Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer Concedes GOP Primary to Secretary of State Kris Kobach
Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer has conceded in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary, losing by a razor-thin margin to Secretary of State Kris Kobach in a race so close it took a week to determine the winner.
Colyer accepted defeat Tuesday evening after a review of some provisional ballots from most Kansas counties failed to find enough votes for him to overcome a deficit of 110 votes at the time of poll closing in the Aug. 7 primary, out of more than 311,000 votes initially counted.
Kobach will face Democrat Laura Kelly in the November general election.
Colyer is a 58-year-old plastic surgeon from suburban Kansas City. He served as lieutenant governor for seven years and took over as governor in January when Sam Brownback resigned to become ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
Kobach had the support of President Donald Trump.