Here’s the Kansas Republican who will face Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids in November

Physician Prasanth Reddy won the Republican nomination for the 3rd Congressional District of Kansas, securing a victory with the backing of the national Republican Party to take on Rep. Sharice Davids in November.

Republicans now head into a general election hoping that Reddy can stem a Democratic tide in the Kansas suburbs and prevent Davids, the only Kansas Democrat who holds federal office, from winning a fourth term.

“We can’t secure the American Dream if families are struggling to make ends meet, if our border is open, and if our country is weak around the world,” Reddy said. “In other words, we can’t secure the American Dream with two more years of Sharice Davids toeing the party line in Congress. The contrast between us is clear, and I’m ready to make it every single day from now until November 5th.”

The Associated Press called the race for Reddy at 9:25 p.m. He beat Karen Crnkovich, a small business owner who ran a grassroots campaign but was largely shut out by Republican Party leaders. Crnkovich able to secure 46.9% of the vote as of 9:28 p.m., despite being outraised by an 8 to 1 margin.

Davids did not face an opponent in the primary. She issued a statement Tuesday saying she was grateful for the district’s “continued trust in her.”

“The fact is, I’m the only candidate for the Third District who will listen to and work with anyone — Republican or Democrat — to move Kansas forward and ensure that our values are represented in Washington,” Davids said. “I look forward to earning the support of the Kansas Third once again on November 5.”

Davids has increased her margin of victory with each campaign since first winning office in 2018, amid a suburban backlash to the election of former President Donald Trump. In her six years in office, she’s attempted to bolster a moderate image – often voting with Democrats on major legislation while distancing herself from some President Joe Biden’s policies like his student loan debt relief plans.

Her time in office has coincided with a shift in Johnson County, as voters in the once reliable Republican stronghold have increasingly supported Democratic candidates.

“As soon as we outgrow this MAGA era that we’re in, I think she’ll have a real problem,” said Stephanie Sharp, a Republican political strategist in Johnson County. “But until then, I think this area is going to continue to vote for her regardless of what she does or doesn’t do.”

A new face

Republicans are hoping that Reddy – an immigrant and cancer physician who joined the U.S. Army Reserve after the September 11 terrorist attacks – will be able to win over the once reliably Republican moderates in the district.

Unlike Amanda Adkins, Davids’ opponent over the past two cycles, Reddy is a political newcomer and doesn’t have ties to former Gov. Sam Brownback, an association Democrats used to campaign against Adkins.

He also has kept former President Donald Trump, who is unpopular among moderates in the district, at an arms length. Where Republican candidates have eagerly courted a Trump endorsement, Reddy did not openly seek the former president’s approval – similar to how Davids has tried to portray herself as independent of Biden.

Instead Reddy spent the early part of his campaign securing support from some of the top Republicans in Washington – like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

He was able to leverage his support from top House Republicans into a significant financial advantage over Crnkovich over the course of the primary.

While Davids is favored to win in November, she has been listed as a “frontliner” by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee – a sign that she’s among the most vulnerable Democrats running for reelection in November.

Reddy, too, has been identified as a top candidate for his party. Last month, the National Republican Congressional Committee listed him as a “young gun,” a designation that will potentially help him pull in campaign funds in his effort to defeat Davids.

Davids and Reddy are both seeking to draw distinctions between their campaigns and their respective national parties, but the presidential election is likely to loom over their race.

While Biden appeared to be struggling in the polls as voters raised concerns about the 81-year-old’s mental and physical ability to serve in office over the next four years, once the Democratic Party appeared to line up behind Vice President Kamala Harris, polls bounced back in the Democratic Party’s favor.

Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University, said that might help Democrats avoid the type of “wave election” that would help Reddy unseat Davids.

“It was looking that way just a couple weeks ago,” Beatty said, referencing lackluster support for Biden. “Now the tables have turned and there’s not a lot of talk of a wave election. It looks similar to two or four years ago.”

November’s election will also include Libertarian Steve Roberts.