Kansas voters keep status quo in U.S. House delegation of one Democrat, three Republicans

Kansas voters have opted to send all four representatives back to the U.S. House in Washington, D.C.

As Republicans nationally seek to break Democratic control of Congress, the GOP won't pick up the Kansas City-area seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids.

Topeka's U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner maintained a healthy 14-point lead over Democrat Patrick Schmidt before the Associated Press called the race shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday. He will rejoin his fellow Republicans U.S. Reps. Tracey Mann and Ron Estes in cruising to re-election.

The Associated Press called the races for Davids, Mann and Estes shortly after 10 p.m.

The elections mark the first time the state held congressional elections under a controversial new set of district lines that moved Lawrence into Mann's sweeping 1st Congressional District that runs to the Colorado border, while dividing Kansas City, Kan., and placing part of the area into LaTurner's 2nd Congressional District.

Jake LaTurner bests challenge from Patrick Schmidt

The new lines posed few problems for LaTurner, R-Topeka, who beat back a spirited challenge from Democrat Patrick Schmidt, a former naval intelligence officer. The race was frequently tense, culminating in a pair of debates that included a number of fiery exchanges between the two candidates.

LaTurner largely based his campaign on encouraging voters to return a Republican to Congress in a year where the party was widely expected to regain control of the U.S. House, urging Kansans to help "fire" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat. He took aim at President Joe Biden on his economic policies, urged more aggressive action on immigration and called for curbing government spending.

Schmidt, meanwhile, argued LaTurner was too extreme to be returned to Congress, pointing to his vote not to certify the 2020 presidential elections and pushing for more action on expanding health care access.

"Thank you, Kansas!" LaTurner said in a statement. "I am so grateful for the support across the Second District, and I look forward to continuing to fight for hard-working families and businesses across our state. Thank you to my opponent Patrick Schmidt for being willing to continue his public service and put his name in the arena."

Tracey Mann beats Jimmy Beard for second term

Meanwhile, Mann, R-Salina, won by a slimmer margin than his 2020 blowout but still had no trouble besting Garden City math teacher Jimmy Beard, a Democrat, to win a second term.

The newly drawn Big First stretches from the Colorado border in western Kansas to Hutchinson in the south-central part of the state, Salina in north-central, then reaches along the northern border with Nebraska to scoop up the northeast college towns of Manhattan and Lawrence.

Sharice Davids defeats Amanda Adkins despite redrawn district lines

The most hotly contested race, meanwhile, was in the 3rd Congressional District, a Kansas City area seat held Davids, Kansas's lone Democrat in Congress.

Davids faced off against Republican Amanda Adkins, a rematch of the 2020 battle that Davids won handedly. Republican legislators, however, opted to make the district more conservative, removing part of Wyandotte County and replacing it with all of Miami, Anderson and Franklin counties.

The race was widely regarded as a top priority for both parties and a key race as Republicans attempt to regain control of the House. Hopes for Davids spiked after the Aug. 2 primary brought a surge of Democrat and unaffiliated voters to the polls on the abortion issue and polling has given her a comfortable, though not overwhelming, lead.

“For the past four years, we have come together to tackle tough problems and weather tough times," Davids said in a statement. "We have found a path forward for our community that is built on opportunity, respect, and hope. Tonight, we chose to ignore those who want to divide us and instead continue moving forward — together."

Ron Estes easily moves past Bob Hernandez

Meanwhile, Estes, R-Wichita, also had no trouble winning re-election in the Wichita-area district that largely remained unchanged during the redistricting process, besting Democrat Bob Hernandez.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas election 2022 results US House, Sharice Davids, Jake LaTurner