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Kansas secretary of state launches 2026 GOP gubernatorial bid for seat held by 2-term Democrat

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Kansas secretary of state launches 2026 GOP gubernatorial bid for seat held by 2-term Democrat

FIRST ON FOX: Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab is launching a campaign for the state’s Democrat-held governor’s seat in 2026, announcing his run exclusively with Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

Schwab, who is running as a Republican, is seeking to replace Kansas’ Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly, who will have held the seat for eight years when her term ends next cycle.

“We need to return to the values and principles that have always fueled us, and gave me the strength to lead in Topeka,” Schwab, Kansas’ two-term secretary of state, said in a press release shared with Fox News Digital. “I have a proven conservative record. And a servant’s heart. It’s important for Kansas to take the right path.”

Schwab was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2002, serving as speaker pro tempore of the state’s House of Representatives before being elected secretary of state in 2018.

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Scott Schwab is running for the Kansas governor’s seat in 2026. (Schwab for Kansas)

“A Christian, a father, and a believer in the American dream. I believe that to do something great, you need to throw off the chains holding you back,” Schwab said in his official campaign launch. “For Kansas, that’s big government, and that is why I am running for Governor.”

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Schwab noted his alignment with President-elect Donald Trump on several key issues as one of the reasons he is launching a bid for governor.

Specifically, Schwab noted in his first campaign ad that, if elected, he intends to stop China from buying farmland, increase security as it pertains to elections and cut property taxes.

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Scott Schwab, who won the Republican primary for Kansas secretary of state, addresses a watch party during an election night gathering on Aug. 7, 2018, in Overland Park. (John Sleezer)

The candidate, who made his Christian faith a focal point of his campaign launch, also highlighted that he wants the U.S. to return to the “values that have always fueled us.”

Although the state currently has a Democrat governor, its leadership is predominantly Republican, with two GOP senators and three of its four congressional seats held by Republicans.

Kelly, who has served two terms as governor, insinuated that she might not seek re-election in the 2026 midterms.

“It is really time for me to move on and to let others come up and serve,” Kelly told KCUR’s Up To Date in 2024.

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Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite/File)

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, the recently elected chair of the Republican Governors Association, said the Kansas race is going to be a top priority for the GOP in 2026.

“I’m going to be very engaged, you can rest assured, to making sure that my [successors] are Republican,” Kemp, who is term-limited next cycle, previously told Fox News Digital. 

“We’ll be working with the Trump administration and a lot of other people to make sure that that’s happening not only in Georgia, but in other states around the country, in places like Kansas, where we have a Democratic governor right now, in places like Arizona, where we have a really good shot at winning the governor’s races. So we’re going to be on offense.”

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Nebraska

Nebraska driver hits 160 mph fleeing state troopers on Interstate 80

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Nebraska driver hits 160 mph fleeing state troopers on Interstate 80


LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A 20-year-old driver accused of reaching 160 mph while fleeing from state troopers in Lancaster County was arrested early Thursday.

The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) said the incident began around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday when a trooper was patrolling on Interstate 80 in Lincoln, southeast of Lincoln Airport. A BMW sedan was reportedly seen speeding at more than 95 mph in a 65 mph zone.

The trooper attempted a traffic stop on the BMW, but the driver accelerated and fled eastbound, NSP said. A pursuit then began.

NSP said the BMW driver reached speeds of more than 160 mph on Interstate 80 before taking the exit at 56th Street and continuing south. The pursuit was discontinued out of concern for public safety.

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The suspect vehicle was found several minutes later by another trooper. It was traveling westbound on Cornhusker Highway between 70th and 65th streets.

NSP said the driver again fled from law enforcement, turning northbound onto 56th Street, where another trooper successfully deployed stop sticks. The driver continued before coming to a stop near Highway 77 and Agnew Road in northern Lancaster County and ran off.

