OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
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If there’s one thing President Donald Trump wants Kansans to do, it’s go vote. And he’d prefer they vote Republican. That was the overriding message from his rally to support Sen. Roger Marshall's reelection campaign that I attended in Park City, Kansas, Monday night.
“Whatever you do, get out and vote,” Trump told the crowd.
When I woke up Tuesday, I first visited the Sedgwick County Election Office in Wichita. The director told me the office had a record number of voters cast ballots on the first day of advance voting, Monday.
Tuesday was steady, but it wasn’t because of Trump.
None of the voters I spoke with attended Monday night’s rally.
Alison Guerra is a Republican who wants Marshall to win reelection. But her main motivation was to support a friend in state politics.
“I have a good friend who is in the state House of Representatives,” Guerra said. “I can’t vote for her because she’s not in my district, but I love her so much, and I would feel terrible if I didn’t vote.”
Peter Youngs, also from the Wichita area, doesn’t support Trump. He said the president’s remarks did not sway him.
“I vote my conscience,” Youngs said. “I’m not going to give my God-given right to choose to any political party.”
I hopped on Interstate 35 to make the drive home. Next stop: Emporia. The Lyon County Courthouse was not as busy as Sedgwick.
There, I found James Sturm, a longtime “union Democrat." He’s not following Trump’s orders. Sturm believes it’s a good thing Republicans appear nervous that Marshall might lose to Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton.
“People in politics, after a while, they don’t worry about the people. You gotta check ‘em up every once in a while and keep them nervous,” Sturm said.
Trump encouraged people to vote by mail, reminding the crowd of the Oct. 27 deadline to request a mail ballot in Kansas.
Larry Davis was returning his ballot to the Lyon County office Tuesday. He’s a proud Republican who told me he voted for Marshall and other conservative candidates.
“I’ll go vote. All you do is send me one in the mail, and I’ll get her done,” he said.
Finally, my drive brought me to Johnson County. The Arts and Heritage Museum had a steady stream of afternoon voters.
On Saturday, more than double the number of people voted on the first day of advance voting compared to the 2022 midterm elections.
“I was going to be here early anyway,” David Hines said when I asked him if Trump’s speech influenced him.
In fact, Hines had quite the opposite take. He thinks Trump’s visit might have hurt Marshall by aligning him with policies and gas prices Kansans aren’t happy with.
“I think Adam Hamilton is more tuned in to the people of Kansas. I don’t think Roger is at all connected,” Hines said.
I asked Marshall about this viewpoint Monday afternoon before Trump landed in Wichita.
“I think the benefits far outweigh any risk,” Marshall said. “The majority of undecided voters are Trumpers. That’s what we’re betting on, that he’s going to mobilize his base — which is my base — to get out and vote.”
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I didn’t find anyone in Johnson County who told me they voted for Marshall.
“In this election, I’m asking you to pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just pretend,” Trump said Monday.
Here’s how Heather Simons responded when I asked if she thought of Trump when she voted Tuesday.
“No. I don’t even think about him. I vote for my interests," she said. "I vote for what I think is best for my community, the state of Kansas and this country."
Preliminarily — and very anecdotally — there have been mixed reviews about Trump’s visit. It seems like most people were going to vote anyway, and some are voting against his interests.
So why is Trump so adamant about getting out the vote? There are nearly 400,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats in Kansas as of Oct. 1, according to the secretary of state’s data.
I was surprised to learn there are actually more unaffiliated voters than Democrats in Kansas. Here’s the breakdown:
- Republican: 901,822
- Unaffiliated: 578,791
- Democratic: 521,669
- Libertarian: 23,840
- United Kansas: 1,398
Voter turnout goes up by more than 10% on average during presidential elections compared to midterm elections in Kansas. Trump won by at least 15 points in Kansas all three times he was on the ballot. He hopes those same voters come out again this November.
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