Republicans Win Key Early Test in Kansas House Contest

Victory in competitive race is a relief for GOP.

Republicans won the first congressional election of the Donald Trump era Tuesday night, keeping control of a Kansas House seat that became surprisingly competitive and sparked last-minute GOP efforts to get out the vote.

Republican Ron Estes won a special election in the Fourth Congressional District, beating Democratic civil-rights attorney James Thompson, the Associated Press projected.

With 88% of the precincts counted, Mr. Estes led Mr. Thompson by 52% to 46%.

That is far less than the 27-point edge Mr. Trump enjoyed when he won the district in the 2016 presidential election.

The victory came as a relief for Republicans, who worried an upset would have given Democrats a huge psychological boost and momentum heading into next week’s more heavily scrutinized special House election in Georgia—and into the fight for control of the House in the 2018 midterms. The surprisingly close margin will also energize Democrats, who largely ignored the Kansas contest to pour resources into coming House elections in Georgia and Montana.

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