Great Bend obstetrician Roger Marshall won the tough contest Tuesday against Huelskamp in the 1st District, which spans western and much of central Kansas.
There is no Democratic candidate. Clifton farmer and educator Alan LaPolice is poised to run as an independent. LaPolice ran for the GOP nomination in 2014, losing a closer-than-expected race against Huelskamp as an unknown.
Huelskamp is one of only a handful of House members ousted in this year’s primary season.
Marshall was backed by agriculture and business groups in a primary race that focused on the tea party-backed incumbent’s battles with GOP leaders.
At least 10 conservative Republicans in the Kansas Legislature have lost their seats in the primary election.
They included Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce, of Nickerson, who was defeated Tuesday by retired Hutchinson Community College President Ed Berger.
Four other conservative GOP senators were ousted as well. They were Tom Arpke of Salina, Forrest Knox of Altoona, Jeff Melcher of Leawood and Greg Smith of Overland Park.
At least five conservative Republicans in the House lost seats as well, all of them in Johnson County. They were Rob Bruchman of Leawood, Brett Hildabrand of Shawnee, Jerry Lunn of Overland Park, Charles Macheers of Shawnee and Craig McPherson of Overland Park.
Moderate Republicans made the election a referendum on the state’s budget problems and battles over education funding.