A couple of weeks after Mayor Curt Skoog announced his plans to run for governor of Kansas, reactions from officials, colleagues and opponents remain mixed.
His decision to run in the Democratic Primary, announced earlier this month, seemed to upend the race, which had been dominated up until that point by two fellow Johnson County Democrats: State Sen. Cindy Holscher of Overland Park and State Sen. Ethan Corson of Fairway.
Some have criticized Skoog’s decision, billing it as a last-minute choice since he filed so close to the noon deadline on June 1 for state and federal elections in 2026, among other critiques.
Gov. Laura Kelly, who endorsed Corson months ago, called Skoog’s choice to file “foolhardy” and said she sees it as “thrown-together” and “opportunistic.”
But not everyone sees it that way, and some feel his experience as a local elected official could set him apart in the field of candidates.
Overland Park Councilmember Drew Mitrisin acknowledges that although Skoog’s addition to the race might complicate things for candidates who have spent the better part of the past year running, he sees it as a good thing at the end of the day.
“As much as we want to try to be kingmaker or queenmaker, we need to let the democratic process play out,” he said.
He believes the filing deadline is on June 1 for a reason in Kansas, and candidates can and do frequently make their final decisions about running for elected office close to the deadline. Plus, the way he sees it, “there’s plenty of time for people to make their case to voters in Kansas.”
That’s why he’s skeptical of some arguments he’s heard that Skoog rushed into the decision to file.
“I have always found Mayor Skoog to be extremely thoughtful and rigorous in how he makes decisions,” he said. “It gives me a lot of confidence that he went through a rigorous process to come to this decision.”
Skoog’s filing a symptom of discontent with KS Legislature, councilmember says
Councilmember Mitrisin, though initially surprised, said he understands why Mayor Skoog would consider throwing his hat in the ring. He pointed to what he sees as the “urgency of the moment, trying to make sure somebody responsible is the governor of Kansas.”
Additionally, Mitrisin sees it as a sign that “dissatisfaction with how the state legislature operates” is growing, making room for a third option on the Democratic side of the race for governor who hasn’t spent time in Topeka as a lawmaker.
“A lot of times, the local elected officials feel at odds with some of the policies being considered in Topeka,” he said.
“Dysfunction” in state government is something Skoog has referenced as well in an interview with the Post about his decision to run for governor. He also called the state legislative process “unproductive and not transparent.”
“From City Hall, I got to watch the dysfunctional legislature have another year where they didn’t accomplish things to improve Kansans’ lives or to make life more affordable,” he said. “We’re looking forward to a campaign that’s focused on bringing a Main Street mindset to the governor’s office.”
At the same time, though, Mitrisin said Skoog’s leadership in the city of Overland Park has put him in a position to be on top of the issues impacting everyday people and kept him in tune with Kansas politics.
“He’s probably very well versed in the policies that need to be at the forefront of the entire campaign season,” he said.
Mitrisin had previously endorsed State Sen. Corson for governor, and still feels he would do “a fantastic job” in that role and is a “viable candidate.” That said, he also sees Skoog’s potential.
“I’m just trying to understand as the next couple months move forward, maybe the differences between all the candidates,” he said. “I’m curious to see how the three Democratic candidates try to separate themselves and their records, but I certainly think Mayor Skoog has a different angle … so I can see why he would be qualified for that position as well.”
Councilmembers see a “parallel” between mayor, governor job
Councilmember Holly Grummert previously endorsed State Sen. Holscher for governor. She stands by that endorsement, recalling how excited she was that a woman who lives in Johnson County would want to be the next governor.
However, she also supports Skoog’s bid, considering both him and Holscher to be strong contenders.
“He would be great. I think he has a lot of skills that would help being governor,” she said. “I just feel like the parallel between mayor and governor is so close.”
While she sees that the scale of the roles is different, Grummert thinks the skills that make for a successful mayor are “transferable” to being a successful governor.
In her eyes, Skoog has always been focused on keeping Overland Park a good option for families to come back to and for businesses to set down roots, something a governor has to do for the whole state of Kansas.
