The Kansas Chamber’s 2026 Primary Candidate Conversations brings together business leaders and gubernatorial candidates for one of the most important policy discussions of the year.
Ahead of the primary election, this event provides Kansas Chamber members a unique opportunity to hear directly from the candidates seeking to lead our state. Through moderated conversations, candidates will share their perspectives on the issues that matter most to Kansas businesses, including workforce development, tax policy, regulatory environment, and long-term economic competitiveness.
These discussions are designed to give employers and community leaders a clearer understanding of each candidate’s priorities and how their leadership could influence the future of Kansas’ economy. With business leaders and policymakers in the room, the conversation will focus on real challenges and real solutions facing our state.
Explore the candidate profiles below to learn more about each individual’s background, priorities, and vision for Kansas.
As a lifelong Kansan, Ethan Corson was raised on a set of core values: work hard, give back whenever you can and always keep your word.
He’s carried those values with him.
And now he’s running for Governor to create opportunities for the next generation of Kansans, so they can build a life here. He’ll do it by working with both parties to make sure Kansas schools are the very best in America and Kansas is the most affordable place to live – with lower taxes and thriving new businesses.
Ethan currently serves in the State Senate, representing the community where he grew up, and he has been a leading voice on kitchen table issues: stronger public schools, lower taxes for working and middle-class Kansans, and aggressively recruiting new businesses to our state. He’s known for his common-sense, bipartisan approach.
Cindy Holscher was raised on a farm and brought up with common sense, Midwest values, and a love of her country. Cindy and her husband Greg have lived in Kansas for over 25 years, and their three kids graduated from public schools.
In the House and Senate, Cindy co-founded the Women’s Bipartisan Caucus and helped end the failed Brownback experiment, which drained billions from our schools. She worked to reverse school budget cuts, restore common sense to state finances, and put the Kansas economy back on track.
Now, she’s running for Governor because Kansas deserves a leader who has a proven track record of fighting for all Kansans.
Born and raised in Butler County, Ty learned Kansas values early – live your faith, stand by your family, work hard, and if you’re not willing to do something about it, don’t waste time complaining.
These values led Ty to run for the Andover City Commission more than twenty years ago after being dissatisfied with the direction of the community that had given him so much. Since then, Ty has never stopped fighting to make Kansas a better place to live.
Ty was elected to the state legislature in 2004, where he has been a reliable conservative leader in Topeka, delivering on our conservative priorities: lower taxes, more efficient spending, safer communities, and a stronger, more prosperous Kansas.
He became President of the Kansas Senate in 2021 after being elected unanimously by his colleagues.
As President of the Kansas Senate, Ty has led the fight to get Kansas back on track. He championed a $2 billion tax cut for Kansas families. Ty has also been at the forefront of the fight against the woke agenda, by banning DEI in our higher education system, men from competing in women’s sports, and transgender surgeries for minors. And he preserved the integrity of Kansas elections with commonsense measures to protect the ballot box.
Ty is a small business owner, entrepreneur, and laborer. He leads GoCreate, a community workspace at Wichita State University that gives entrepreneurs of all ages the resources they need to launch businesses and turn ideas into a reality.
Ty still lives in Butler County, representing the district where he was born in the legislature. Ty has been married to his wife, Marlo, for 30 years. Together they have six children and seven grandchildren. They attend NewSpring Church.
Philip Sarnecki is a Kansas businessman, family man, and job creator who has built companies that today employ approximately 1,000 people across multiple industries. He founded and led RPS Financial Group, Inc., growing it into one of the largest financial services firms in the nation before selling the company.
In addition to financial services, Sarnecki owns businesses in various industries that strengthen communities and create jobs. He is the largest franchise owner of a national quick lubes company and has established locations across Kansas, including in Andover, El Dorado, Derby, Pittsburg, Fort Scott, and Independence.
Guided by his Christian faith and conservative values, Philip believes in hard work, strong families, and accountable leadership, not career politics. He is unafraid to take on entrenched interests and bring a business-minded, results-driven approach to government.
Philip lives in Bucyrus, Kansas with his wife, Heidi, and their three children.
Vicki Schmidt is a lifelong Kansan and Republican, born and raised in Wichita. She attended Wichita South High School and graduated from KU’s School of Pharmacy. She has worked over 40 years as a local pharmacist and served 14 years in the Kansas Senate. In 2018, she was elected Insurance Commissioner with the largest vote total statewide, and again in 2022.
Vicki has worked with law enforcement to prevent uninsured motorists from driving up costs and recently passed legislation to stop pharmacy middlemen from threatening the pocketbooks of Kansans.
She has been married to her husband, Mike, for over 50 years. They have two grown sons and four grandchildren. She is also a breast cancer survivor and advocate.
Scott Schwab grew up in Great Bend and graduated from Fort Hays State University. Prior to entering public service, Scott was a small business owner.
First elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2002, Scott worked to reduce regulatory overreach, strengthen Kansas’ election laws, bring local control to Kansas schools, and grow our economy by cutting taxes and promoting business growth.
Scott championed several election integrity bills that are now state law, including requiring voter ID. Scott served in leadership roles including chairman of the Elections Committee and the Financial Institutions Committee and vice chairman of the Taxation Committee and the Commerce and Labor Committee. Scott also was elected by his colleagues to serve as speaker pro tempore of the Kansas House.
Scott was elected Kansas Secretary of State in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. Scott has prioritized enhancing Kansas’ election laws, developing new initiatives to strengthen election security, and increasing training for county election officials. He has focused on improving the agency’s filing system to better serve Kansas business owners and modernizing agency processes to better serve Kansans.
As Secretary of State, Scott has opposed legislation in Congress that would eliminate voter ID, use tax dollars to fund political campaigns, and federalize state elections. As Governor, Scott will continue to fight against federal interference in our state.
Scott and his wife, Michele, live in Overland Park with their children.
Curt was born and raised in Topeka, on the same street as Governor Laura Kelly and Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. He went to Topeka public schools and met his wife Amy in high school.
After graduating from the University of Kansas, work eventually took the Skoogs to Overland Park, where they raised their three children.
Curt was first elected to Overland Park City Council in 2005 and has served as Mayor since 2021. As Mayor, Skoog has led the resurgence of Downtown Overland Park and welcomed significant economic development and job growth, all while maintaining the state’s lowest property tax rate.
