A week after the polls closed, Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer conceded the primary to Secretary of State Kris Kobach. While Kobach’s lead over Colyer dwindled to less than 100 votes two days after the primary, Kobach pulled ahead once county officials started counting provisional ballots. By the end of the day on August 14, Kobach’s lead had expanded to 345 votes. But, Kobach’s victory isn’t necessarily good news as most GOP strategists consider him to be a flawed nominee. As a result, the race moves to the Toss Up.
Kobach has long been a vocal supporter of former Gov. Sam Brownback and his policies. Brownback was very unpopular when he left office this spring and many voters now oppose the deep tax cuts that led to steep reductions in funding for education and other government services. Kobach is also a close ally of President Trump, who endorsed him in the primary. In a pre-primary poll of likely Republican primary voters, Trump’s job approval rating was just 69 percent, which is lower than it should be. Trump had appointed Kobach to
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