Kansas' 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)
- Primary date: Aug. 4
- Primary type: Semi-closed
- Registration deadline(s): July 14
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Early voting starts: July 15
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Aug. 4 (postmarked)
- Voter ID: Photo ID
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
2022 →
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| Kansas' 2nd Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: June 1, 2020 |
| Primary: August 4, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Steve Watkins (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Kansas |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th Kansas elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 |
Jacob LaTurner defeated incumbent Steve Watkins and Dennis Taylor in the Republican primary for Kansas' 2nd Congressional District on August 4, 2020. LaTurner received 49% of the vote to Watkins' 34% and Taylor's 17%.
Watkins was first elected in 2018, defeating Paul Davis (D) by less than 1 percentage point. Incumbent Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R) did not seek re-election that year. He said endorsements from groups such as the National Rifle Association and National Right to Life spoke to his record. He also emphasized his role as co-chairman of President Donald Trump's re-election campaign in Kansas.
On July 14, 2020, Watkins was charged with voter fraud, having used the address of a UPS store on his voter registration form. Watkins said he mistakenly used his mailing address instead of his residential address and that the charges were politically motivated. Read more here.
Gov. Sam Brownback (R) appointed LaTurner as Kansas treasurer in 2017, and LaTurner was elected to remain in office in 2018. He said he was the candidate who could win in November, citing the charges against Watkins, and said he had a record of defending conservative values. Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kans.) endorsed LaTurner following the charges.[1] Kansans for Life switched from endorsing both LaTurner and Watkins to just LaTurner.[2] LaTurner was endorsed by the Kansas Farm Bureau earlier in the primary.[3]
Taylor was Kansas secretary of labor and served on the Shawnee County Commission. He emphasized his experience as a business owner, teacher, and former secretary of labor. He said he would prioritize a jobs program focused on COVID-19 relief efforts.
Click here for more on candidates' backgrounds and key messages.
On July 17, The Cook Political Report changed its race rating from Likely Republican to Lean Republican.[4] Two other election forecasters rated the race Likely or Solid Republican.
This page focuses on Kansas' 2nd Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Kansas' 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)
- Kansas' 2nd Congressional District election, 2020
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Political party events in Kansas were modified as follows:
- Political party events: The Democratic Party of Kansas canceled in-person voting in its presidential preference primary, originally scheduled to take place on May 2, 2020. Voting instead took place by mail. The receipt deadline for mail-in ballots was May 2.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Kansas District 2
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jacob LaTurner | 49.1 | 47,898 |
 | Steve Watkins | 33.9 | 33,053 | |
 | Dennis Taylor | 16.9 | 16,512 | |
| Total votes: 97,463 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[5] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Kansas Treasurer (Assumed office: 2017)
- Kansas State Senate (2013-2017)
Biography: LaTurner received a bachelor's degree in political science from Pittsburg State University. He worked for the short-line rail company Watco. As of his 2020 campaign, LaTurner was the youngest statewide elected official in the U.S.
Show sources
Sources: KSNT, "LaTurner, Taylor, Watkins join KSNT’s Republican Congressional Debate," July 14, 2020; YouTube, "Jake LaTurner TV Ad #1 2020 Kansas 2nd District Congress GOP Primary - June 24, 2020," June 26, 2020; YouTube, "Jake LaTurner TV Ad #2 2020 Kansas 2nd District Congress GOP Primary, July 8, 2020 - Anti-Watkins," July 9, 2020; Jake LaTurner's 2020 campaign website, "Meet Jake LaTurner," accessed July 16, 2020; Vote Smart, "Jake LaTurner's Biography," accessed July 16, 2020
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Kansas District 2 in 2020.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Kansas Secretary of Labor
- Shawnee County Commissioner (1979-1983)
Biography: Taylor received business and law degrees from Drake University, a master’s degree in public administration from Kansas University, and a law degree from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. He was a research attorney for two Kansas Supreme Court justices and served as secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, secretary of Administration, Gov. Mike Hayden's (R) chief of staff, and an advisor to the U.S. Agency for International Development. At the time of his 2020 campaign, Taylor owned a business and taught business law.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Kansas District 2 in 2020.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office: U.S. House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2019)
Biography: Watkins graduated from West Point and served in the Army, qualifying to be an airborne ranger and deploying to Afghanistan. After his military service, he spent a decade working in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Central Asia as an independent contractor. As of the 2020 campaign, Watkins co-chaired Trump's Kansas re-election campaign.
Show sources
Sources: KSNT, "LaTurner, Taylor, Watkins join KSNT’s Republican Congressional Debate," July 14, 2020; YouTube, "Steve Watkins TV Ad #2 - 2020 KS 2nd District Congress GOP Primary - July 8, 2020 - 'No LaTurner,'" July 8, 2020; YouTube, "Steve Watkins TV Ad #1 2020 Kansas 2nd District Congress GOP Primary - June 17, 2020 - Pro Trump," June 17, 2020; Steve Watkins' 2020 campaign website, "Meet Steve," accessed July 16, 2020
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Kansas District 2 in 2020.
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[6] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[7] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Watkins | Republican Party | $1,085,492 | $1,117,662 | $2,420 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| Jacob LaTurner | Republican Party | $1,606,573 | $1,591,626 | $14,947 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| Dennis Taylor | Republican Party | $91,517 | $91,517 | $0 | As of November 24, 2020 |
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Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[8][9][10]
This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.
