JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is struggling to persuade Kansas voters that the bold tax cuts he championed have fueled an economic comeback.

Brownback points to the state’s low unemployment rate and tens of thousands of new private-sector jobs created since he became governor in January 2011.

But his race against Democratic challenger Paul Davis remains close going into Tuesday’s election.

Federal statistics show that the rate of private-sector job growth in Kansas lagged behind the nation’s during Brownback’s first term. It also has slowed since the first income tax cuts he pushed took effect in 2013.

State credit ratings have been downgraded, and a budget shortfall is forecast for mid-2016.

The reformer’s reputation Brownback won in national conservative circles through tax-cutting doesn’t impress some voters.