Who is knocked out of race for Kansas City Council? Primary election results are in

Kansas Citians won’t know until this summer who will be calling the shots at City Hall for the next four years. But they have a better idea of the possibilities now that we’re through the knockout stage in this municipal election cycle.

Mayor Quinton Lucas and the six incumbent City Council members eligible to run for re-election cleared Tuesday’s primary and will be on the general election ballot on June 20. So will six opponents — all but Ryana Parks-Shaw in the 5th District have challengers.

Eleven candidates will be competing for the six seats that are open because the current occupants will leave office at the end of July due to term limits.

Of the six incumbents running, only Brandon Ellington got fewer votes than his opponent in the 3rd District at large race, indicating that he may have work to do winning over voters in that citywide race against challenger Melissa Patterson Hazley, who got more than 57% of the vote in their two-person primary.

Incumbent Eric Bunch had a strong showing in the 4th District race, reaping twice as many votes as his two challengers combined, while Andrea Bough, 6th District at large, and Kevin O’Neill, 1st District at large, also did well.

Few voters usually participate in Kansas City’s municipal elections, but turnout is worse in primaries when a popular incumbent mayor is running for re-election, as was the case this year. The Kansas City Election Board said just under 14% of registered voters cast ballots.

More than 19% did in the primary four years ago. But that year, a field of 11 competed for a chance to replace Sly James as chief executive. Council members Jolie Justus and Lucas finished first and second in the 2019 primary and Lucas went onto win in the general election.

This year, as Lucas seeks another four-year term, he had only one opponent on the primary ballot, perennial candidate Clay Chastain, who has never won elective office. Voters understood that the outcome would make no difference, as both Lucas and Chastain will go on to the general election on June 20.

Mayor

Lucas had only one opponent on the ballot, so the outcome of the contest between him and challenger Chastain was purely academic. All the same, voters preferred Lucas, who received more than 35,000 votes to Chastain’s 8,000. They’ll meet again in the general election.

1st District at large

O’Neill garnered three times more votes than second-place finisher Ronda Smith, the former treasurer of a group that tried to recall some of O’Neill’s council colleagues over police funding. Former Clay County Commissioner Pam Mason was eliminated.

2nd District at large

Lindsay French and Jenay Manley finished first and second and will go onto the general election. Mickey Younghanz was eliminated. Manley was one of two candidates affiliated with the KC Tenants affordable housing activist group to get through their primaries.

3rd District at large

Challenger Hazley got more votes than incumbent Ellington, but both advance to the general election.

4th District at large

Crispin Rea finished far ahead of his next closest rival, Justin Short, in this five-person race to replace Katheryn Shields, who could not seek re-election due to term limits. Jess Blubaugh, John DiCapo and Grace Cabrera were eliminated.

5th District at large

Former Hickman Mills school board president Darrell Curls and KCBikeWalk policy director Michael Kelley both got more than 14,000 votes to advance to the general election. Former Jackson County Legislator Theresa Cass Galvin was eliminated.

6th District at large

Bough, the incumbent, got 61% of vote in her three-way race. Retired teacher Jill Sasse came in second and advances to the general election. Mary Nestel was eliminated.

1st District

Teacher Nathan Willett and former Clay County Democratic Party chairman Chris Gahagan finished first and second, respectively, in this race to replace Heather Hall, who could not seek re-election due to term limits. They will face off in the general election to represent this district with new boundaries.

2nd District

Former state Rep. Wes Rogers ran unopposed to replace incumbent Dan Fowler, who is term limited.

3rd District

Incumbent Melissa Robinson got five times more votes than her opponent, Sheri Hall, in this two-person race. Both advance to the general election.

4th District

Incumbent Bunch bested Henry Rizzo, who formerly served on the state and Jackson County legislatures, 54.5 % to 25%, but both go on to the general election. Bunch’s former council aide, Crissy Dastrup, came in last and was eliminated.

5th District

Incumbent Parks-Shaw is running unopposed for another four-year term.

6th District

Former Jackson County Legislator Dan Tarwater and Johnathan Duncan, who is active in the KC Tenants organization, finished first and second, with Tarwater getting 45% of the vote to Duncan’s 24%. Tiffany Moore, Cecelia Carter and Michael Schuckman split the remainder and were eliminated.