Presidential hopeful throws hat in the race in Kansas special election

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Another contender has joined the race for the presidency in Kansas.

The Sunflower State is set to experience a special election year in 2024 thanks to legislation passed in 2023, allowing for a rare Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) to take place. This is the third time in the state's history such an election process has been used.

Former President Donald Trump was the first to announce he was running for the preference primary in September, 2023. He was followed by President Joe Biden in December. Now, a third contender, Dean Phillips, has joined in the race.

The Kansas Secretary of State's (SOS) candidate list for the preference primary shows Phillips signed up for the race on Jan. 3. He is classified as a Democrat contender, competing against Biden as a fellow Democrat candidate.

Phillips hails from Minnesota and is the first elected Democrat to challenge Biden for the presidential nomination. He officially announced he was running for president on Oct. 27, 2023. Phillips is recognized as one of the wealthiest members of Congress and is the heir to his stepfather's Phillips Distilling Company, which deals largely with vodka and schnapps brands.

The PPP has only been used twice before in Kansas history in 1980 and 1992. It is described as a nontraditional election by the SOS. This is because the timelines and statutes for this election are different when compared to other primary elections or the general election. For example, there will be no three-day grace period for any mail-in ballots after election day. Other upcoming deadlines prior to the election include:

• Jan. 2 – Deadline for political parties to send the party rules for delegate allocation to the SOS.
• Jan. 16 – Deadline for political parties to let the SOS know who is eligible to vote in each party’s PPP.
• Feb. 20 – Deadline to register to vote or update voter registration information to participate in the PPP. This is also the last day to apply for an advance voting mail ballot.
• Feb. 28 – First day of advance voting. Advance ballots by mail are transmitted. In-person advance voting can also start.
• March 18 – Last day for in-person advance voting.
• March 19 – PPP begins.

A PPP requires an act by the Kansas Legislature to be conducted. The enactment takes responsibility away for conducting a caucus from the Republican and Democrat parties in Kansas, instead giving it to the state. It is called a preference primary as it is an election where the vote totals are given to a political party to allocate delegates to candidates at the national convention. Voters will not select the party candidate in this election.

You can learn more about the PPP by clicking here.

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