TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer spent months bolstering his credentials in the Republican primary for governor but it may not be enough after President Donald Trump tweeted his backing for Kris Kobach, a conservative agitator for strict immigration and voter ID laws.

Colyer raised more money than Kobach, received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, brandished his anti-abortion credentials and had the backing of Kansas political legend Bob Dole.

Proud to support Jeff Colyer for Governor—our best choice to win tomorrow AND in the Fall. He doesn’t just talk; he delivers.

— Senator Bob Dole (@SenatorDole) August 6, 2018

Then, less than 24 hours before polls opened, Trump endorsed the Kansas secretary of state. It was not a huge surprise because Kobach was an early supporter of Trump in the presidential race, advised him during the campaign and in the White House, and served as vice chairman of a now-disbanded presidential commission on election fraud.

Thank you @realDonaldTrump for your support and endorsement of #TeamKobach! #ksleg #ksgov #MAGA https://t.co/veoxVWUtsW

— Kris W. Kobach (@KrisKobach1787) August 6, 2018

But the tweet could tip the scales in a competitive race, as some other recent Trump endorsements have done. Trump’s tweet backing Georgia Republican governor hopeful Brian Kemp vaulted him to an easy primary runoff win two weeks ago. Trump also has recently given a boost to GOP primary candidates in Florida, South Carolina and Alabama despite an overall approval rating that is underwater.

Like the president, Kobach promises a no-apologies style, telling voters repeatedly: “I don’t back down. I double down.” His use of a Jeep with a replica gun mounted on top during campaign stops at local parades this summer prompted backlash. Kobach called his critics “snowflakes” and continued to use the Jeep.

Kobach’s penchant for provoking outrage could serve him well in a crowded seven-candidate Republican primary Tuesday. Kansas does not hold runoff elections, and Kobach’s conservative base could allow him to win the primary with a third or less of the vote.

Some Democrats hope that is exactly what will happen, betting Kobach is such a lightning rod that a Democrat could snatch a red state victory in November.

Democrats have their first contested primary for governor since 1998. They must choose from the experience of 14-year state Sen. Laura Kelly, the youth and potential rural appeal of former Kansas Agriculture Secretary Joshua Svaty, and possibly their first-ever black nominee in ex-Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer.

The mild-mannered Colyer is seeking a full four-year term after moving up from lieutenant governor in January when unpopular Gov. Sam Brownback took an ambassador position in Trump’s administration. His defeat would mark the first primary loss by a sitting Kansas governor since 1956 and the first nationally since Hawaii’s Neil Abercrombie lost a primary in 2014.

Kobach attracted Donald Trump Jr. and gun-rights “Catch Scratch Fever” rocker Ted Nugent for fundraisers yet couldn’t keep up with Colyer in raising cash. But Kobach’s running mate, a wealthy Wichita businessman, loaned their campaign more than $1.5 million over four months.

Kobach got a strange boost in July when the American Civil Liberties Union unleashed a $200,000 voter education campaign against his positions on immigration, voting rights and other issues. He relished the attacks and said if elected governor he would be the group’s “worst nightmare.”

In the Democratic race, the 38-year-old Svaty pitched himself as the candidate of the future in his race against the 68-year-old Kelly and the 61-year-old Brewer. He also stressed his ties to his rural hometown of Ellsworth.

But as a legislator before becoming agriculture secretary, Svaty had an anti-abortion voting record and refused to put a label on his views even after expressing support, during a recent forum, for women making their own health care decisions.

Besides Colyer and Kobach, the other major GOP candidates are Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer and former state Sen. Jim Barnett, a Topeka physician.

Polls in all 105 counties open by 7 a.m. and stay open until 7 p.m. local time, with four western Kansas counties an hour behind in Mountain time.

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged aggravated battery after an altercation with a teen.

On Sunday, the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a 16-year-old from Onaga who had been the victim of a battery and had suffered a burn during an altercation with a man from Onaga, according to Sheriff Greg Riat.

During the investigation it was alleged the 34-year-old suspect identified as Ryan Hager had acted in a reckless and intentional manner that caused the teen to suffer a burn to his arm.

Hager was contacted by law enforcement at his residence, however was unwilling to leave the residence. A search warrant was issued for the residence of 501 High Street and Hager was taken into custody without incident around 3:30 a.m. Monday.

Hager is being held for Arson, Aggravated Battery, Endangering a Child, Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer and Illegal drug charges. In addition, also taken into custody from the home was 34-year-old Rachel Hager for Interference with a law enforcement officer, according to Riat.

Both remain in custody at the Pottawatomie County Jail.

Hager has previous convictions for DUI and drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Details of the investigation will be forwarded to the Pottawatomie County Attorney for review.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The race for governor is the marquee contest in Kansas this year with contested primaries in both the Democratic and Republican parties and a prominent independent candidate.

But the state has other competitive races.

Republican voters in Tuesday’s primary in Kansas are picking a nominee for two open statewide offices and their candidate for an open congressional seat that has been targeted by Democrats.

