If Democrats are to hold on to the governor’s mansion in Kansas, it will be Cindy Holscher whom voters send there.
The state senator from Overland Park is running against Republican Senate President Ty Masterson in this year’s gubernatorial contest to replace term-limited Democrat Laura Kelly.
A recent Emerson College poll showed Masterson with a lead, 51% to 44%, over Holscher, with 6% of surveyed voters undecided. The margin of error in the survey of some 750 registered voters was 3.6%.
The two have traded jabs, most notably at a debate at the Kansas State Fair last month in Hutchinson, each calling the other too extreme for Kansas.
In September, Holscher agreed to a one-on-one interview with Post editor Kyle Palmer, recorded on Zoom. The Post has reached out to Masterson’s campaign multiple times and hopes to eventually record a similar online interview with the Republican candidate before the Nov. 3 election.
You can watch Holscher’s entire interview video on our YouTube page. But if you’re in a hurry, consider Holscher’s responses to four key policy issues asked about by our readers.
Data centers
On why Holscher now supports a statewide moratorium on “hyperscale data centers,” after voting for a bill to give data center developers tax incentives. Does she think that vote was a mistake?
Chiefs stadium deal
On why Holscher is critical of the deal that brought the Chiefs to Kansas, even though she voted for the initial bill in 2024 that paved the way for the state to make that proposal to the team. Is she worried voters might see her changing positions as politically advantageous?
Tax policy
On why Kansans’ tax burden is so high and what policies she would advocate for to help lower that, and why she claims Republicans’ plans to give property tax relief are “gimmicks.”
School funding
On what her non-negotiable would be as governor when it comes time to rewrite the state’s school funding formula after the current one expires in summer 2027.
