(Updated to include comment from Ty Masterson)
Johnson County businessman Philip Sarnecki on Tuesday joined the congested Republican field for governor in 2026, emphasizing family and his career outside of politics while promising to “shake up” the system.
“I’m just a Kansas dad, husband and businessman who is tired of Republicans losing in Kansas. And that is why I’m running for governor,” Sarnecki said in a statement.
“President Trump warned us we would get tired of winning, and he’s winning a lot. But here in Kansas, Republicans keep losing. That is over,” he said.
“We’re going to win and we’re going to win big. As President Trump would say, we’re going to win so much that you will get tired of winning.”
He joins a GOP field that already includes former Gov. Jeff Colyer, Senate President Ty Masterson, Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Wichita businesswoman Joy Eakins plus two other minor candidates.
Sarnecki would have been the ninth Republican candidate until last week when Republican Doug Billings was removed from the ballot because his running mate withdrew.
In a nearly four-minute introductory video, Sarnecki stressed his faith in God, saying it is the “center of my life” and quoting a passage from Psalms. He also cites his blue-collar roots as the son of a janitor and a secretary.
He takes aim not only at Democrats but also “poor Republican leadership” that he blames for Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly winning two elections.
He said “career politicians” in Kansas have brought the state “incompetence and losing,” saying the state’s policies are responsible for high income and property taxes and are running young people out of the state to find opportunity.
“It’s time bring a business approach to government and shake up the system,” Sarnecki said in the video. “We’ve got to get away from the career-politician mindset. Our founding fathers never envisioned that career politicians would even exist.”
Sarnecki’s treasurer is Julia Samaniego, who also was the treasurer for the Value Them Both campaign for a constitutional amendment that would have removed the right to an abortion from the state constitution.
Samaniego’s daughter, Stephanie Wise, serves on the Sedgwick County Commission. Samaniego served as her daughter’s treasurer for her county commission campaign.
“I welcome Philip into the race as a fellow conservative. Like Reagan, I will not hold his inexperience against him; in fact, I look forward to having another conservative voice in the race,” Masterson said in a statement.
“I’ll continue the fight to dismantle the radical left’s agenda with bold, effective leadership that delivers results.” Masterson said.
Sarnecki, 55, founded and led RPS Financial Group Inc., growing it into one of the largest financial services firms in the nation before selling the company.
During his tenure, the firm expanded to 18 offices, including 12 throughout Kansas, that served clients in all 50 states, the campaign said.
His wealth management company had more than $10 billion of assets under management in Kansas, and in its final year under his ownership paid out more than $135 million in dividends to Kansas families and businesses, the campaign said.
He also is part owner of 513 Films and according to the movie and television database IMDb he was executive producer of the movies “Monster Summer” in 2024, “Hope Bridge” in 2015 and “A Strange Brand of Happy” in 2013.
Sarnecki’s films, which have faith-based themes, have featured Mel Gibson, Kevin Sorbo and Oscar winner Shirley Jones.
The campaign said Sarnecki is the largest national franchise owner of Strickland Brothers, an oil-change station with locations across Kansas, including in Andover, El Dorado, Derby, Pittsburg, Fort Scott and Independence.
Sarnecki has been a benefactor for his alma mater, giving $350,000 in 2021 to the University of Illinois toward the construction of a new baseball training center.
He also donated $500,000 to the university in 2014 to name the coaches locker room at the State Farm Center for his dad, who had been a janitor on campus for more than 30 years.
“It was a way to honor him and really, everyone (at the UI) like my mom and dad who kind of worked under the radar and never got any public recognition for all of their hard work and dedication,” Sarnecki said at the time.