“How do we make Kansas a viable place for our kids to want to come back and to want to live here and continue to grow their families here?” Grummert said. “I imagine that he will be the same at the governor level, working together and trying to get stuff done, and I think that will be great for Kansas.”
Mitrisin offered similar sentiments on Skoog’s mayoral experience, referencing “his temperament, his thoughtfulness, and his real commitment to service.”
“His ability to build consensus around an issue will serve him well,” he said. “His perspective is always trying to represent the city, all parts of the city, and all backgrounds of the city, so that we reach a decision that can be justified to all stakeholders.”
“I think that’s one of his best skills: listening to all different perspectives on an issue, helping facilitate some consensus building, and then ultimately he’s decisive when he needs to be,” Mitrisin continued. “His background as mayor makes him well suited to seek this office, and certainly qualified.”
Councilmember Logan Heley has endorsed State Sen. Corson in the Democratic Party primary for the governor’s race as well, but declined the Post’s request for comment.
A former opponent has a different take
Mike Czinege, a businessman who lost to Skoog in the 2021 Overland Park mayoral election, sees it differently; he’s been unimpressed by Mayor Skoog’s tenure and doesn’t believe he has the right experiences or qualities to make a good governor.
For one thing, he feels Kansas is in a “difficult position,” specifically when it comes to growing state government expenses and the increasing cost of living for residents, among other issues.
“That’s the framework of what Kansas is dealing with, and whoever becomes governor is going to hopefully deal with,” he told the Post earlier this month.
Czinege thinks the next governor of Kansas needs to be willing to cut the state budget back to reduce state spending and decrease tax expenses to residents of the state, and he’s skeptical Skoog could or even would be willing to do that.
He pointed to the city of Overland Park’s record of increasing its budget each year and keeping its property tax rate flat despite growing valuations as evidence for his concern. Though Overland Park rarely raises its mill levy rate and maintains the lowest rate in the region, increasing property tax evaluations across the board typically means residents do pay more each year on the portion of their tax bill that goes to the city.
Czinege also repeated his belief that Skoog is too beholden to the individuals who contribute to his campaign.
“His constituents are the campaign donors,” Czinege said, referencing corporate and developer-affiliated donations Skoog received in recent campaigns.
In the most recent election cycle, a large chunk of Skoog’s campaign donors were affiliated with or somehow connected to developers who do business in front of the Overland Park City Council. Still, as mayor, Skoog casts few votes on development-related applications that come to the city council for consideration, nor does he typically vote on public financing applications.
Czinege said he’s not officially endorsing candidates at this point and hasn’t decided to support anyone, but he’s got his eye on fellow businessman Philip Sarnecki, who is running in the crowded Republican Party primary for the governor’s race. To him, Sarnecki has a lot of qualities Kansas may need heading into the next chapter, with his business experience and plans to reduce state spending.
“It’s important to have that financial background, because you have to know the ins and outs of collecting money, spending money, how to hold people accountable,” Czinege said of state government officials.
Simply put, he doesn’t see those qualities reflected in Skoog.
Skoog’s opponents in the Democratic Party primary for the governor’s race are also skeptical of him.
Shortly after the announcement earlier this month that’d he’d be running, Holscher called him “another candidate … on the side of the establishment,” in a social media post.
“I’m taking on special interests, billionaires, and political insiders who have kept everyday Kansans at the bottom,” she said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Additionally, during a recent KCUR candidate forum held in Overland Park, Holscher called into question his professed skills as a consensus builder.
“It’s a little easier to build consensus when you’re working with a group that’s primarily of your same party. That’s not what we have in Topeka,” she said.
Skoog sees local government history as an asset
On the other hand, Skoog, who has spent more than two decades at Overland Park City Hall as a councilmember and then mayor, thinks his resume is the right one to be the next governor.
“What I do every day as mayor, as all mayors do across the state, is we work every day, 365 days a year, to get things done right. We build roads and bridges, we build parks, we make sure we fund public safety,” he said.
Skoog believes his experience puts him in a position to do that for Kansas.
“In this race I’m the only one who has spent 21 years at the local level getting things done, implementing the community’s vision and delivering in a transparent, inclusive way, based on consensus, and nobody else in this race has that background,” he said, “and that’s what we need in the governor’s office.”
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