Published August 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM CDT

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Voters across Kansas on Tuesday rejected a constitutional amendment aimed at changing the way Supreme Court justices are selected. Missouri voters overwhelmingly shot down efforts to phase out the state income tax and make it harder for citizens to change the state constitution.

All three constitutional amendments were backed by state Republican leaders. But the rebuke of these measures don’t necessarily mean the electorate in the states is becoming more Democratic, says Dr. Matt Harris, an associate professor of political science at Park University, agrees.

“We expect it to be a good November for Democrats, but there is this divide,” Harris said. “Voters might say, ‘We like these sort of more liberal policies, but we will still vote for Republican politicians.’”

Harris and Dr. Alexandra Middlewood of Wichita State University discussed the failure of Amendments 4 and 5 in Missouri, and the race for Kansas governor.

Plus, three primary winners — the Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate and governor in Kansas, and the Republican nominee for Missouri’s redrawn 6th congressional district — shared their outlook headed into the general election.

• Dr. Matt Harris, associate professor of political science at Park University
• Dr. Alexandra Middlewood, associate professor of political science at Wichita State University
• Kansas state Sen. Cindy Holscher, Democratic nominee for governor
• Chris Stigall, Republican nominee for Missouri’s 6th Congressional District
• Adam Hamilton, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Kansas