Democrat Cindy Holscher Wins Kansas Governor's Race

Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher won the Kansas governor's race, defeating Republican Ty Masterson, according to an Associated Press race call. The win keeps the governor's office under Democratic control.

Holscher and Masterson are both 57 years old. Masterson was president of the Kansas state Senate and was endorsed by President Trump.

The seat was open because Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is term-limited, which means state law does not allow her to run again. Kelly has served eight years as governor. Before the vote, Kansas was seen as the most likely of 36 governor's races this year to flip from Democratic to Republican control.

The race was close. The call came after several days of counting provisional ballots, which are ballots cast by voters whose eligibility must be checked before they are counted. Local officials also conducted recounts.

Holscher has taken several positions on state policy. She opposes school vouchers, which use public money to help pay for private school tuition, and has called for more support for public schools. She has also called for a moratorium, or pause, on new data centers in Kansas, which are large facilities that house computer servers. In addition, she has called for legalizing cannabis as a way to raise state revenue.