Four Republican candidates who withdrew from the August primary election last week have announced plans to run as independent candidates in the November general election, prompting a backlash from their party.
Dale Brouk, Holly Cayer, Chris Kendall and Kevin Robinson withdrew from the Republican primary on Monday, May 4, just hours before the county commission was set to vote on whether or not to disqualify those candidates, as well as three others – Gena Ross, Mary McKenna and Russell Wojtkiewicz. By the end of that commission meeting, on a 2-1 vote, commissioners voted to allow the candidates to continue, despite their failure to file separate personal financial disclosure forms with the county, as required by county statute. The two district commissioners agreed that due to a series of miscommunications, those candidates were not made sufficiently aware of the requirements.
On Tuesday, May 5, Kendall, the incumbent treasurer, announced his plans to run as an independent candidate.
“The incredible number of friends – including Democrats, Republicans and independents – who have contacted me to encourage my candidacy and have offered their support has been truly remarkable,” Kendall said. “Due to that support, my genuine passion for my work, my continued sense of calling to this role, and my firm belief that my retention of this office serves the best interests of Platte County, I have made the decision to run for the position of Treasurer of Platte County as an independent candidate.”
Other candidates also announced their intentions last week, including incumbent auditor Robinson.
“After weighing my options and reflecting on recent events, I have decided to pursue reelection as an independent candidate,” Robinson said in his announcement. “While my core Republican values have not changed, something else has: the political environment surrounding local government. Increasingly, political labels and partisan pressure are being placed ahead of transparency, accountability, fiscal responsibility and doing what is right for the people we serve.
“My commitment has always been to the citizens of Platte County – not political games, special interests or party pressure. I believe local government works best when decisions are made based on facts, integrity, and what benefits taxpayers most, regardless of party affiliation.”
Filing was re-opened for county treasurer and auditor last Tuesday and ran through Monday. By end of day Monday, May 11, no one had filed to run for either office. Republican candidates do remain on the ballot for the August primary. Elliot Lahn is running for treasurer and Laura Waldon is running for auditor. There are no Democrats on the ballot.
Now, the four candidates who plan to run as independents will need to gather enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot. The number of signatures required varies from around 600 to 1,000, based upon two percent of the votes cast in the last election for the office in question. The candidates have until Monday, July 27 to gather these signatures.
The Platte County Republican Central Committee announced Thursday, May 7 that it had censured the four candidates, declaring them persona non grata.
“The committee will withhold its endorsement, support, and infrastructure from any future candidacy by Mr. Brouk, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Kendall and Ms. Cayer,” the statement reads. “The Republican Party of Platte County is not a flag of convenience. Filing under the Republican banner carries with it an obligation of sincere alignment with the principles, the candidates, and the voters of the party. The conduct of these former candidates treated the Republican Party as a convenience to be discarded when it became inconvenient.
“The conduct that led to this censure raises a question that voters in Platte County will have to answer for themselves: if Mr. Brouk, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Kendall and Ms. Cayer cannot be trusted to keep faith with the party they chose, or to stand and answer for their failures rather than evade them at the first sign of accountability what can they be trusted with?
“Candidates who abandon their party the moment their party holds them accountable are candidates who will abandon their voters the moment their voters hold them accountable. Candidates who walk away from the ideals they publicly subscribed to as soon as those ideals become inconvenient are candidates whose ideals are not ideals, they are postures. Candidates who maneuver procedurally to evade an unfavorable ruling are candidates who, once in office, will maneuver procedurally to evade unfavorable consequences for the public they are supposed to serve.”
At the heart of the situation leading up to the withdrawal of candidates is an ordinance renewed by the Platte County Commission in 2025.
Re-adopted in June 2025, the order established procedures to disclose potential conflicts of interest and substantial interests to be filed with the county clerk’s office. This requires a separate filing from the standard personal financial disclosure filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. While candidates were apparently provided a filing packet by the Board of Elections containing the notice indicating they needed to file with both MEC and the county, a cover sheet on the packet did not clarify the separate filing requirements and implied an electronic filing with the MEC fulfilled requirements.