LENEXA, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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Democratic candidate Cindy Holscher declared herself governor-elect early Wednesday morning, releasing a statement calling herself the winner of the Kansas governor's race, even as the race had not been officially called as of Wednesday afternoon.
Holscher also thanked her opponent, Republican Ty Masterson, for serving Kansas, and current Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly voiced her support on X Wednesday morning.
"I look forward to Governor-elect Holscher's building on the progress we've made and leaving her own lasting mark on our state," the post read in part.
If certified, Holscher's win would carry historic weight beyond the governor's office.
Her running mate for lieutenant governor, KC Ohaebosim, would become the first Black person elected to statewide office in Kansas in nearly 150 years. On top of that, it would be the first time Democratic governors held back-to-back terms in Kansas since the 1940s.
On Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson was at the Mint Event Venue in Lenexa, Kansas, where Holscher held her watch party.
The governor's race was still extremely close, but that hadn't stopped Holscher supporters from celebrating early — the night brought with it a sweeping wave of Democratic gains across the state and country.
The evening also marked what supporters described as another milestone: Democrat Adam Hamilton's U.S. Senate win, which Holscher backers called the first time a Democrat had won that seat in nearly 100 years.
For Jae Moyer, chair of the Kansas Democratic Party LGBTQ Caucus and a precinct leader in Lenexa who also serves on Johnson County's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coalition, the scope of what unfolded Tuesday night was difficult to put into words.
"The relief that it felt to watch those results roll in and realize we're not going to win every race, but we're going to make history by electing the first (Democratic) senator in nearly 100 years and by electing the first Democrat twice in a row to hold that office for now 12 years. If Cindy is certified, Democrats would have held that office for 12 years straight — that has never happened in our state's history," Moyer said.
The night's emotions swung dramatically. Before results came in, anxiety had taken hold for many in the room.
"Before the election, I talked to so many people, and myself included, we all had this PTSD. We all had this anxiety," Moyer said.
As results rolled in from races across the country, the mood began to shift.
"Those nerves started at the beginning of the night, and as they called Jon Ossoff in Georgia and Roy Cooper in North Carolina and then they're calling Texas, and then those nerves kind of turned into like a, 'Omg we are doing this,'" Moyer said. "To realize we're making that history is just a feeling that's so electric that I don't even think there are words for it.”
Melissa Sabin, state outreach manager and family advocate for the Little Lobbyists Kansas Chapter, shared that emotional journey. Sabin also serves as a precinct committee leader in the City of Shawnee.
"To have the announcement today, it was very emotional for me," Sabin said. "It feels like a rejection almost of some of the things that we've been seeing on a federal and a state level.”
For Sabin, the stakes of the governor's race are intensely personal. Her 6-year-old son was born three months early, uses a wheelchair, is nonverbal and relies on a feeding tube for nutrition. He is a Medicaid recipient, and Sabin noted that proposed Medicaid cuts under the federal "Big Beautiful Bill" had given her significant anxiety heading into election night.
"I had a lot of anxiety around that, and Cindy was really the only person talking about expansion to Medicaid, protecting Medicaid," Sabin said. "For me, it felt like Cindy's race, my whole life, was tied up in it.”
Holscher ran on a platform of lowering property taxes, fully funding public schools, supporting farmers and opposing data centers.
For Sabin, the breadth of challenges facing Kansas demands a governor willing to take on entrenched problems at both the state and federal level.
"We've seen a lot of bad policy at both the federal and state level. It'll take a strong governor to push back against some of those things like Medicaid cuts, the affordability crisis. I know in Kansas, a lot of the angst and anger in our community is about not having property tax relief. I think all those things are converging, and they need to be addressed. Special education funding is another big one that I think our community rallies around and we want to see some actual movement on," Sabin said.
Despite the celebration, Sabin acknowledged Kansas' political divisions.
"It's very obvious from the election last night how divided we still are as a state," Sabin said.
She views Holscher as the right person to bridge that divide.
"She knows how to reach across the aisle, and we all knew she was the right person for the job. Not just to represent us, but to help us bridge the gaps with rural and smaller communities in Kansas," Sabin said.
Sabin also pointed to gains beyond the governor's race as a broader signal from Kansas voters, particularly where she lives in Johnson County, which saw historic midterm turnout numbers.
"Besides Cindy, we flipped a lot of red seats in Johnson County, and I think it's again a rejection of state-crafted policy making that's led us to where we're at," Sabin said. "It feels so good to be purple. Like it feels good to have both sides represented really well in the statehouse, where they don't have this veto-proof majority anymore.”
Moyer said they first encountered Holscher at a Women in Politics event prior to the pandemic, where Holscher was among the speakers.
Moyer has followed her career and advocacy closely ever since, and credits Holscher's extensive groundwork as the foundation of her credibility with voters.
"Cindy has always been a leader. I've watched her fight for Medicaid expansion, I've watched her fight tooth and nail for public education and to save public ed funding, and she's always been a very strong supporter of the LGBTQ community," Moyer said. "Cindy has really done a whole lot of grassroots work around the state before she even announced she was running.”
Looking ahead, Moyer outlined priorities for a potential Holscher administration.
"The number one thing I think she can do is to continue going to those places and meeting Kansans where they're at, and doing whatever she can do to make life easier for them, especially in terms of their finances because it's tough in America right now, and I think every single person in this country is feeling it. I think Democrats will continue to do very, very well if they continue to focus on those issues," Moyer said.
Also in the room was KCK native and developer Erik Murray, owner of Eastside Innovation, a real estate development company. Murray, a former U.S. Senate primary candidate who campaigned alongside KC Ohaebosim, reflected on the personal significance of what the ticket represented.
"The excitement I have personally having run side by side with KC Ohaebosim, knowing one of us was going to help Kansas break the streak of not having elected a Black statewide official in nearly 150 years, and I'm glad KC Ohaebosim was the one to do that with Cindy Holscher," Murray said.
Murray pointed to the bonds formed over a year of campaigning together as the reason he wanted to be in the room Tuesday night.
"After a year of campaigning statewide, these folks have become friends, the staffers are almost like friends and family. We've just gotten to know all these folks so well through this process," Murray said. "We all have this vested interest. I think it's that spirit of teamwork and that collective win that we experienced last night that made me really want to be in that room.”
Murray also pointed to Holscher's track record of showing up for Kansas City, Kansas.
"KCK knows that Cindy's been showing up for us, going all the way back to things like Golubski," Murray said. "She's certainly advocated for our community in the Chiefs deal and other things."
For Murray, celebration came with a clear expectation, especially for northeast KCK.
"I asked Wyandotte County to come out for her and for all of us. We now have to hold her accountable, and we will. And I believe she will be receptive to that level of accountability," Murray said.
All three supporters made clear they intend to do exactly that.
"Winning is great. Delivering on why we won is now the goal, and we are going to have to hold all these leaders, Cindy included, accountable," Murray said. "But I'm excited because I know she will be accountable and she will deliver for Wyandotte County."
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab ordered a close-race audit in the razor-thin governor's race.
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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