State Senator Dennis Pyle obtained more than the necessary 5,000 valid voter signatures on Thursday, according to the Kansas secretary of state’s office, making him eligible to run as an independent for governor on November 8th.
The Kansas Reflector says the potential of an insurgent campaign by Pyle, a right-wing conservative legislator from Hiawatha, generated anxiety among supporters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt and optimism within ranks of loyalists for Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Democrats, in fact, helped collect signatures on Pyle’s behalf.
Pyle would draw votes from Schmidt assuming no challenge of findings by county clerks reporting to Secretary of State Scott Schwab was successful in blocking his independent campaign.
