WICHITA, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of healthcare, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab announced Wednesday that a close-race audit will take place in six races, including Governor, Secretary of State and Attorney General.
According to his news release, a close-race audit happens "when unofficial election results reported on election night show a race decided by 1% or less of the total votes cast." The audit would review ballots in 10% of the precincts in each county.
According to the Kansas Secretary of State, Democrat Cindy Holscher leads Republican Ty Masterson in the Governor's race by about 5,500 votes. The Associated Press has yet to declare a winner in the race.
Masterson said the first vote count was "not going his way" in a statement Wednesday morning and that election night was a tough one. He also thanked his supporters and said they'll let the process of the final vote count play out. Holscher declared victory early Wednesday morning.
I covered Masterson's election night watch party Tuesday night in Wichita, where I watched this tight race only grow tighter throughout the evening. I talked to some of Masterson's supporters about the contest as the night ended.
Despite results the room didn't want, some were hopeful for other reasons, noting that regardless of the outcome, Masterson will not be out of Kansas politics.
"If it goes the other way, he's still the Senate President. So we've got some good work for him to do still. Whether he goes to the governor's mansion, or stays as the Senate president," Masterson supporter Jason Carmichael said.
As the vote count narrowed, Masterson's supporters said they remained optimistic Tuesday night.
"The race is closing closer and closer and closer as every minute goes by, and so we are still very hopeful in this room, about what might happen," 99th District Republican State Representative Susan Humphries said.
Masterson released a full statement addressing the results:
"Last night was a difficult night in Kansas and around the country. But I'm grateful to the hundreds of thousands of Kansans who stood with us, and to every volunteer who gave their time to this campaign.
The first count does not seem to be going our way, but the margin is narrow enough that Kansas law calls for another look, and we'll let that process finish. Every Kansan deserves to know the result is right.
Whatever the outcome, the fight for lower property taxes, safer communities and better schools doesn't end tonight. I'll keep working for those things no matter what, and I'll work with anyone who wants to get them done."
I'm continuing to reach out to Masterson's campaign for updates.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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