Democratic leaders in the Kansas Legislature are hoping Republicans disillusioned with the results of their party's primaries will back Democrats in November.

Incumbent Republican State Senator Vicki Schmidt pulled away with the hotly contested 20th District primary Senate race, beating Rep. Joe Patton 51 to 49 percent.

Tobias Schlingensiepen held about a 200-vote margin between himself and Robert Eye most of the night Tuesday before pulling away in the Democratic primary in the state's 2nd Congressional district.

Former Shawnee Co. Sheriff Dick Barta bested two opponents in the GOP primary in the 18th State Senate District.

Rep. Jim Denning unseated State Sen. Tim Owens in the 8th Senate District Tuesday.

Partisan legal showdowns in battleground states over a spate of new voting laws could turn the 2012 elections into a repeat of the 2000 presidential vote recount saga, political experts say.

Primary voting will be conducted 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7.

President Barack Obama's re-election effort raised $75 million last month, his campaign announced Monday on Twitter.

President Barack Obama's re-election campaign hit Mitt Romney over his position on abortion and contraception in a new ad this weekend, framing the Republican's stance as old-fashioned.

Andrew Young, the former aide to one-time presidential candidate John Edwards, will not face contempt charges, a special prosecutor appointed to the investigation confirmed to CNN on Monday.

Campaign finance reports filed through Monday list a PAC for Kansas real estate agents spending more than $58,000 on mailings and online advertising in the week before Tuesday's primary.

Officials are gearing up for the primary elections, the first under the new voter ID law. They want you to be prepared as you head to the polls.

Groups supporting presumed GOP Nominee Mitt Romney raised one-third more than Obama's re-election effort for the month.

A lawsuit accused Young, his wife and two attorneys of giving documents to investigators in a federal corruption probe that violated a protective order filed by a state Superior Court Judge.

Teddy Roosevelt addressed Progressive Party 100 years ago as their candidate. Author and columnist John Avlon says the issues he championed were ahead of their time, and many are still relevant today.

Opposition reports at least 116 deaths in fighting across the country Monday. Analysts say Riyad Hijab's departure is a symbolic blow for Syria's government.

Republican state Representative Joe Patton says he's calling on television stations to pull a political ad from the air. The ad, paid for by incumbent, Republican state Senator Vicki Schmidt, calls Patton a Democrat trial lawyer.

Former Shawnee County Treasurer Rita Cline, now Rita Rookstool, says she's suing current Treasurer Larry Wilson and the Board of County Commissioners.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says county election officers are using creative approaches to improve voter turnout, including taking the elections to county fairs to encourage rural residents to vote in advance for Tuesday's primary.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called on Mitt Romney to release more of his tax returns to help clear up questions about his offshore accounts and to "prove" he's been paying taxes.

Shawnee County District Judge Franklin Theis on Friday rejected a request from attorneys for the state who wanted him to rule on new abortion provider regulations without a trial.

Secretary of State Kris Kobach and 1st District Congressman Tim Huelskamp announced endorsements of Joe Patton in his state Senate race against Vicki Schmidt.

Shawnee County voter turnout for Tuesday's primary election is expected to be 31%, lower than the average 34%.

Some Topekans can expect to switch City Council districts in the months ahead. The City Council's Redistricting Commission held its first meeting Thursday night.

The STOCK Act, passed in April, requires more transparency when lawmakers make trades. Loophole would've allowed family of some lawmakers to profit from inside information.