Kansas Congressional candidate accuses rival of 'playing farmer,' campaign fires back

TOPEKA, (KSNT) — The election season is heating up. Two Kansas Congressional candidates are clashing in the second district race. It's raising questions about residency requirements for candidates in Kansas.

Democrat and former Congresswoman, Nancy Boyda, claims her Republican opponent and former Kansas Attorney General — Derek Schmidt — doesn't actually live in the district he's hoping to represent.

"Derek is using an archaic technicality in Kansas law," Boyda said in a press release this week. "You only have to sleep at an address for one night, and then you can claim that as your residence (for voting purposes only) for as long as you would like. The ballot this November will declare Derek to be a resident of Independence. But let's be clear, he is NOT a resident of Independence."

Schmidt has two homes that he owns. One is in Independence, which is part of the second district. However, the other home is in Lawrence. Due to new redistricting maps, drawn in 2022, Lawrence is no longer in the second district.

Boyda said accused Schmidt of trying to "play farmer," bringing up his 2022 loss in the gubernatorial race to Democratic Governor Laura Kelly.

"Kansas voters aren’t fooled by his attempts to play farmer, just like they weren’t fooled when he tried to play MAGA, during the governor’s race." she said. "Kansans deserve a representative who is honest about where they live, who they are and what they stand for."

Nexstar's Kansas Capitol Bureau received a statement from Schmidt's campaign spokesman, Eric Pahls, on Tuesday.

Pahls blasted Boyda, pointing to her past record.

"After pretending to call for unity and civility, Nancy Boyda's long string of political failures will end with her making up a fake story to attack Derek Schmidt's family," he said. "It's not effective — it's just sad."

"Derek Schmidt is the fifth generation of his family to live proudly in Independence, which has been his home his whole life," Pahls continued. "Boyda desperately wants to distract from the fact that she's 'beyond thrilled' by the prospect of Kamala Harris as President, that she said Joe Biden and his policies 'saved our country,' and that her very first vote in Congress would be to make New York Democrat Hakeem Jeffries Speaker of the House. She's just out of step with Kansas' second district."

DO CANDIDATES HAVE TO LIVE IN THEIR DISTRICT?

As for where state laws stand, Kansas Congressional candidates don't have to live in the district they're running to represent. According to Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, Congressional candidates only have to live within their state. Additionally, states are unable to impose additional residency requirements for congressional candidates, because the qualifications listed in the Constitution are exclusive.

According to Kansas law, the same applies for statewide candidates. People running for the office of secretary of state, attorney general, and governor, must be state residents.

However, candidates running for the Kansas Legislature, seeking seats in the state House or state Senate, must reside in the district they are running to represent upon filing.