The following figures were current as of August 3, 2020.[11]
- Fighting for Kansas PAC had spent $209,000 opposing Watkins and $19,000 supporting LaTurner.
- Heartland PAC had spent $60,000 opposing LaTurner.
Noteworthy events
On July 14, 2020, Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced that he had filed four counts—three felonies and one misdemeanor—against Watkins for fraudulent voting in a 2019 Topeka City Council election. The charges included interference with law enforcement by providing false information, voting without being qualified, unlawful advance voting, and failing to notify the DMV of change of address. The charges resulted from a December 2019 investigation over Watkins' use of a UPS store address in Topeka, Kansas, as his place of residence on a voter registration form. According to local news 13 WIBW, the charges also included an allegation that Watkins gave false information to a Shawnee County detective in February 2020 to "influence, impede or obstruct such officer’s" investigation.[12][13]
Watkins denied wrongdoing during a Republican primary debate on July 14: "I haven't done anything wrong, as soon as I realized that I put my mailing address instead of my physical address, we fixed it." Watkins said he was cooperating with the district attorney.[13]
On July 17, Watkins announced that he was temporarily resigning his House committee membership. House Republicans require any member charged with a felony carrying a sentence of two or more years to resign committee membership pending the charges.[14][15]
Read more here.
Campaign advertisements
This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.
Jacob LaTurner
Supporting LaTurner
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Opposing Watkins
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Steve Watkins
Supporting Watkins
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Opposing LaTurner
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Satellite group ads
Opposing LaTurner
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Opposing Watkins
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Primaries in Kansas
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Kansas utilizes a semi-closed primary process, in which previously unaffiliated voters can participate in the partisan primary of their choice (a voter who is already affiliated with a party can only vote in that party's primary).[16][17][18][19]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from three outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[20]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[21][22][23]
| Race ratings: Kansas' 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 | |||||||||
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| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. | |||||||||
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+10, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 10 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Kansas' 2nd Congressional District the 134th most Republican nationally.[24]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.96. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.96 points toward that party.[25]
District election history
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Kansas District 2
Steve Watkins defeated Paul Davis and Kelly Standley in the general election for U.S. House Kansas District 2 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steve Watkins (R) | 47.6 | 126,098 |
 | Paul Davis (D) | 46.8 | 123,859 | |
 | Kelly Standley (L) | 5.6 | 14,731 | |
| Total votes: 264,688 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Kansas District 2
Paul Davis advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Kansas District 2 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Paul Davis | 100.0 | 38,846 |
| Total votes: 38,846 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Nathan Schmidt (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Kansas District 2
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Kansas District 2 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steve Watkins | 26.5 | 20,052 |
 | Caryn Tyson | 23.5 | 17,749 | |
 | Kevin Jones | 14.8 | 11,201 | |
 | Steve Fitzgerald | 12.2 | 9,227 | |
 | Dennis Pyle | 12.1 | 9,126 | |
 | Doug Mays | 8.2 | 6,221 | |
 | Vernon Fields | 2.6 | 1,987 | |
| Total votes: 75,563 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Matt Bevens (R)
- Tyler Tannahill (R)
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Lynn Jenkins (R) defeated Britani Potter (D) and James Houston Bales (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary opponent in August.[26][27]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Lynn Jenkins Incumbent |
60.9% | 181,228 | |
| Democratic | Britani Potter | 32.6% | 96,840 | |
| Libertarian | James Houston Bales | 6.5% | 19,333 | |
| Total Votes | 297,401 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State | ||||
2014
The 2nd Congressional District of Kansas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Lynn Jenkins (R) defeated Margie Wakefield (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lynn Jenkins Incumbent |
57% | 128,742 | |
| Democratic | Margie Wakefield | 38.6% | 87,153 | |
| Libertarian | Chris Clemmons | 4.3% | 9,791 | |
| Total Votes | 225,686 | |||
| Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
See also
- Kansas' 2nd Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)
- Kansas' 2nd Congressional District election, 2020
- United States House elections in Kansas, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primaries)
- United States House elections in Kansas, 2020 (August 4 Republican primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2020
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2020
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2020
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2020
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ KWCH, "U.S. Rep. Ron Estes endorses state treasurer in 2nd Congressional District Republican primary," July 16, 2020
- ↑ Kansans for Life Political Action Committee, "KFL PAC Single Endorses Jake LaTurner for Congress," July 17, 2020
- ↑ Kansas Farm Bureau, "Kansas Farm Bureau Endorses Mann, LaTurner, Estes for U.S. House," May 1, 2020
- ↑ The Cook Political Report, "House Rating Changes: 20 Races Move Towards Democrats," July 17, 2020
- ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Kansas District 02 Race, Outside spending," accessed August 3, 2020
- ↑ WIBW, "DA charges Watkins with voter fraud," July 14, 2020
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Yahoo News, "Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins charged with voter fraud," July 14, 2020
- ↑ Martinsville Bulletin, "Kansas congressman forced to leave committees after charges," July 17, 2020
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins Exits Committee Assignments," July 17, 2020
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed March 30, 2023
- ↑ FairVote, "Open and closed primaries," accessed March 30, 2023
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Scott Schwab Kansas Secretary of State, "Voting Rules for Primary Elections," accessed March 30, 2023
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Candidates for the 2016 Primary," accessed June 2, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Kansas House Primaries Results," August 2, 2016
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