Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector photo by: Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly says she's preparing to run for re-election 2022 to protect advances in education, transportation and economic development. She expects robust opposition from the Republican Party, who lost the governor's office in 2018. TOPEKA — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly makes no secret of her plan to run for re-election in 2022, while Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt prefers to leave the question for another day. Kelly prevailed in the deeply red state of Kansas during 2018 against GOP nominee Kris Kobach by developing a campaign based on a vow to restore funding to education, transportation and social safety-net programs while offering voters a return to a less-chaotic era of state government budgeting. For much of the decade, tax and financial problems conspired to undermine Gov. Sam Brownback’s goals for reforming the state. Kobach, who earned a reputation as a feisty secretary of state, was able to win the primary but fell short against Kelly.