Democrat Cindy Holscher defeats Republican Ty Masterson in Kansas governor’s race

Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher has narrowly won Kansas’ race for governor, NBC News projected Thursday, extending the party’s hold on the office in the red state.

Holscher defeated Republican state Senate President Ty Masterson, who was backed by President Donald Trump, to succeed two-term Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

While Trump carried Kansas — a state where registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats nearly 2 to 1 — by double digits in the latest three presidential elections, polling had shown a close race down the stretch due mostly to voter frustrations with Trump and his handling of the economy. Democrats also benefited from increased attention on the traditionally conservative state as its Senate race tightened.

Holscher’s victory came despite a nearly 3-to-1 Republican ad spending advantage in the general election, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

In the general election, Holscher aggressively tied Masterson to Trump, while also maintaining that she’d find areas to work with the administration.

“I think that’s a concern that [Masterson] has the ear of the administration, because the administration also has a hold on him. You won’t see Ty Masterson pushing back against bad policy, like tariffs that are hurting our farmers or the importing of beef…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business