Embracing election conspiracies could sink a Kansas sheriff who once looked invulnerable

AP Political Writer

DE SOTO, Kan. (AP) — The sheriff in Kansas’ most populous county is facing a contentious Republican primary after taking on election fraud as a cause. Democrats see a good chance of capturing an office that they haven’t won since 1930. The GOP in Johnson County in the Kansas City area is deeply divided over Sheriff Calvin Hayden’s investigation for at least two years into elections. He says he has had scores of tips about potential election irregularities. No criminal charges have been filed so far. Hayden faces Doug Bedford in Tuesday’s primary. Bedford was Hayden’s undersheriff in from 2017 to 2021.