Kansas is known as a politically traditional Republican stronghold in the United States. This region has received strong support for the Republican Party since the 19th century, and except for the 1936 and 1964 presidential elections, the Democratic candidate has almost never won.

Strength of the Republican Party

Kansas is a Republican stronghold, consistently delivering votes to Republican candidates in presidential elections. In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump won Kansas over Joe Biden by a margin of 14.6 percentage points. However, it is noteworthy that the Democratic vote share increased by more than 6% compared to the 2016 election, indicating a slight change in Kansas's political landscape.

2018 Gubernatorial Election

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Democrat Laura Kelly's victory brought a fresh shock to Kansas politics. This was due to several factors, one of the major reasons being the decline in soybean exports, a key export of Kansas, due to the U.S.-China trade war under the Trump administration, which impacted the agriculture-based economy. Additionally, the internal division within the Republican Party and the 6.5% vote share of an independent candidate contributed to the Democratic victory.

Regional Political Landscape

  • Urban Areas: In major urban areas like Wichita and Kansas City, the Democratic Party is strong. Particularly, the 3rd congressional district, which includes Kansas City, is a place of fierce competition between the two parties, where in 2018, Democrat Sharice Davids won.
  • Rural Areas: The majority of the state is made up of rural areas, which are the traditional support base of the Republican Party.

Distribution of Electoral Districts

Kansas is divided into four federal congressional districts.

  • The 1st, 2nd, and 4th districts are strongholds for the Republican Party,
  • while the 3rd district, which includes urban and suburban areas, is the only region where the Democratic and Republican parties compete fiercely.

Political Outlook

Kansas still has a solid Republican advantage, but the increase in Democratic vote share and the strengthening of competitiveness in urban areas are gradually bringing changes to the state's political landscape. These changes may become more visible in future elections.