Kansas 2nd District U. S. Representative Republican Derek Schmidt has his first challenger in the 2026 election. Don Coover, a veterinarian, farmer and Army veteran, announced he is running as a Democrat against Schmidt. Coover is a West Point Graduate who served as an intelligence officer during the Vietnam War. He runs a beef cattle genetics company that provides reproductive technologies for cattle, sheep and goats. Beckett Holmes with more on Coover:
Coover entered the race because he believes the country is “drifting away” from the freedoms he defended while in the Army. He also says the current administration’s policies are damaging the agricultural sector and rural health care. At the moment, no other challengers have filed in the Kansas’s 2nd District. Primary elections will be in August 2026.
