Governor of Kansas
| Kansas Governor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $110,707 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $61,507,732 |
| Term limits: | Two consecutive terms |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Kansas Constitution, Article I, Section III The Executive Department |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
Governor of Kansas
Laura Kelly | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 3, 2026 |
| Last election: | November 8, 2022 |
| Other Kansas Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Secretary • Insurance Commissioner • Wildlife and Parks Secretary • Labor Secretary • Corporation Commission |
The Governor of the State of Kansas is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Kansas. Governors are popularly elected by a plurality to four-year terms, and no individual may serve more than two consecutive terms.[1]
Kansas has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor, while the Republican Party controls both chambers of the state legislature.
Kansas has a divided government where neither party holds a triplex. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor, while the Republican Party controls the offices of attorney general and secretary of state.
Current officeholder
The 48th and current governor is Laura Kelly (D).[2]
The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article I, the Executive Department.
Under Article 1, Section III:
|
The supreme executive power of this state shall be vested in a governor, who shall be responsible for the enforcement of the laws of this state.[1] |
Qualifications
| State Executives |
|---|
|
| Current Governors |
| Gubernatorial Elections |
| 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 |
| Current Lt. Governors |
| Lt. Governor Elections |
| 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 |
Kansas' constitution does not set out requirements for office.
Elections
Kansas state government organizational chart
Kansas elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. For Kansas, 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, and 2034 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the second Monday in the January following an election.
2022
General election
Democratic primary election
Republican primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kent McElroy (R)
- Jeff Colyer (R)
- Richard Duncan (R)
- Chase LaPorte (R)
Libertarian convention
2018
General election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Andrea Costley (Independent)
- Aaron Coleman (Independent)
- JoeLarry Hunter (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Tabman (D)
Republican primary election
2014
- See also: Kansas Gubernatorial election, 2014
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Sam Brownback/Jeff Colyer Incumbent |
49.8% | 433,196 | |
| Democratic | Paul Davis/Jill Docking | 46.1% | 401,100 | |
| Libertarian | Keen Umbehr/Josh Umbehr | 4% | 35,206 | |
| Total Votes | 869,502 | |||
| Election results via Kansas Secretary of State |
Term limits
- See also: States with gubernatorial term limits
Kansas governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait one term before being eligible to run again.
Kansas Constitution, Article I, Section 1
| No person may be elected to more than two successive terms as governor...[1] |
Partisan composition
The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Kansas governors from 1992 to 2013.
Vacancies
- See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled
Details of vacancies are addressed under Article 1, Section 11.
At any time the governor is unable to discharge the office, temporarily or permanently, the lieutenant governor shall take his or her place until the disability is removed.
If the lieutenant governor is also disabled, the legislature shall determine the line of succession.
Duties
Under the Kansas Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Kansas executive branch. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the state National Guard when not called into federal use. Despite being an executive branch official, the governor also possesses legislative and judicial powers. The Governor's responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the Kansas Legislature, submitting the budget, ensuring that state laws are enforced, and that the peace is preserved.[1]
Other duties and privileges of the office include:
- commanding reports from any other officer of the Executive on any aspect of their job. Heads of state institutions must also make annual reports to the Governor no later than ten days prior to the state of the regular legislative session (§ 4).
- calling the legislature into special session either by proclamation or following a petition signed by two-thirds the membership of either house (§ 5), as well as adjourning the legislature when the body cannot agree to do so itself
- reorganizing the parts of the Executive "for the purpose of transferring, abolishing, consolidating or coordinating" (§ 6)
- granting pardons (§ 7)
- keeping and officially using the Great Seal of Kansas (§ 8)
- filling vacancies to the offices of Attorney General of Kansas and Kansas Secretary of State (§ 11)
Divisions
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of Kansas has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
State budget
Role in state budget
- See also: Kansas state budget and finances
The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[3]
- Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in June.
- State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor in September.
- The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in January.
