GOP Businessman Surges to Frontrunner Status in Kansas GOP Governor’s Race
A political outsider has surged to the top of Kansas’s Republican gubernatorial primary, rapidly reshaping the race and undercutting the bipartisan image Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly sought to reinforce during her final State of the State address this week.
Philip Sarnecki, a Johnson County businessman and first-time candidate, has shattered every fundraising record in Kansas gubernatorial history, amassing $3 million in just four months. The haul dwarfs every other Republican contender, instantly transforming a once-crowded primary into a race with a clear frontrunner. Sarnecki’s campaign raised $2.7 million directly, while allied organizations contributed an additional $250,000.
After entering the race in late September, Sarnecki now reports $2.3 million cash on hand, giving him a commanding advantage as early advertising and ground operations ramp up across the state.
“Our campaign has raised the most money in Kansas gubernatorial history, and we did it in far less time than every other Republican candidate in the field,” Sarnecki said in a statement. “There’s an incredible energy around our campaign. Kansans are tired of losing and they’re tired of career politicians.”
He continued, “Kansans are hungry for a business leader and an outsider — someone like President Trump — to win this race. The support we’ve received across Kansas proves that to be true. We’re just getting started. It’s our time to win.”
A wealth management executive and president of RPS Financial Group, Sarnecki has built his campaign around the argument that Kansas needs leadership “untethered from the Topeka political establishment.” His platform emphasizes tax relief, deregulation, and small-business growth, along with education reforms centered on parental rights and school choice.
Political observers say Sarnecki’s meteoric rise reflects the same anti-establishment momentum that propelled President Donald Trump to the White House in 2016 and reshaped the Republican Party nationwide. His fundraising surge has sent shockwaves through the Kansas GOP, instantly eclipsing veteran officeholders who once dominated the primary field.
Republican strategist Matt Schlapp, a Kansas native and former Trump aide, said Sarnecki “represents the political energy of the post-Trump GOP — unapologetically outsider, entrepreneurial, and blunt about cutting bureaucracy.”
Sarnecki’s ascent comes as Gov. Laura Kelly, who is barred from seeking reelection due to term limits, used her State of the State address Tuesday to argue for moderation and bipartisan governance. Kelly framed her tenure as proof that Kansas thrives when political conflict is muted.
“I’m here because Kansans were looking for someone who would turn the volume down, to do more listening than yelling, to bring people together, to compromise and govern from the middle,” Kelly told a joint session of the Legislature. “Kansans are the most civil, decent people on earth. And they expect that from us, too.”
Kelly warned that “toxic politics” could threaten the progress made under her administration, pointing to bipartisan accomplishments such as the passage of 587 bills and a high-profile deal to bring a Kansas City Chiefs stadium to Wyandotte County.
“To land the Chiefs, we all put politics aside,” Kelly said. “We all put personal differences aside. And we didn’t care who got the credit.”
While Sarnecki has praised the Chiefs deal, he has rejected Kelly’s call to “turn the volume down,” arguing instead that Kansas voters want assertive leadership, not cautious consensus. His campaign slogan — “It’s Time to Win Again” — channels the populist tone that has energized Republican voters nationwide, standing in sharp contrast to Kelly’s message of restraint and compromise.
With record-breaking fundraising, a message resonating with grassroots Republicans, and momentum firmly on his side, Sarnecki has positioned himself as the candidate to beat — and as the leading GOP contender poised to challenge Democrats in what could become Kansas’s most consequential gubernatorial race in decades.