Military retiree Darren Robinson, Haysville, plans to drive around the state in his pickup, collecting the necessary 5,000 signatures to qualify as an independent candidate for governor on the November ballot.

Robinson said he was “a little taken aback” when he saw how many other people were running for governor. There are currently 24 candidates who have appointed a treasurer or formed a candidate committee for the governor’s race. If Christopher Rockhold, a Libertarian, had not dropped out, the number would be 25.

“It didn’t sway my decision at all,” Robinson said. He’s been throwing around the idea of running for about a year, he said.

Robinson is a Nebraskan who was assigned by the U.S. Air Force to McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, in 1996. He remained at McConnell until he retired in 2014 after 20 years, and then made Kansas his home.

He started working as a paraprofessional for Haysville USD 261’s high school and also has coached grade eight football in the district.

When he first registered as a voter, he was Republican. “I don’t think either party really gets what’s going on,” he said. At both the national and state levels, he said, Democrats and Republicans are too hardline.

The Kansas Supreme Court has found the Kansas Legislature is not adequately or fairly funding schools. The Legislature will consider this year whether or how to increase school funding.

“I’m going to be watching that very closely,” he said. Legally and equitably funding schools is his top priority.

He is critical of the state’s debt. If there are pet projects, he said, they need to be eliminated. 

As an independent, he would bypass the August primary election and appear only on the November ballot. He is focused on collecting signatures from registered voters and said some people in the Kansas City area have offered to help gather signatures. 

Robinson is not currently married and has five adult children. His first grandchild was born Jan. 2.