Ty Masterson leads several solid Republican choices for governor in the Aug. 4 primary. He’s the clear choice to morph the Kansas governor’s office from the last eight years of plodding obstructionism to a new era of effective leadership in the Sunflower State.
Masterson has spent more than two decades in the Kansas Legislature and has served as Senate president since 2021. That experience invites criticism from those who view any long-serving lawmaker as part of the political establishment. But it also reveals a telling deficit from “new blood.” Who do you trust to rebuild your car’s transmission: the guy with 20 years under the hood, or someone who’s never turned a wrench?
Masterson has been one of the most important counterweights to the Democratic governor and her veto pen. Under his leadership, the Senate has repeatedly advanced lower taxes, protections for unborn children, fairness in women’s sports, parental rights, stronger election safeguards and opposition to government-imposed diversity, equity and inclusion mandates.
He helped lead the effort that ultimately overrode Kelly’s veto of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, protecting female athletic competition in Kansas schools and colleges. He has remained a consistent pro-life vote and advocate, earning the endorsement of Kansans for Life’s political action committee.
He has also made tax relief a central priority. The tax package enacted in 2024 eliminated state income taxes on Social Security benefits, reduced individual income-tax rates, increased deductions and exemptions and provided additional property-tax relief. It was not everything conservatives wanted, but it represented meaningful relief for Kansas families, retirees and businesses. It kept money in our pockets and out of the disappearing whirlwind of state government.
That distinction matters. It is easy for candidates to promise sweeping conservative victories. Masterson has had to count votes, negotiate between legislative chambers, confront a Democratic governor and assemble the majorities necessary to override vetoes. He understands that conservative government requires more than speeches. It requires persistence, discipline and the ability to deliver results.
Masterson’s career outside politics also gives him experience beyond the Statehouse. He has worked in construction, real estate and housing development and has owned a small business. He later became director of Wichita State University’s GoCreate entrepreneurial makerspace, helping inventors, entrepreneurs and small businesses turn ideas into workable products.
His business career has not been without setbacks. His construction business failed during the housing downturn, and he filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Opponents will certainly point to that. But failure in the private economy is not the same as failure in government. Business owners risk their own livelihoods, face changing markets and sometimes have to rebuild. That experience can produce a more realistic understanding of regulation, debt, taxes and economic uncertainty than a lifetime spent only in public office.
Masterson is not a perfect candidate, but elections are choices, not quests for perfection. Among the Republican candidates, Masterson offers the strongest combination of conservative conviction, legislative accomplishment, private-sector experience and readiness to govern on the first day.
The record clearly shows Masterson is the man for the job.
