Topeka - Governor Jeff Colyer last night (August 14, 2018) conceded the Republican party nomination for governor to Secretary of State Kris Kobach. According to Colyer's press release,
"There is only one thing to say on an occasion such as this, and that is 'Thank you'," said Gov. Colyer in his concession speech, "Thank you to our tens of thousands of supporters, especially those who gave of their time and treasure to make our campaign possible. I am very proud of the work we have done in the past six months and of the hopeful optimistic message we shared in this campaign."
“It has been an honor to serve as the Lt. Governor and meet so many Kansans across this great state,” said Lt. Governor Tracey Mann. “Governor Colyer and I are committed to supporting the Republican nominee for governor and helping him win in November.”
Colyer congratulated Kobach on his success in the primary and repeated his determination to keep the governor's seat in Republican hands. He also committed to serving out the remaining five months of his term in the same hard-working fashion he has throughout his time as governor.
"There is no greater blessing than the opportunity for service and over these remaining few months we again pledge ourselves to the people of Kansas. We will tell the truth, we will seek solutions and progress. We will listen, we will serve and we will lead. It has been a pleasure and a privilege."The complete text of his press conference was:
When I first became Governor a few short months ago. I promised the citizens of Kansas I would listen serve and lead. We would build solutions for our neighbors. My Dad Jim Colyer always told me to put others ahead of ourselves. I learned that as a student at Thomas More in Hays. My mom Lorene always said do the right thing even when nobody is looking. Ruth and I saw it in the blood stains of Rwanda. We've experienced it in war zones around the world. And every day we try to live it, whether it is in this magnificent heart of America, or with my strong daughters, or in the operating room with someone who has no hope, or as governor of this amazing state.
I've just had a conversation with the Secretary of State and congratulated him on his success and repeated my determination to keep this seat in Republican hands. This election may be the closest in America. But the numbers are not there.The Democratic Governors Association (DGA), which has been very vocal about the close Republican primary over the past week, issued a statement following the Colyer's press conference. In their partisan statement, DGA Executive Director Elisabeth Pearson said,
Kansas is too important. Tracey and I will not challenge this in court, nor will we ask a recount. Right here and now we endorse the winner Kris Kobach and Wink Hartman.
There is only one thing to say on an occasion such as this, and that is "Thank You"
Thank you to our tens of thousands of supporters, especially those who gave of their time and treasure to make our campaign possible.
I am very proud of the work we have done in the past six months and of the hopeful optimistic message we shared in this campaign.
Thank you to our staff who have worked tirelessly on our behalf.
Thank you to a great Lt. Governor and running mate, Tracey Mann.
Thank you to my wonderful family, especially the love of my life, Ruth Colyer.
Thank you most of all to a gracious and loving God who has blessed our family and our state beyond measure.
Thank you to every Kansan for serving our neighbors . While a few may try to break up and tear down America, I pray we should all continue to serve our neighbors
There is no greater blessing than the opportunity for service and over these remaining few months we again pledge ourselves to the people of Kansas.
We will tell the truth, we will seek solutions, and we will govern with best interests of Kansans at heart.
We will make sure the next Governor is fully prepared and has our total cooperation in the peaceful transition of power.
We will listen, we will serve and we will lead.
It has been a pleasure and a privilege.
Thank you. Good night. May God bless you, and may God continue to bless the state of Kansas.
"Kris Kobach is Sam Brownback on steroids,” said Pearson. “Kansans aren’t going to get a change from a candidate who praised Sam Brownback as a ‘transformative governor.’ Not only would Kobach reinstate the disastrous Brownback tax plan, he wants to go even further by slashing education funding. The last thing Kansas’ schools, roads, and economy need is the policies of Sam Brownback and Kris Kobach.
“As Secretary of State, Kris Kobach proved he only cares about himself. He wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars on frivolous lawsuits. He chased the national spotlight while Kansas taxpayers paid the bill. He wasn’t looking out for Kansans as Secretary of State, and he’ll abandon them again as governor.”
In a statement from Kobach, following Governor Colyer's concession,
Kansas Secretary of State and candidate for Governor Kris Kobach that he received a call from Governor Jeff Colyer prior to his press conference. Colyer conceded the Republican primary race for Governor and offered his endorsement of the Kobach-Hartman team.
"He was incredibly gracious, and that meant a lot after such a hard-fought campaign," Kobach said. "I want to thank Gov. Jeff Colyer for a race well run. He was a worthy opponent, and I thank him sincerely for his service to the state of Kansas. I will work hard to advance our shared values, and I look forward to working with Governor Colyer and all Republicans to keep Kansas red in November."
At the end of Tuesday, after canvassing was done in all but twenty counties, Kobach held on to a lead 245 votes over Colyer. Kobach had said in earlier press conference that he expects the trend to continue. Only two of those twenty were considered big counties, Shawnee and Douglas. Both counties will have their canvass to certify votes and look at provisional ballots on tomorrow (Thursday, August 16, 2018). At the time of this writing, Kobach had scheduled another press conference for 12:30 this afternoon (August 15, 2018).
