leader nationally in making irresponsible claims that voter fraud is a major problem in this country." 2018 Kansas gubernatorial primary On June 8, 2017, Kobach formally announced his campaign for Governor of Kansas in the 2018 election. In 2017, he was appointed the Vice Chairman and "driving force" behind Trump's Commission on Election Integrity, which purported to quantify the extent of voter fraud in the United States, but which critics said was intended to disenfranchise or deter legal voters. The Trump administration dissolved the commission on January 3, 2018. During this campaign for Governor, Kobach repeatedly used a slogan asserting that Kansas was the "sanctuary state of the Midwest." The Associated Press noted that Kobach's slogan was "false for several reasons, including the state's laws, compliance with federal immigration authorities and the undocumented immigrant population. Kansas has not passed any laws that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, unlike another Midwest state, Illinois." Kobach did not identify any sanctuary cities in Kansas when asked by the Associated Press. On August 7, 2018, Kobach defeated incumbent Governor Jeff Colyer in the Republican gubernatorial primary in a tight vote. Kobach finished with a 343-vote margin. 2018 Kansas gubernatorial general election Democratic state senator Laura Kelly easily won the Democratic nomination. In the general election, she defeated Republican primary winner Kobach and Independent Greg Orman, who had finished second in the 2014 U.S. Senate race against incumbent Republican Pat Roberts. Kelly had benefited from Republican defections. On September 13, 2018, three prominent Republicans endorsed Kelly: Former Governor Bill Graves, former U.S. Senator Sheila Frahm, and former Kansas Senate President Dick Bond. On September 18, they were joined by former U.S. Senator and Republican from Kansas, Nancy Kassebaum, the daughter of ex-Governor Alf Landon, the 1936 Republican presidential nominee. She said: "I'm a Republican, but that doesn't mean you walk lock step always with the party." "...Kobach has developed a record that shows a focus on ways and how to accomplish his end goals that I think are not the best for Kansas." Regarding Kelly, Kassebaum said, "...her experience, 18 years in the Kansas Legislature..., has given her a real understanding of what it takes to work across the aisle." On October 19, Governor Mike Hayden, a Republican who served from 1987 through 1991, also joined Kelly's endorsers who included former Governors Mark Parkinson, a Republican who became a Democrat, Democrats Kathleen Sebelius and