By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Estes wins easily in Pawnee, Stafford counties
new slt estes
Ron Estes

Republican Ron Estes won a Kansas House seat in Tuesday’s special election, the first congressional election since President Donald Trump’s victory.
State Treasurer Estes, 60, will represent the Kansas 4th congressional district replacing Mike Pompeo, who Trump named as CIA director.
The Kansas Secretary of State’s office reports Estes received 63,505 votes, or 53 percent. Democrat James A. Thompson received 55,310, or 46 percent, and Libertarian Chris Rockhold received 2,082, or 2 percent.
The unofficial results were reported by the 17 county election officers in the 4th District on election night. The results will not be official until the counties and state canvass the ballots.
Although the Associated Press reported the margin of victory was much closer than expected in a district that had voted overwhelmingly for Trump last November, Estes was the clear choice in Pawnee County, where 62 votes were cast, and in Stafford County, where 795 votes were cast.
Area results
Pawnee County: Estes received 44 votes (71 percent), Thompson received 18 votes (29 percent) and Rockhold received 0 votes.
Stafford County: Estes received 576 votes (73 percent), Thompson received 203 votes (26 percent), and Rockhold received 16 votes (2 percent).
Elsewhere in south-central Kansas:
Edwards County: Estes, 479 (78 percent); Thompson, 129 (21 percent); Rockhold 8 (1 percent).
Kiowa County: Estes 421 (80 percent); Thompson 90 (17 percent); Rockhold 18 (3 percent).
Pratt County: Estes 1,035 (64 percent); Thompson 553 (34 percent); Rockhold 31 (2 percent).
Only Sedgwick County showed Thompson ahead of Estes. The Democrat Thompson received 50 percent of the votes in that county, compared to 48 percent for Estes and 2 percent for Rockhold.
The Kansas election was the first of four special elections to fill seats in the House of Representatives — where Republicans now hold a 237-193 majority — to replace Republicans who took top jobs in the Trump administration. Others are in Georgia, Montana and South Carolina.
Both parties will now turn their attention to Georgia and the extremely competitive April 18 contest to replace Tom Price, who resigned to serve as Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.