Rep. Roger Marshall was nominated for the Senate GOP primary in Kansas on Tuesday, CNN projects, delivering the party establishment a celebration that could assist to keep the seat in its control this November.
Marshall fought back a difficult challenge from former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, whose crusades against illegal immigration and voter fraud have made him an alienating person.
Democrats haven’t won a Senate seat in the state since 1932, the longest losing streak for the party in the country. But the Republican foundation was scared that curse might have been broken if the state picked Kobach as its nominee.
Marshall, a two-term congressman from the “Big First” district in the central and western parts of the state, bragged the support of the man he’s searching to replace, longtime Sen. Pat Roberts, and a former occupant of his House seat, former Sen. Bob Dole. Powerful groups like the Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansans for Life, and the Chamber of Commerce also supported Marshall.
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But he did not have the support of the man who could potentially secure his victory, President Donald Trump. Last week, Trump highlighted to n Air Force One that he would not publicly intervene in the race despite the wishes of top Republicans.
But he did not have the support of the man who could easily secure victory, Trump. Last week President Donald Trump highlighted to n Air Force One that he would not publicly step in, in the race despite the wishes of top Republicans.
Marshall tweeted a clip shortly after the race was called Tuesday night featuring a congratulatory call from President Donald Trump on speakerphone. Marshall will face Democratic state Sen. Barbara Bollier, who has hit state fundraising records by bringing in $7.8 million, according to the latest Federal Election Commission filings.
Roberts said on Tuesday that the primary race was a “toss-up.”
“I don’t know what is going to happen,” he said.
Kobach’s Republican attacks notified that only he could put the seat at risk, pointing to the outcome of the 2018 gubernatorial race. President Donald Trump endorsed Kobach a day before that Republican primary, which Kobach won by only 343 votes. He then didn’t win to Democrat Laura Kelly by 5 points, even though Mr. Trump won Kansas by 20 points in 2016.
Those attacks said that Kobach highlighted matters that did not meet the moment, while Kelly zeroed in on overturning the state’s education cuts and take back the budget shortfall left behind by former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. They also emphasized that Kobach is a weak fundraiser.`
But Kobach has disagreed that while Democrats have previously won statewide offices in Kansas, they’ve frequently failed to reach the Senate, where the debated matters are different and views of the national parties hold more sway.
In the 2020 campaign, both Kobach and Marshall have broadcasted ads from Trump’s 2018 rally in Topeka, in which the President calls Kobach a “tireless champion for border security” and Marshall a “great friend”. ” But outside groups have deluged the airways with ads, even outspending the candidates in seeking to pick their preferred nominee.”
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A Democratic-aligned organization called the Sunflower State has spent over $4.6 million on ads improved Kobach, calling him “too conservative” and Marshall “soft on Trump.” Meanwhile, the Republican-affiliated group Plains PAC has spent over $3.3 million bashing Kobach for his claim “ties to white nationalists,” a charge his campaign strongly refused.
And Senate Leadership Fund, which is lined up with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has also spent over $1.8 million supporting Marshall, a OB-GYN doctor.
Of the nine other Republicans running in the race, Bob Hamilton, who owns a plumbing company, is the biggest wild card. His campaign has spent more than $2.5 million on ads, more than Kobach’s and Marshall’s campaigns. One advert reveals Hamilton water-skiing, holding the American flag, as a man in a boat labels him as a “crazy, Trump-supporting, American-loving, flag-waving conservative.”
“Kobach can’t win,” says the man. “And Marshall? He’s one hot mess, moderate squish.”
But on Tuesday, Hamilton received the third-most votes, potentially taking some away from Kobach and helping Marshall win.
