KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The stage is set in the race for the 2nd Congressional District of Kansas. It's Democrat Nancy Boyda against Republican Derek Schmidt. While Schmidt blew past his four GOP opponents in August's primary with 53.1% of votes, Boyda narrowly beat yet another star athlete-turned-politician, former KU basketball player Matt Kleinmann with 51.8% of votes. Boyda held the seat from 2007 to 2009 when she beat former Olympian Jim Ryun. Your Local Election Headquarters: Candidates, races and results on FOX4 In the primary election, the Democratic Party totaled just 25,954 votes compared to the Republican's 65,186. Republican Jake LaTurner currently represents the district, but is stepping away to spend more time with family. Here's what to know about each candidate and their campaign: Nancy Boyda Nancy Boyda is a St. Louis, Missouri, native. She graduated with honors from William Jewell College with degrees in chemistry and education before she went on to work as an analytical chemist for the EPA. Final Candidate Conversations feature Quade, Boyda Although Boyda didn't begin her career as a politician, she ran for the 2nd Congressional District seat in 2004, but lost. She returned in 2006 and won, however, holding the seat from 2007 to 2009. Now, Boyda lives on a farm outside of Baldwin City where she raises a variety of livestock and crops. Boyda teaches gardening to preschoolers and is also on the board of the Homeless Resource Center. The standout issues that Boyda's campaign is based on are immigration, reproductive rights, housing, climate change, LGBTQIA rights, and more. While she is a listed democrat, there are aspects of her campaign that veer from the stereotypical democrat's ideology, such as transgender participation in sports. According to her campaign website, Boyda and Schmidt couldn't agree any less on immigration issues and deportation. "Derek Schmidt and his party believe the solution is mass deportation of 10–15 million immigrants," the site reads. "Nancy Boyda couldn’t disagree more. Such drastic actions would bring economic chaos like our country has never seen." Boyda also places emphasis on housing, pledging to make it easier for Kansans to keep a roof over their head with a detailed plan. Boyda says that tariffs are a bad idea, and that if used, additional costs for goods would trickle down to the consumer, not other countries importing said goods. Additionally, Boyda is in favor of resoring Roe v. Wade, saying, “I support Kansas’ historic, centrist position of 22 weeks. I support IVF and birth control.” Another key aspect of Boyda's campaign is the idea that money corrupts democracy. "Every Kansan I’ve ever spoken with believes money is corrupting our democracy," her website reads. "With some notable exceptions, money doesn’t usually corrupt an individual lawmaker. But the millions of dollars it takes to get elected corrupt our democratic process." Boyda takes science into consideration when considering climate change, claiming that change needs to happen, and soon. Her campaign says she's committed to continuing to invest in renewable energy. For a full list of Boyda's take on popular issues, click here. Derek Schmidt Derek Schmidt is a fifth-generation Kansan from Independence, Kansas. Currently, he lives on a farm in southeastern Kansas, according to his campaign website. Schmidt earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas, his master’s degree from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, his law degree from Georgetown University and his doctorate in law from the University of Kansas. He's currently a partner at a law firm. 4 The People: Candidate conversations with Davids, Schmidt, Chappell Schmidt was elected the 44th Attorney General for Kansas, serving from 2011 to 2023, making him the second longest running AG. He also spent a decade as a senator. While Schmidt runs a heavily conservative campaign, placing clear emphasis on securing the border and reducing inflation, he also made headlines in 2022 for swaying from the party a bit, saying the vote to keep abortion legal should be respoected. Opponents have questioned Schmidt's dedication to the GOP, he did earn endorsements from conservative entities such as the NRA, the Kansas Farm Bureau and Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Schmidt claims he was dissapointed by a Kansas veto that allowed transgender people to continue participating in sports, and is also against children undergoing sex change operations. Schmidt believes in Trump's border policies and a mass deportation. He also touts the experience as AG, in which he won cases related to the matter. "Derek personally and successfully argued three cases for Kansas before the U.S. Supreme Court – including one to ensure Kansas could enforce state laws against illegal aliens - and won them all," his campaign website reads. When it comes to climate change, Schmidt wants free competition in the market without bureacracy and reliance on alternative energy from other countries. Click here to learn more about Derek Schmidt.