Newcomer Watkins wins House seat in eastern Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans held onto an eastern Kansas congressional seat Tuesday they had been in danger of losing because of questions about their novice candidate's public statements.
Steve Watkins defeated Democrat Paul Davis in the 2nd District and will replace retiring five-term GOP Rep. Lynn Jenkins.
Davis was better known as a former Kansas House minority leader and he had carried the district in an unsuccessful run for governor in 2014.
But the district leans Republican: Trump carried it by nearly 17 percentage points in 2016, and Watkins had the president's endorsement.