2026 forecast · Kansas 2nd

Don Coover and Derek Schmidt are in a toss up for Kansas's 2nd District.

Don Coover vs Derek Schmidt. The model has Coover ahead by 0.9 points, winning 55 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Toss upModel D +0.9Updated October 22, 2026
Don Coover
Democrat
49.5%
142,911 projected votes
Derek Schmidt
Republican
48.7%
140,469 projected votes
55%Coover
45%Schmidt
Coover slightly favoredEach square is one simulated election night, Coover wins about 55 of 100
RatingToss up55% chance for Coover
Model marginD +0.9No polls in the race
80 percent rangeD +9.8 to R +8.32,000 simulations
Projected votes288,641Coover 49.5%

The district map

Every district in the state, shaded by its rating

Kansas districts

4 districts
Safe DLikely DLean DToss upLean RLikely RSafe R

Vote share

Each candidate's projected share and the range of 80 percent of simulations

Don CooverDemocrat · 55% to win
49.5%
Derek SchmidtRepublican · 45% to win
48.7%

Scale runs from 25 to 75 percent. The dot is the forecast, the band is the 80 percent range and the brighter tick marks 50 percent.

Projected district vote

288,641 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Don Coover D142,91149.5%
Derek Schmidt R140,46948.7%
John Hauer L5,2611.8%
Total288,641100%

Each candidate's expected vote in the On Point simulation, at the forecast's projected turnout.

The trend

Each side's chance of winning over the forecast's recent updates

0%25%50%75%100%55% Coover45% Schmidt14 updates agoToday

Polling

Every poll in the average, and how the model reads it

The Kansas governor polling average
40%42%44%46%48%50%52%54%56%Aug 19Aug 26Sep 2Sep 9Sep 16Sep 23Sep 30Oct 7Oct 14Oct 2144.8Holscher50.1Masterson
The line is the On Point average: a robust LOWESS fit through the polls, weighted by recency, sample, voter screen and pollster grade, refit three times so outliers count for lessDot size is each poll's weight todayHover or use the arrow keys to read any day
What moves the average today
New York Times/Siena CollegeSep 30 · 605 LV · Gold18%Masterson +5.0
Emerson College / NexstarSep 16 · 750 LV · Gold17%Masterson +7.0
YouGovOct 4 · 2,255 LV · C17%Masterson +3.0
co/efficient (R)Sep 10 · 915 LV · C+16%Masterson +8.0
On Point PollingOct 21 · 479 LV · Gold16%Masterson +6.5
Global Strategy Group (D)Sep 16 · 800 LV · A-9.6%Holscher +3.0
Every other poll together: 5.7%

This is the same On Point polling average as the full average page. The forecast reads the polls through its own Election Day projection, shown as the On Point average in the table below, and blends it with partisan lean and fundamentals.

Polls of the race

Full average
PollsterSampleAgeMargin
On Point averageWeighted averageNo polls

Each margin is the poll as the pollster published it. The forecast counts every poll after its house effect and the undecided split, which is what the trail above shows; hover a margin for the counted value. Lean R and Lean D mark partisan leaning firms.

Model margin
Coover +0.9
Chance of winning
Don Coover55%
Derek Schmidt45%
Simulated vote
Don Coover49.5%
Derek Schmidt48.7%
John Hauer1.8%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +20.0
FundamentalsR +1.8
With pollsR +2.6
Early vote turnoutD +3.4
With early voteD +0.9

Read from 0 ballots cast so far in Kansas, against the party mix the forecast expected of them, with similar states and primary turnout. Early vote tracker

How we got here

From the state's partisan lean to the forecast, one stage at a time

D +24R +24Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +20.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesR +1.8With pollsno pollsR +2.6With early voteturnout so farD +0.9
Methodology
Every county is rebuilt by simulating voters going to the polls, 2,000 times, from On Point Polling survey data, past results, and the polling average. How the model works.