By Adam Goldstein, State Affairs Kansas, 7/24/26

Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, would serve as secretary of agriculture should Secretary of State Scott Schwab win the Kansas gubernatorial race in November.

Schwab’s campaign shared in a Thursday social media post that Rahjes — Schwab’s lieutenant governor pick — would also occupy the cabinet position if elected.

“From understanding water issues to wheat and sorghum production, he [Rahjes] is a recognized expert in this field,” Schwab said in the post. “Western and rural Kansas needs an experienced secretary for this job. My running mate, Ken Rahjes, is that man.”

Rahjes, a farmer and agricultural broadcaster, has been in the House of Representatives for the 110th District since 2015.

The lawmaker served as chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in the 2026 session, as he has every year since 2021.

Rahjes was also a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee.

In addition, he is a member of the Phillips County Farm Bureau, Phillipsburg Rotary Club and a board member of the Huck Boyd Institute for Rural Development and Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom.

Rahjes originally planned to leave his House seat and run for Kansas Secretary of State in 2026. He filed his paperwork to run in July 2025, and was going to face off against Rep. Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, in the Republican primary.

Yet Schwab, a Republican candidate for governor, announced Rahjes would be his running mate on May 28. Rahjes announced that same day that he would withdraw from his other race to join Schwab’s ticket.

In the video, Rahjes said that an early priority of his as secretary of agriculture in Schwab’s administration would be to open up trade for Kansas producers, particularly in China for sorghum growers.

“The way it’s grown here has a distinct taste that they love for their baijiu … that’s … their celebratory drink,” he said. “We have a lot of issues with China, but the one thing is to keep things stable, we need to make sure the world has what they want, and that is Kansas grain sorghum.”

He added that Kansas is also a top 10 state in corn, wheat and beef production, “and we need to make sure that everybody knows stuff is coming from Kansas.”

In addition, Rahjes said that he and Schwab would bring experts into the department that have expertise in helping agricultural businesses grow, which grows the economy in rural Kansas communities.

He added that he would also work with the Department of Commerce to continue growing and revitalizing rural communities throughout Kansas.

“We must do it one day at a time,” he said. “We’re going to get up and fight like we always have done every day.”

Schwab is the second gubernatorial candidate thus far to declare that their lieutenant governor pick will also hold a cabinet position.

Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced in May that her running mate, former Kansas Farm Bureau President Joe Newland, would serve as agriculture secretary should she win the gubernatorial election.

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Click here for a video of Secretary Schwab and Rep. Rahjes.