Tyrone Garner, the Democrat who served as Kansas City, Kansas, mayor and Unified Government CEO until his term ended in 2025, has endorsed Republican Ty Masterson for Kansas governor. Garner, a registered Democrat and retired Kansas City, Kansas, police deputy chief, said Masterson has a plan to grow the economy, provide property tax relief and support public safety workers.
The endorsement was rolled out Friday as part of a campaign release, according to the Kansas City Star. Masterson, who serves as Kansas Senate president and is the Republican nominee for governor, said he was honored to have Garner's backing. He is running against Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher of Overland Park in the November election, the Star reports.
A Police Veteran Turned City Hall Leader
Garner spent 30 years with the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, a career that spanned 1987 to 2019 and ended with his retirement as deputy chief, according to Spectrum News. He went on to win the mayor's race in 2021 by fewer than 400 votes, becoming the first Black mayor and county chief executive since the Unified Government formed in 1997, per kansascity.com's earlier reporting. Garner chose not to seek a second term, and his time in office wrapped up in 2025.
During his State of the Government address, Garner pointed to growth across Wyandotte County, including a population that topped 169,000 after adding more than 21,000 residents over four years, the station notes. He also cited more than 2,400 new housing units and over 6,000 jobs added during his tenure, along with a record-low 22 homicides in 2024 that capped a three-year decline in killings.
Masterson Pledges Focus On Quindaro and Wyandotte County
In his endorsement, Garner called for a governor who would work with local leaders to restore the Quindaro Ruins, invest in historically disinvested parts of Kansas City, Kansas, and address infrastructure needs, per the Star's reporting. Masterson, for his part, pledged that his administration would partner with Wyandotte County and officers statewide while focusing on vulnerable areas such as Quindaro, the paper reports.
The endorsement lands in the middle of a tight, high-profile governor's race. Masterson prevailed with 43% of the vote in a seven-candidate Republican primary field, while Holscher won the Democratic nomination with 48.6% of her primary vote, according to the Kansas Reflector.
Trump Renews Endorsement at Kansas Rally
President Donald Trump, who had already endorsed Masterson during the GOP primary, renewed that endorsement this month, the Reflector reports. Masterson spoke alongside Trump on October 19 at a rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, Kansas, where Trump mused that Masterson's victory over Holscher was all but assured, according to kansascity.com. At the same event, Trump urged Kansas voters to cast ballots early or by mail, noting that early voting would be available across the state starting October 27 and that October 27 was the deadline for requesting a mail ballot, with completed ballots due back by Election Day on November 3.
Holscher's campaign has pushed back on the idea that Trump's involvement helps Masterson, arguing the president's endorsement could hurt him in November, the Reflector reports. Her campaign has also touted support from 20 current and former Republican officials backing her bid. A recent New York Times-Siena College survey found Masterson with 49% support among 605 voters polled, compared with 44% for Holscher and 7% undecided or declining to say, a five-point edge reported by the Sunflower State Journal.
The dynamic echoes 2022, when the Kansas Farm Bureau PAC backed Republican Derek Schmidt for governor, only to see him lose to Democratic incumbent Laura Kelly, the Reflector notes. Whether crossover support from a figure like Garner moves the needle in Wyandotte County remains to be seen as Kansans head to the polls.
