Farm Bureau backs GOP’s Masterson and Teamsters align with Democrat Holscher
By Tim Carpenter
TOPEKA — The Kansas gubernatorial campaigns of Republican Ty Masterson and Democrat Cindy Holscher landed endorsements that echo the political alliances they developed while serving in the Kansas Legislature.
Masterson pocketed support from the Kansas Farm Bureau PAC, while Holscher bolstered her resume with backing from the Missouri-Kansas-Nebraska Conference of Teamsters.
Glenn Brunkow, president of Kansas Farm Bureau, said the PAC’s preference was tied to Masterson’s relationship with agriculture interests during his 20-year career in the Kansas Legislature. Currently, the Andover Republican is president of the Kansas Senate.
“I know Ty has developed a strong relationship with his county Farm Bureau during his time in the state Legislature,” Brunkow said. “I look forward to working together to advance our member-developed policies to strengthen agriculture and help rural Kansas thrive.”
The decision was made by a 10-member Farm Bureau board based on input from members of the organization. In 2022, the KFB PAC endorsed GOP governor candidate Derek Schmidt, who lost that campaign to incumbent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
The KFB’s recommendation emerged as the Kansas agriculture economy grappled with federal trade tariffs, low grain prices compared to 2022, escalating fuel and fertilizer costs, regional drought and workforce issues related to immigration enforcement.
“Kansas agriculture feeds the world and Kansas producers deserve a governor who has their backs,” Masterson said.
Masterson promised to protect water and land resources, reduce government bureaucracy and “make sure rural Kansas has the hospitals, schools and opportunity it needs to thrive.”
In addition to an endorsement from President Donald Trump, Masterson’s campaign was previously endorsed by the Kansas Grain and Feed Association and Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association.
Holscher, an Overland Park member of the Kansas Senate, said she was eager to accept support from the Missouri-Kansas-Nebraska Conference of Teamsters. The organization represents more than 6,000 men and women in Kansas working in freight distribution, highway construction, food distribution, package deliver, railroad maintenance, bus drivers and brewery and soda manufacturing.
Mike Scribner, president of the Conference of Teamsters, said Holscher understood working people were the backbone of Kansas.
“In the Legislature, she has always sided with workers and our families,” he said. “As governor, she will work to create good-paying jobs and to bring down the cost of living.”
Holscher, who grew up on a farm in Missouri and whose father was a union member, said she would make certain Kansas workers had a seat at the table when considering policies related to cost-of-living and workforce issues.
She said she would defend the right of workers to collectively organize and support labor standards and apprenticeship programs. Government should investment in infrastructure projects that weren’t “corporate giveaways that leave ordinary Kansans holding the bag,” she said.
“Teamsters drive our economy, deliver the goods our families depend on and keep Kansas moving every day,” Holscher said. “I know firsthand how a good union job can give a family stability and a path to a better future.”
Holscher, elected to the Legislature nearly a decade ago, has been endorsed by Kelly and former Democratic Govs. Kathleen Sebelius and John Carlin.
Her campaign has been backed by the Kansas AFL-CIO, Kansas National Education Association’s PAC, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Government Employees, United Auto Workers Local 31, the SEIU Kansas Local 513 and UFCW Local 2.
In terms of labor, Masterson was endorsed by the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers and the IBEW Local 124.