Democrats also will settle a crowded contest for the party’s nomination in the Kansas City-area district held by four-term Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder. The race drew the attention of 2016 presidential candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

All polling places across the state must open at 7 a.m., though local election officials have the authority to allow voting to begin at 6 a.m. Polls close at 7 p.m. local time.

What to know about the election:

TAKING ON YODER

Democrats are targeting Yoder because Hillary Clinton narrowly carried his 3rd Congressional District in the 2016 presidential election and Yoder won a closer-than-expected race against a relatively unknown Democrat.

Six Democrats are on the ballot, showcasing the debate within the party over how far left its candidates should go to tap the energy of liberal activists and opponents of President Donald Trump.

Sanders, the patriarch of the democratic socialist movement, and New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the movement’s rising star, campaigned for Brent Welder, a Kansas City, Kansas, labor attorney.

But Sharice Davids, another Kansas City, Kansas, attorney, attracted considerable attention as both a Native American and gay candidate with strong liberal credentials. And other Democrats were rallying behind Tom Niermann, a Prairie Village teacher, seen as more of a centrist.

OPEN HOUSE SEAT

In the 2nd Congressional District of eastern Kansas, five-term Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins did not seek re-election, setting up both a seven-candidate scramble for the GOP nomination and an opportunity for Democrats to pick up an otherwise out-of-reach seat. Their nominee is former Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis, who narrowly lost the 2014 governor’s race.

The Republican field includes four state legislators and an ex-Kansas House speaker. But they weren’t as visible in the final weeks as Army veteran and political newcomer Steve Watkins, who benefited from television ads from a political action committee formed by his father.

OTHER RACES FOR CONGRESS

In the 4th District in the Wichita area, civil rights attorney James Thompson faced businesswoman Laura Lombard in the Democratic primary for the right to challenge Republican Rep. Ron Estes. Estes won a closer-than-expected special election in April 2017 against Thompson.

In the 1st District of western and central Kansas, freshman Rep. Roger Marshall was expected to handily defeat an unknown GOP primary challenger.

SECRETARY OF STATE

Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach is running for governor, and five GOP candidates are running to replace him. They included Kansas House Speaker Pro Tem Scott Schwab and House Elections Committee Chairman Keith Esau, both from Olathe, and Craig McCullah, a former Kobach deputy.

The winner of the Republican race will face Democrat Brian McClendon, a former Google and Uber executive from Lawrence.

INSURANCE COMMISSIONER

Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer also is running for governor, and Assistant Commissioner Clark Shultz is hoping to replace him. But Shultz faces state Sen. Vicki Schmidt, of Topeka, chairwoman of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, in the GOP primary.

The winner will face Democrat Nathaniel McLaughlin, a retired health industry executive from Kansas City, Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A woman has been charged with first-degree murder after a car plunged into the Kansas River and the body of her 5-year-old daughter was pulled from the water.

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson on Monday charged 26-year-old Scharron Renea Dingledine, of Columbia, Mo., in the death of her daughter.

Dingledine is also charged with attempted first-degree murder stemming from critical injuries to her 1-year-old son, who remains hospitalized.

Dingledine’s bond was set at $1 million.

Police say the children were in a vehicle that sank Friday afternoon in the river in downtown Lawrence. The toddler and the mother were rescued. The 5-year-old’s body was recovered from the river on Saturday.

Dingledine and her two children were the only people in the car. She is currently being held at the Douglas County Jail.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on numerous charges after an attempted robbery.

Just after 1a.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a robbery at a convenience store in the 1600 Block of North Oliver in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.  Investigators learned a 27-year-old man entered the business, walked behind the counter and pushed the employee away and attempted to get access to the cash register.

The suspect then battered a private security guard who approached him. The security guard then used pepper spray on the suspect as police arrived. The suspect then continued to be combative and battered one of the officers as he was taken into custody.

Police booked the suspect identified as Raphael Ray, according to Sedgwick County booking records, for three counts of battery and attempted robbery, according to Cruz.

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (AP) — A teenager has been sentenced to one year and one month in juvenile detention for crashing into a tree and killing one of his friends in suburban Kansas City.

The 16-year-old was sentenced in the juvenile division of Johnson County District Court. He pleaded no contest last month to charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery in the Prairie Village crash that killed 15-year-old Alex Carney and seriously injured another high school classmate.

Court records say the 16-year-old panicked after being rear-ended by another driver and drove off. The defense says the teen then panicked further when the driver of the other vehicle pursued them. The teen’s car then hydroplaned on an icy road and struck a tree.

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged burglary.

Just after 4p.m. Saturday, police were called to 17 N. Eastborough after a resident noticed that his garage door was slightly ajar, according to Salina Police Sergeant Jim Feldman.

Inside, police found 35-year-old Jamie Kiser, who had been consuming beer that was kept in the garage.

Kiser has a number of previous felony convictions including burglary, criminal threat, obstruction, DUI and others, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. For the weekend arrest, he was booked for one count of burglary, one count of damage to property, and one count of theft, according to Feldman.

Damage to the garage’s walk-in door and drywall was estimated at $300 and the consumed beer at $25, according to Feldman