Key facts

Population: 2,572,150 (ranked 32 among states) Governor: Bill Graves (R) Electoral College votes: 6

Voters have not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. And apart from Lyndon B Johnson in 1964, have not voted for a Democrat presidential candidate for 60 years.

In the 1996 election, former Kansas Senator Bob Dole, from the small town Russell, tried to campaign on Kansas' role in US folklore and portray himself as an ordinary man standing for middle America's values.

1998 Congress

House of Representatives: 1 Democrat, 3 Republicans Senate: 2 Republicans

Kansas is the epitome of middle America and the geographic centre of the USA. It is farm country, forever associated with the classic film Wizard of Oz.

The state is known as the "bread basket" and harvests much of the country's wheat. But like other agricultural states it has suffered a decline in income in recent years.

Voting record

1996: Dole 54%, Clinton 36% 1992: Bush 39%, Clinton 34%, Perot 27% 1988: Bush 56%, Dukakis 43%

The state is slowly changing, with growing suburbs.

In 1994 the Republican party was taken over by Christian Conservatives, leading to some factional in-fighting and the selection of two conservative senators.