Leroy Towns, the now former campaign manager for the Pat Roberts' re-election campaign, made a critical error in early September when he said Pat Roberts would be taking some time off to head home to Virginia to get some rest for a few days. That sparked a firestorm. Kansans were rightly upset to confirm that the man who'd been representing Kansas since 1980 didn't even consider Kansas his home and Towns was promptly relieved of duty. And with poll after poll showing Roberts trailing Independent Greg Orman, Washington, DC, Republicans sent in veteran losing Republican campaign manager Corry Bliss.
When Bliss arrived in Kansas, he found a campaign that was in complete shambles:
When Roberts’ new team took over his foundering campaign three weeks ago, they discovered an operation that hadn’t ordered any yard signs and a headquarters that didn’t have a computer printer or its own Internet service.
Didn't have their own internet service? Were they piggybacking on the local coffee shop WiFi? Or were they simply relying on the WiFi back at Roberts' home in Virginia?
With only a month left, they made the decision to team up with Sam Brownback's slightly more organized campaign. They also rolled out (literally) Bob Dole for a new spot, which can be seen below the fold.
Making matters worse for the Roberts campaign, Kris Kobach—the worst secretary of state in the nation—raised the white flag in Kansas this morning, confirming no Democratic nominee will appear on the November ballot, further boosting Independent Greg Orman's odds of winning in November.
Orman has a 46 percent-41 percent advantage as we head into the home stretch. But it may be too late for the Roberts campaign to turn it around. Even with their own WiFi connection.
And don't forget that the worst secretary of state in the nation is in his own tight battle, facing a dead-heat against Daily Kos-endorsed Jean Schodorf.
Can you chip in $5 to help elect Jean Schodorf and put another nail in the Kansas GOP coffin?