened throughout the evening as more votes poured in from Central and Western Kansas throughout the evening, but, the "no" vote remained at 62 percent for the final tally.
No Democrats were listed in primaries for the Barton County Commission. In District 1 of the Republican primary, Dale Maneth collected 53 percent of the vote to defeat current Commission Chair Duane Reif, who won 39 percent of the vote. In District 4, incumbent Tricia Schlessiger won 62 percent of the vote against Kevin Rose to retain her spot. In District 5, in a battle of newcomers, Stanley Behrends defeated Johnathan Robinson 516-309 with 63 percent of the vote.
Republican Ty Masterson and Democrat Cindy Holscher each jumped out to early leads in the gubernatorial race. Those leads held with Masterson claiming 43 percent of the vote. The race featured seven candidates, with Masterson followed by Philip Sarnecki (22 percent) and Vicki Schmidt (14 percent). Holscher pulled in 49 percent of the vote against her two Democratic opponents.
The U.S. Senate race was also contested in both primaries. Incumbent Roger Marshall dominated the Republican primary with 80 percent of the vote across the state. Eleven candidates loaded the ballot in the Democratic race, with Adam Hamilton taking the win with 35 percent of the vote. No other candidate pulled in more than 15 percent of votes on the Democratic side.
In the U.S. House, District 1 race, incumbent Tracey Mann dominated Ellinwood’s Craig Musser with more than 80 percent of the vote on the Republican side. Lauren Reinhold won the Democratic primary with 64 percent of the vote.
In the Democratic race for governor, Corson did well in Central Kansas with 54 percent of the vote in Russell County, followed by Holscher with 33 percent. Corson won 47 percent of the vote in Pawnee County, compared to 34 percent for Holscher. Corson also collected 47 percent of votes in Barton County, compared to 41 percent for Holscher. Thirty-five percent of Pawnee County voters chose Masterson, compared to 24 percent for Sarnecki. Forty-two percent of Barton County voters picked Masterson.
Jason Schoenberger, Melinda Olson, and Tony Mahoney each won Republican races for the Russell County Commission.
“Yes” voters of the proposed Supreme Court amendment were consistent across the region. Fifty-one percent of voters in Barton, Pawnee County, and Russell counties all voted in favor of the change.
Seventy-eight percent of Barton County voters picked native Marshall in the Republican race for U.S. Senate. Thirty-six percent of Barton County voters chose Hamilton in the Democratic race for U.S. Senate, compared to 35 percent for Noah Taylor.
Of the 17,025 registered voters in Barton County, 28.4 percent turned out to vote in the 2026 Primary Election. Of the 4,840 ballots cast in Barton County, 1,075 voters turned in their ballots prior to Election Day on Aug. 4.