A new group, apparently formed by a former director of the Legislature’s research arm, rolled out a new ad in support of Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt in the Kansas governor’s race Wednesday morning
The ad started running early Wednesday morning in the Kansas City and the Wichita/Hutchinson markets.
The national ad tracking service AdImpact reported that the group called the Kansas Future Fund placed a $249,000 broadcast buy from May 27 to June 30.
The ad focuses on Schmidt’s efforts to make Kansas a more affordable to place to live, including advocating for legislation last session that put new regulations on pharmacy benefit benefits managers, the much-criticized middlemen who manage prescription drug benefits for insurers and employers.
State records show that the nonprofit group was incorporated in June 2025 by Raney L. Gilliland of 3700 SW Spring Creek Lane in Topeka.
Gilliland worked as the director of the Legislature’s research department from 2012 to 2019.
He had worked his entire career for the Legislature’s research branch, starting out in January 1979 as a specialist in agriculture, natural resources, the environment and water.
He also gave $1,000 to Schmidt’s campaign for governor.
Efforts to reach Gilliland were unsuccessful Tuesday afternoon.
The group also received $10,000 from a leadership political action committee last October affiliated with former Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins.
So far, about $3.5 million has been spent or booked on broadcast media for the GOP primary, including $983,000 for Schmidt and about another $1 million for Johnson County businessman Philip Sarnecki.
The entrance of the new nonprofit group, which is not required to disclose its donors, comes at a critical time with the Kansas governor’s race in a state of flux.
The deadline for officially getting on the ballot with a running mate is June 1.
So far, Schmidt is the only major Republican candidate to announce a running mate.
President Donald Trump on Sunday afternoon endorsed Senate President Ty Masterson for governor in the Republican primary.
The endorsement was a blow to former Gov. Jeff Colyer, who built a campaign on his support of Trump. Colyer has now lost Trump’s endorsement twice.
Colyer booked or spent about $539,000 on broadcast ads that included snippets of Trump. Another social welfare group created to support Colyer spent $900,000 on the race.
Colyer’s campaign didn’t respond to an inquiry Tuesday.
Colyer will have to decide whether to forge ahead without Trump’s support or drop out of the race, perhaps for a job offer from the Trump administration, something that’s been hotly speculated about in recent days.
Asked if Colyer should leave the race, Masterson said, “If we really are concerned about the real battle being in November, it would be nice to team up with the president and move forward without cutting each other off at the legs.”
Masterson is planning to hold a fundraiser luncheon for his lieutenant governor candidate in a private room event at The Pennant in downtown Topeka from noon to 1:30 p.m. June 1.
Sarnecki has signaled that he’s not getting out of the race with rumors swirling Tuesday night that he’s close to picking a candidate for lieutenant governor.
He struck a not-so-friendly tone toward Masterson following Trump’s endorsement Sunday.
“Ty Masterson has been a disaster for Kansas. He promised for three straight years to bring property tax relief to Kansans. He failed to get in done,” Sarnecki said in a statement.
“Ty Masterson is the living manifestation of a career politician,” he said.
“He is the architect of all the economic and tax problems facing Kansas right now, and we will defeat him on Aug. 4,” he said.
Masterson said he saw the comments Monday.
“It’s too bad,” Masterson said. “It feels to me like the first stage of grief. He’s angry.”
Masterson questioned a comment that Sarnecki made accusing the senator of voting for the “largest tax increases in Kansas history.”
Masterson said he had no idea what that comment was based on.
The campaign for another major candidate, Wichita businesswoman Joy Eakins, also didn’t return emails Sunday or again Tuesday.
Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab is said to be mulling his options but hasn’t announced any decision.
