Freshman Rep. Steve Watkins (R-Kan.) lost the GOP primary in the state’s 2nd Congressional District on Aug. 4, weeks after he was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor linked to a probe into whether he voted illegally in a municipal election last year.
Watkins was unseated by State Treasurer Jake LaTurner on Tuesday, putting an end to his bid for a second term. Watkins was first elected in November 2018, replacing Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) following the end of her term. At the time, he received 47.6 percent of the vote against opponent Paul Davis’s (D-Kan.) 46.8 percent—a margin of 2,239 votes.
