Democrat Cindy Holscher wins the Kansas gubernatorial election and defeats Trump's candidate

Cindy Holscher won the governorship of Kansas. The Democratic state senator defeated the Republican state Senate president, Ty Masterson, who had the backing of President Donald Trump.

Her victory was projected nine days after the November 3 election. With 98% of the votes counted, Holscher received 50.3% of the vote compared to Masterson's 49.7%. This race was considerably closer than the Senate election, in which Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Roger Marshall by more than 5 percentage points.

"Thank you, Kansas! It's the honor of a lifetime to serve as your next Governor," Holscher celebrated on social media.

The result also breaks a six-decade electoral trend in the state. Since 1964, every time a Kansas governor left office due to retirement or term limits, the candidate from the opposing party has won the subsequent election.

For his part, Masterson conceded defeat in a statement: "I've called Senator Holscher to congratulate her on her election. It has been the honor of my life to carry the Republican banner for the state I love. This was a hard election for people who share our vision, here and across the country. But I believe in this state and in the people who live here, and that hasn't changed."

With this result, the Democrats retain the governorship that will be vacated by Laura Kelly, who was barred from running again due to term limits.

As for Kansas's new governor, she studied journalism, marketing, and political science at the University of Missouri. Before entering politics, she worked as a manager at the telecommunications company Sprint.

She was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2017 and to the state Senate in 2020. In the August Democratic primary, she defeated State Senator Ethan Corson 48.7% to 38.6%, even though Corson had Governor Kelly's endorsement.