Kansas: No End in Sight

​At this point in time, the open Republican gubernatorial nomination is in a state of flux.   The unofficial first completed tally finds Secretary of State Kris Kobach leading Gov. Jeff Colyer by just 191 votes statewide.  An estimated 10,000 provisional ballots remain to be counted and absentee ballots postmarked on election day will be accepted until Friday; so it will be several days before the unofficial count is set just prior to the post-election canvass beginning.  Then, we can expect calls for re-counts, possibly more than one, and challenges from both sides over what will be argued as certain individuals detected as voting illegally. 
 
Obviously, the longer the Republicans are hamstrung without a nominee, the better it is for new Democratic nominee Laura Kelly, a Topeka state Senator.  But, she has problems, too.  Independent Greg Orman’s presence on the general election ballot, and campaigning from the left, will take votes away from Kelly.  Under this scenario, the likelihood of Orman now believing his chances are better of winning a tight three-way race are greater than even before he became a candidate.
 
This situation will be one worth watching for the next several weeks.