- The legislature typically adopts a budget in May. A simple majority is required to adopt a budget. The fiscal year begins in July.
Kansas is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[3][4]
The governor is legally required to submit a balanced proposed budget. Likewise, the legislature is legally required to pass a balanced budget.[3]
Governor's office budget
The Office of Governor's budget for the 2025 fiscal year was $61,507,732.[5]
Compensation
The salary of the governor, along with other Kansas elected executives, is determined by the Kansas State Legislature. Article I, Section 13 of the Kansas Constitution states that state executive salaries are legally fixed and may not be reduced during the current term, unless such a reduction applies to all salaried state officers.[6] However, under Article XV, Section 7 the legislature may reduce the salary of an elected officer for gross neglect of duty.[7]
Kansas Constitution, Article I, Section 13
| Compensation of officers. The officers mentioned in this article shall at stated times receive for their services a such compensation as is established by law, which shall not be diminished during their terms of office, unless by general law applicable to all salaried officers of the state. Any person exercising the powers and duties of an office mentioned in this article shall receive the compensation established by law for that office.[1] |
Kansas Constitution, Article XV, Section 7
| Salaries reduced for neglect of duty. The legislature may reduce the salaries of officers, who shall neglect the performance of any legal duty.[1] |
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $110,707, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $110,707, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2021
In 2021, the governor received a salary of $110,707, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2020
In 2020, the governor received a salary of $110,707, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2019
In 2019, the governor received a salary of $99,636, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2018
In 2018, the governor received a salary of $99,636, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2017
In 2017, the governor received a salary of $99,636, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2016
In 2016, the governor received a salary of $99,636, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2015
In 2015, the governor received a salary of $99,636, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2014
In 2014, the governor received a salary of $99,636, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2013
In 2013, the governor's salary was $99,636, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2010
In 2010, the governor was paid $110,707 a year, the 36th highest gubernatorial salary in America at the time.
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
Partisan breakdown of the Kansas governorship from 1992-2013
In Kansas from 1992-2013 there were Democratic governors in office for 11 years while there were Republican governors in office for 11 years, including the last three. Kansas was under Republican trifectas for the last three years of the study period.
Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Kansas, the Kansas State Senate and the Kansas House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
.PNG)
SQLI and partisanship
The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Kansas state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Kansas has never had a Democratic trifecta, while it has had a Republican trifecta in two separate periods of the study (between 1995 and 2003, and again beginning in 2011). The state cracked the top-10 in the SQLI ranking once in 1992. Kansas’s most precipitous drop in the ranking occurred under divided government between 1993 and 1994, when the state fell nine spots. The state’s largest gain in the SQLI ranking occurred between 2007 and 2008, also under divided government. Kansas reached its lowest point in 1999 (29th) under divided government.
- SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: N/A
- SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 20.90
- SQLI average with divided government: 19.09
Chart displaying the partisanship of Kansas government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).
