Incumbent Republican governor Sam Brownback ran for re-election to a second term.

[1] He was opposed in the general election by Democrat Paul Davis, the Minority Leader of the Kansas House of Representatives, and Libertarian attorney Keen Umbehr.

The election was viewed as a referendum on Brownback's aggressive tax cutting initiatives and his conservative values.

[2] The consensus among The Cook Political Report, Governing, The Rothenberg Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, Daily Kos Elections, and others was that the contest was a tossup.

As of 2025, this is the most recent time a Republican and/or a man was elected Governor of Kansas.