Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's name will not be on the ballot to run for the Senate in Kansas this fall, as the state's filing deadline for candidates passed at noon without him filing, ending speculation that he'd seek would seek the seat Senate seat left open by the retirement of Republican Sen. Pat Roberts.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had been pushing for Pompeo to run, as had other Republicans in Washington, D.C., and Kansas, as they believed he could defeat controversial Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has become nationally known because of his voter fraud measures, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Kobach has lost in general elections to Democrats in the state's gubernatorial and congressional races, and some political leaters believe he would have a hard time winning the election this November.
Other Republicans seeking the party nomination for Senate will include Kansas plumbing company founder Bob Hamilton; Rep. Roger Marshall, who is an obstetrician; and Dave Lindstrom, a former defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The advertising has already begun in the race, with a pro-Marshall political action committee claiming that Kobach has fallen out of favor with President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Club for Action Growth is already slamming Marshall, saying he voted to increase the national debt and ignored threats from China.
Kobach, meanwhile, says conservate Republicans are united for him and see that his opponents are "not as conservative as they claim."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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