LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Democratic challenger Paul Davis has conceded the Kansas governor’s race to Republican incumbent Sam Brownback.

The Associated Press has not yet called the race for Brownback, who built a lead in Tuesday’s election with most of the vote counted.

The governor successfully pushed the GOP-dominated Legislature during his first term to slash personal income taxes to boost the state’s economy. The state cut its top rate by 26 percent and exempted the owners of 191,000 businesses from income taxes altogether.

Davis argued that the cuts wrecked the state’s finances. He told supporters at a rally in his hometown in Lawrence that the state faces real challenges and people must work together.

Republicans painted Davis as a liberal supporter of Democratic President Barack Obama.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri voters have rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed six days of early voting for general elections.

Constitutional Amendment 6 had been referred to Tuesday’s ballot by the Republican-led Legislature but had been criticized by some Democrats as too restrictive to be called true early voting.

It would have created an early voting period contingent upon funding by the Legislature and governor. The period would not have included weekends and would have ended the Wednesday before an election.

Unlike absentee voting in Missouri, voters would not have needed an excuse to vote early under the amendment.

A separate citizen initiative to create a six-week early voting period failed to get enough signatures to qualify for Tuesday’s ballot.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich (shwyk) has won election to a second term after turning back two minor-party challengers.

The Republican incumbent faced no Democratic opponent in Tuesday’s elections. He defeated Libertarian Sean O’Toole and Constitution Party candidate Rodney Farthing, neither of whom mounted a very aggressive campaign.

Schweich’s new four-year term will start next January and run until 2019. But he could be on the ballot again before then. Schweich is expected to decide within the next several months whether he will run for governor in 2016.

Schweich is an attorney from suburban St. Louis who served in the U.S. Department of State under former President George W. Bush. He first won election as auditor in 2010.

According to the Kansas Secretary of State’s office, here are the early returns for closely watched races in Tuesday’s general election (updated regularly):

US Senate Precincts Reporting: 3030 of 3479

Candidate Votes i-Greg Orman 334,520 L-Randall Batson 32,573 R-Pat Roberts 410,820

Governor Precincts Reporting: 2982 of 3479

Candidate Votes D-Paul Davis 353,827 L-Keen A. Umbehr 29,891 R-Sam Brownback 376,268

SOS Precincts Reporting: 2982 of 3479

Candidate Votes D-Jean Kurtis Schodorf 309,381 R-Kris Kobach 442,095

US House 1 Precincts Reporting: 1146 of 1332

Candidate Votes D-James E. Sherow 54,775 R-Tim Huelskamp 110,679

US House 2 Precincts Reporting: 682 of 912

Candidate Votes D-Margie Wakefield 72,402 L-Christopher Clemmons 7,920 R-Lynn Jenkins 105,787

US House 3 Precincts Reporting: 620 of 620

Candidate Votes D-Kelly Kultala 87,781 R-Kevin Yoder 132,501

US House 4 Precincts Reporting: 582 of 615

Candidate Votes D-Perry L. Schuckman 65,848 R-Mike Pompeo 131,186

AG Precincts Reporting: 2982 of 3479

Candidate Votes D-A.J. Kotich 249,979 R-Derek Schmidt 489,102

COI Precincts Reporting: 2982 of 3479

Candidate Votes D-Dennis Anderson 284,503 R-Ken Selzer 444,131

Supreme 4 Precincts Reporting: 2982 of 3479

Candidate Votes   Eric S. Rosen – “YES” 351,421   Eric S. Rosen – “NO” 310,284

Supreme 6 Precincts Reporting: 2981 of 3479

Candidate Votes   Lee Johnson – “YES” 345,954   Lee Johson – “NO” 305,970

CA1 Precincts Reporting: 2944 of 3479

Candidate Votes   Constitutional Amendment – “YES” 533,088   Constitutional Amendment – “NO” 180,313

 

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A nurse at a northeast Kansas hospital has been charged with sexually assaulting three patients.

Forty-seven-year-old Dennis Clark was charged last month in Wyandotte County District Court with three counts of aggravated sexual battery. The Kansas City Star  reports that the alleged assaults occurred while Clark was a staff nurse in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

His attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The hospital said in a written statement that it was “cooperating fully with law enforcement” and that Clark no longer works there.

State records show that Clark has been licensed as a registered nurse in Kansas since 2001. Prosecutors are urging anyone with information about other possible victims to call police.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – The Missouri governor’s office has quickly deleted a tweet that included a photo of the governor seated next to a woman with low-hanging pants.

Gov. Jay Nixon cast his ballot Tuesday in Jefferson City. His staff later tweeted a photo showing the governor and a woman seated at neighboring voting booths, with their backs to the camera. But the woman’s pants had fallen several inches below her waist.

The image was quickly deleted, but not before it was widely retweeted.

Nixon spokesman Scott Holste didn’t return an email seeking comment.

The original tweet had urged voters to “make your voice heard.”

STOCKTON (AP) – The funeral for a southwest Missouri sheriff’s deputy killed in a shootout that also left a suspect dead will be held Thursday at the high school where the officer graduated in 2008.

Twenty-five-year-old Cedar County Deputy Matthew Chism died early Sunday, shortly after exchanging gunshots in El Dorado Springs with 28-year-old William Collins.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Chism tried to stop a car for driving without headlights. The car’s driver sped off and Collins, who was a passenger, jumped out in El Dorado Springs. Chism and Collins then got into a fight before both opened fire.

Chism’s funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at Stockton High School.

He had joined the Cedar County Sheriff’s Department in 2013. Survivors include his wife and their 2-year-old son.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri’s revenues are up more than 4 percent through the first third of the fiscal year, but the state’s budget chief says that’s far shy of what’s needed.

Revenue figures released Tuesday show individual income tax collections are up 5.8 percent and sales tax collections are up 3.3 percent from July through October.

When those are added to other revenue sources, Missouri’s finances grew at 4.3 percent compared with the same period a year earlier.

State budget director Linda Luebbering says that’s well short of the roughly 11 percent general revenue growth that would be needed to pay for all of the budgeted expenses.

Missouri borrowed an additional $100 million for its cash-reserve fund during October, raising the yearly total to $300 million. That must be paid back by May.