Kansas Reflector Podcast

Why was Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s name repeated four times in a ad from an outside group?

Why did a Democratic candidate for Kansas governor begin her TV ad in a grocery store, and why did her primary opponent film his from his kitchen?

Can a pastor translate his lifetime of public speaking experience to voters as he runs for U.S. Senate?

Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University, gives a play-by-play of Kansas politicians’ choices in their early campaign ads. He answers these questions and more with senior reporter Tim Carpenter in an interview woven with clips from a dozen campaign ads running ahead of the 2026 primary election.

New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of Kansas politics and current events.

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Chris Carmichael is one of four Democratic candidates for Kansas' 4th congressional district.

Sandy Brown, president of the Kansas Abortion Fund, talks about her organization's evolving work. The small, all-volunteer, Lawrence-based nonprofit now pays for one-fourth of the abortions received by Kansas women and serves as a voice for women's reproductive rights.

Despite the 2022 vote in Kansas to preserve the right to terminate a pregnancy, the Legislature continues to pass new restrictions, and another constitutional amendment vote this August could further jeopardize reproductive rights.

State Sen. Patrick Schmidt is running for the U.S. Senate seat from Kansas. But he has to make it through the Democratic primary field to face Sen. Roger Marshall, the incumbent Republican and Trump ally.

Sandy Spidel Neumann retired after a 40-year career in financial services, then moved to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a U.S. Senator. As a Democratic candidate trying to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, she is pushing for strategic solutions that focus on data and gathering diverse opinions.

Leah Fliter with the Kansas Association of School Boards discusses how a federal scholarship program will affect public schools.

Kansas Reflector editor in chief Sherman Smith and opinion editor Clay Wirestone sum up the Legislature's two-day veto session and preview a new series.

The Kansas Legislature wrapped up its main session the early morning hours of Saturday, March 28. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone leads a conversation with Kansas Reflector reporters to recap what happened.

Katy Tyndell is among Democrats hoping for the chance to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, who has held the 4th District since 2017. She talks about her background as an attorney in Washington, D.C., her work with Leading Kansas, a civic engagement nonprofit she cofounded last year, and her views on various issues facing Congress.

Jason Hart is one of eight Democratic candidates lining up to take a shot at unseating Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall. He talks about being a political novice, his experience as a prosecutor of child sex crimes, views on federal policy, how being a straight, white, Christian man gives him bipartisan appeal, and his failed attempt to ward off a competitor.