Troopers, with help from several other agencies, later found the driver when he returned home around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

The driver, identified as Nathanael Campbell of Ceresco, was arrested on suspicion of flight to avoid arrest, second-offense willful reckless driving, obstructing a peace officer and other traffic violations. He was lodged in the Lancaster County Jail.

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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.



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North Dakota

State Patrol identifies victim in fatal West Fargo pedestrian crash

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State Patrol identifies victim in fatal West Fargo pedestrian crash


WEST FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Authorities have identified the man killed and the driver involved in a fatal overnight crash in West Fargo.

Jose Rodriguez, 38, of West Fargo, died after being struck by a vehicle early Wednesday morning, according to the North Dakota State Patrol.

The driver, Carly Vizenor, 25, of West Fargo, was not injured. Charges and restraint use remain under investigation.

The crash happened at approximately 2:46 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of 32nd Avenue South and 9th Street West.

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According to the State Patrol, a 2016 Ford Fusion was traveling westbound on 32nd Avenue South when it struck Rodriguez, who was crossing the street approximately 20 to 30 yards east of the 9th Street intersection.

The driver left the scene and returned approximately 10 minutes later.

Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.

The North Dakota State Patrol, West Fargo Police Department, and West Fargo Fire Department all responded to the crash.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.



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Ohio

Former Ohio State football players to join a sexual abuse lawsuit against the school

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Former Ohio State football players to join a sexual abuse lawsuit against the school


Thirty former Ohio State football players, including some former NFL players, have agreed to join a federal lawsuit against the university over the sexual abuse of student athletes decades ago by a team doctor, a lawyer in the case said Thursday.

The lawyer, Rocky Ratliff, said in an interview that the men came forward some eight years after the first lawsuit was filed because they needed to overcome the shame of revealing that they’d been sexually abused by another man and the fear of taking on the university publicly.

They are “tearful and living with it,” Ratliff said. “But as this case progresses on, they see how Ohio State’s treating athletes from the university and I think they want people to know it’s OK, even if it is male to male (sexual abuse), to come forward.”

Ohio State has fought lawsuits in federal court since 2018 brought by former student athletes against the university over its failure to stop abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss. Hundreds say they were abused by Strauss, who worked at the school from 1978 to 1998. He died in 2005.

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The men have signed letters of agreement to join a lawsuit filed by other student-athletes who say they are victims of Strauss, Ratliff said.

Of the 30, only three have agreed to make their identities public, Ratliff said. They are Al Washington, Ray Ellis and Keith Ferguson, he said. All were members of the 1980 Rose Bowl team and were recruited by and played for legendary coach Woody Hayes.

Some other former football players have settled with the school in sealed agreements that kept their names a secret, Ratliff said.

In a statement, Ohio State said it has “sincerely and persistently tried to reconcile with survivors, including former football student-athletes, through monetary and non-monetary means, including settlements, counseling services and other medical treatment.”

As of April 15, the university has settled with 317 survivors for more than $61 million, and is remains actively engaged in mediation, the school said.

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In an interview, Washington said it was hard to talk about the abuse he suffered and recalled being subjected to “unlawful” physical exams by Strauss when he was 18 or 19. He and the other players tried to make light of it with each other and joke about it.

“But it was really uncomfortable,” said Washington, now 67.

He didn’t discuss it with others over the decades, but watching the 2025 documentary film “Surviving Ohio State” put it back into his thoughts.

“As a matter of fact, I couldn’t make it through that movie,” Washington said. “The pain and anguish that I saw, I just couldn’t take it.”

Strauss was on the faculty and medical staff and Ohio State. He retired in 1998 with emeritus status. School trustees revoked that mark of honor three years ago.

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Washington was drafted in 1981 by the New York Jets and played one season for the team. Ellis, a former defensive back, had a seven-year NFL career from 1981 to 1987, playing with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns. Ferguson, a former defensive end, played in the NFL from 1981 to 1990, including stints with the San Diego Chargers and the Detroit Lions.



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