Former Kansas GOP Gov. Jeff Colyer, naming key campaign aide, opens bid to retake office Jonathan Shorman, The Kansas City Star Mar. 5—TOPEKA — Republican Jeff Colyer, who was governor of Kansas for a year, has effectively launched his bid to reclaim the office, saying the state "needs an authentic, effective conservative" as governor. He announced Friday that he had named Mary Eisenhower — granddaughter of President Dwight Eisenhower — as campaign treasurer. Eisenhower co-chaired Gov. Sam Brownback's 2014 re-election bid. Colyer kicked off what is likely to be an intense primary battle among Republicans over the next year and a half for the nomination and chance to take on Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Republicans believe they can use the first-term governor's handling of the pandemic to convince voters to make a change.