A Ron by any other name…

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National News

June 11, 2018 - 11:00 PM

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Activists in both parties strongly suspect that political skullduggery led to two Kansas candidates with the same first and last name running against each other in a congressional primary, but a state board on Monday faced its own challenge: How should ballots differentiate between the two Wichita men?

Republican voters in the 4th District in the Wichita area are now set to choose Aug. 7 between Rep. Ron Estes, the incumbent, and Ron M. Estes, the challenger. The Kansas secretary of state’s office devised the listing after Ron M. Estes filed to challenge the freshman congressman in the GOP primary. A Democratic candidate objected, arguing that the plan to list the incumbent with “Rep.” gave him an unfair advantage.

But the all-GOP, three-member State Objections Board led by Secretary of State Kris Kobach concluded Monday that using middle initials to distinguish the candidates on the primary ballot still might prove too confusing for voters.

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