Despite the tremendous amount of ink spilled declaring how crowded the 2018 Kansas governors race is, there has been in recent weeks a vast winnowing. As of today, the noteworthy candidates on the Republican side are four: Gov. Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, former state Sen. Jim Barnett, and current Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer.
Pre-election polling suggests that the contest between the incumbent Colyer and the nationally recognized Kobach constitutes the real heart of the battle for the nomination.