Kansas City Primary 2026 Winners & Losers

Let's make this quick because we're more interested in TKC commenters than our analysis of the obvious.

Our main takeaway . . . 

Turnout always wins and Missouri & Kansas voters offered a glimpse that GOP domination isn't always assured when it comes to issues that impact voting rights & local wallets. 

Missouri should lead the discourse with Amendments 4 & 5 crashing and burning in spectacular fashion. Overall it's a sign that the Jeff City GOP can't just slop their bad ideas onto the ballot and assume they'll get support. Even worse . . . We might be seeing Missouri Republican hubris take its toll in real time not because of any seismic shift away from a traditionally conservative electorate but merely because a strangle hold on power for so long keeps better leaders from rising through the ranks. 

However, in Kansas we see the dems pushing more progressive candidates even over the inclinations of their own governor  . . . But that might be as a reaction to entrenched power as well. 

Either way . . . Here's a quick overview to start the conversation . . .

Let's start on the bright side . . .  

WINNERS

Mayor Q Claims EPIC Another EPIC Victory

Like everybody else, the Mayor is on Instagram making a bigger deal of himself than he should. We're not certain how bad debt and more borrowing constitutes a win . . . But we'll stipulate that, on paper, more blank checks must seem like a nice benefit.

Missouri State Senator Rick Brattin

He's brash, he's fiercely conservative and if nothing changes with the map, there's a very good chance he might be Kansas City's next congressman. Not everybody in Jeff City likes Brattin but his GOP credentials remain impeccable and no one questions his loyalty to conservative ideology . . . Sometimes to a fault. 

He'll be a Missouri right-wing favorite for the midterms and that might or might not work in his favor in this red state battle royale to maintain supremacy.  

Life Will Soon Be Complicated For Stacy Lake 

It's reasonable to be skeptical about this local lawyer with limited political experience and absolutely no track record of governance. Her plans sound nice and hopeful . . . But she hasn't even tangled with the courthouse viper pit beyond press releases and interviews . . . We certainly hope that she lives up to her potential but there have been smarter people who have tried the same strategy and failed miserably. 

 

LOSERS

 Conservatives Don't Want To Follow Guv Kehoe

By far GOP Guv Kehoe is the biggest Republican loser in the Midwest. He needed to build a coalition, he needed to lead the conversation and he needed to capture the imagination of the electorate. Instead, his efforts were lazy and haphazard with no support but dumb online adverts that most people tune out. 

At this point, he'll be lucky to complete his term now that fellow Republicans in Jeff City smell political blood in the water.  

Hartzell Gray Leans That Socialism Ultimately Disappoints

It's hard to remember that Hartzell was formerly one of the most beloved mainstream media personalities in all of Kansas City.

Over the course of two years his politics have been inflammatory, divisive and without much ability to resonate. Last night's disappointing finish might be the end of his political ambitious despite so much nationwide attention.  

Life lesson: Hassan Piker isn't coming to save us.  

KCMO Council Dude Willett's Eyes Were Bigger Than His Stomach

He should have stuck with the State Senate gig that was more attainable . . . Instead, he let ambitious KC-area conservatives do his thinking for him and mistakenly wanted to leverage social media rather than real connections outside of the Northland . . . Willett might have a future in the GOP but his overly ambitious ego was publicly downgraded last night when a shorter, uglier candidate proved that connections and years of groundwork were far more important than cute slogans.

Kansas City Voters Lost TONS OF MONEY Last Night Under The Radar

Back to where we started . . .

LAST NIGHT KCMO VOTERS THREW AWAY CASH LIKE CONFETTI!!! 

Hundreds of millions worth of borrowing isn't a good look for a budget that's already structurally unbalanced but the reality is that these issues were BORING and voters were satisfied to feel good by way of freebies with very little knowledge of this town slowly moving toward BANKRUPTCY. 

Again . . .

Our opinions aren't so important and we can only hope they spark some more interesting thought for AWESOME TKC READERS. 

Developing . . .