Philip Sarnecki isn’t a career politician — and that’s the core of his appeal as he competes in the highly competitive 2026 Kansas Republican gubernatorial primary.
A Johnson County businessman from the Bucyrus area, former Northwestern Mutual managing partner, and entrepreneur with experience in financial services (founder of RPS Financial Group, which he grew to 18 offices and over $10 billion in assets under management before selling), real estate, automotive franchises, and faith-based film production, Sarnecki has never held elected office. He officially announced his candidacy on September 2–3, 2025, positioning himself as a true outsider determined to bring a business approach to state government and shake up the system in Topeka.
In his campaign announcement video, Sarnecki delivered a direct message that has defined his bid: “I’m just a Kansas dad, husband and businessman who is tired of Republicans losing in Kansas. And that is why I’m running for governor.” He also drew a clear parallel to President Trump, stating: “President Trump warned us we would get tired of winning, and he’s winning a lot. But here in Kansas, Republicans keep losing. That is over. We’re going to win and we’re going to win big.”
Sarnecki has put substantial personal resources behind his campaign. According to the official 2025 year-end filing with the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission, he personally loaned his campaign roughly $2 million. That self-funding helped drive total receipts to $2,528,715.73 and left him with one of the strongest cash-on-hand positions — approximately $2.3 million — among Republican candidates heading into 2026.
Barack Obama just jumped into Virginia to rig the district maps and grab four more Democrat seats in Congress.
While Democrats fight aggressively to grab power across the country, Kansas Republicans are sitting on a redistricting opportunity that could send another Trump… pic.twitter.com/MvrdQrUyFe
— R. Philip Sarnecki (@Philip_Sarnecki) March 13, 2026