Historical officeholders
There have been 48 Governors of Kansas since 1861. Of the 48 officeholders, 35 were Republican, 12 were Democrat, and one was Populist.[19]
| List of officeholders from 1861-present | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | Party |
| 1 | Charles Lawrence Robinson | 1861-1863 |  Republican
|
| 2 | Thomas Carney | 1863-1865 | Republican
|
| 3 | Samuel Johnson Crawford | 1865-1868 | Republican
|
| 4 | Nehemiah Green | 1868-1869 | Republican
|
| 5 | James Madison Harvey | 1869-1873 | Republican
|
| 6 | Thomas Andrew Osborn | 1873-1877 | Republican
|
| 7 | George Tobey Anthony | 1877-1879 | Republican
|
| 8 | John Pierce St. John | 1879-1883 | Republican
|
| 9 | George Washington Glick | 1883-1885 |  Democratic
|
| 10 | John Alexander Martin | 1885-1889 | Republican
|
| 11 | Lyman Underwood Humphrey | 1889-1893 | Republican
|
| 12 | Lorenzo Dow Lewelling | 1893-1895 | Democratic
|
| 13 | Edmund Needham Morrill | 1895-1897 | Republican
|
| 14 | John Whitnah Leedy | 1897-1899 | Populist |
| 15 | William Eugene Stanley | 1899-1903 | Republican
|
| 16 | Willis Joshua Bailey | 1903-1905 | Republican
|
| 17 | Edward Wallis Hoch | 1905-1909 | Republican
|
| 18 | Walter Roscoe Stubbs | 1909-1913 | Republican
|
| 19 | George Hartshorn Hodges | 1913-1915 | Democratic
|
| 20 | Arthur Capper | 1915-1919 | Republican
|
| 21 | Henry Justin Allen | 1919-1923 | Republican
|
| 22 | Jonathan McMillan Davis | 1923-1925 | Democratic
|
| 23 | Ben Sanford Paulen | 1925-1929 | Republican
|
| 24 | Clyde Martin Reed | 1929-1931 | Republican
|
| 25 | Harry Hines Woodring | 1931-1933 | Democratic
|
| 26 | Alfred Mossman Landon | 1933-1937 | Republican
|
| 27 | Walter Augustus Huxman | 1937-1939 | Democratic
|
| 28 | Payne Harry Ratner | 1939-1943 | Republican
|
| 29 | Andrew Frank Schoeppel | 1943-1947 | Republican
|
| 30 | Frank Carlson | 1947-1950 | Republican
|
| 31 | Frank Lester Hagaman | 1950-1951 | Republican
|
| 32 | Edward Ferdinand Arn | 1951-1955 | Republican
|
| 33 | Frederick Lee Hall | 1955-1957 | Republican
|
| 34 | John Berridge McCuish | 1957 | Republican
|
| 35 | George Docking | 1957-1961 | Democratic
|
| 36 | John Anderson | 1961-1965 | Republican
|
| 37 | William Henry Avery | 1965-1967 | Republican
|
| 38 | Robert Blackwell Docking | 1967-1975 | Democratic
|
| 39 | Robert F. Bennett | 1975-1979 | Republican
|
| 40 | John Carlin | 1979-1987 | Democratic
|
| 41 | John Michael Hayden | 1987-1991 | Republican
|
| 42 | Joan Finney | 1991-1995 | Democratic
|
| 43 | Bill Graves | 1995-2003 | Republican
|
| 44 | Kathleen Sebelius | 2003-2009 | Democratic
|
| 45 | Mark V. Parkinson | 2009-2011 | Democratic
|
| 46 | Sam Brownback | 2011-2018 | Republican
|
| 47 | Jeff Colyer | 2018-2019 | Republican
|
| 48 | Laura Kelly | 2019-present | Democratic
|
State profile
| Demographic data for Kansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,906,721 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 81,759 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 85.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 5.8% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 11.2% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $52,205 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 15% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Kansas. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Kansas
Kansas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Kansas coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Kansas
- United States congressional delegations from Kansas
- Public policy in Kansas
- Endorsers in Kansas
- Kansas fact checks
- More...
Contact information
Office of the Governor
Capitol, 300 SW 10th Ave., Ste. 241S
Topeka, KS 66612-1590
Phone (toll-free): 877-KSWORKS (877-579-6757)
Phone (local): 785-296-3232
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Kansas Secretary of State, "Constitution of the State of Kansas," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Kansas Office of the Governor, "Governor Laura Kelly," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
- ↑ Kansas Division of the Budget, "2025 comparison report," accessed January 17, 2025
- ↑ Kansas Constitution, "Article I Executive; Compensation of Officers," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Kansas Constitution, “Article XV Miscellaneous; Salaries reduced for neglect of duty,” accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2020," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 17, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries," January 17, 2021
- ↑ Kansas Historical Society, "Kansas Governors," accessed January 17, 2021, Kansas Office of the Governor, "Governor Laura Kelly," accessed January 17, 2021
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