KS-Sen: Team Red of course has a deep bench in the Sunflower State, and a number of Republicans quickly expressed interest in running. Perhaps most prominently, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who lost last year’s gubernatorial contest 48-43 to Democrat Laura Kelly, confirmed to the New York Times that he was indeed considering jumping in.
Kobach, who is best known nationally for spearheading Trump’s voter fraud witch hunt, ran a truly miserable campaign last year, and just as he did in the governor's race, he likely would give Democrats their best chance to win this seat. After his failed bid, one GOP operative called Kobach’s effort "the most dysfunctional thing I've ever seen in my life." Another snarked, "The joke was, you'd say 'the Kobach campaign' and (then) you'd say, 'what campaign?'"
Among many other things, Republican strategists complained that Kobach barely raised money and instead relied on the loans from his wealthy running mate, oil businessman Wink Hartman, to finance the campaign. Unfortunately for Kobach, he can’t pull that stunt again since the position of vice senator hasn't been invented yet. But speaking of Hartman, he’s also expressed interest, telling KWCH there was a “good possibility” he’d run.
It’s unclear if Hartman and Kobach would be willing to run against each other, though it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve faced off. Both men originally ran for governor in 2017, with Hartman at one point slamming Kobach aggressively, saying he’s "not doing his current job, he's not going to do his next job, and he keeps auditioning for new positions wherever he can find them." But Hartman wound up dropping out, and he soon joined Kobach’s campaign as his number two.
Outgoing Gov. Jeff Colyer, another veteran of last year’s GOP primary, could also run. Colyer’s spokesperson said late last year that he hadn’t ruled out running if Roberts were to retire, and on Friday, Colyer’s statement praising Roberts’ service cryptically declared, “It is essential that our next U.S. Senator bring these same qualities to the job.” The Kansas City Star has also listed Colyer as one of the Republicans who had “already begun lining up to launch campaigns” in the event of a Roberts departure.
Colyer was Gov. Sam Brownback’s running mate until the Senate finally confirmed Brownback to an ambassadorship in January. Colyer only had about half-a-year as governor before the GOP primary, and he found himself in a tight race against Kobach. Trump endorsed the Kobach one day before the primary, and Colyer narrowly wound up losing the GOP nod 40.6-40.5―a margin of 343 votes. However, if Colyer ran again, he might have some hope of earning a coveted Trump tweet this time. Trump uncharacteristically praised Colyer after the primary, and even suggested in October that he could join his administration.
But this being Kansas, there are still plenty more Republicans to discuss. Rep. Roger Marshall, who represents a seat in the western part of the state that takes up much of the turf Roberts held while he was in the House, acknowledged he was considering on Friday but added he was “in no hurry to decide on anything.” Marshall’s team also suggested there would be no announcement until “we get border security funding to the president's desk first.”
Attorney General Derek Schmidt also sounds interested. Schmidt’s team said he would “talk with family, friends and supporters about what Sen. Roberts' retirement means for Kansas's voice in Washington going forward.”
We’re still not done, though. The Star lists Kansas Chamber of Commerce President Alan Cobb, who is a Trump ally, as considering, though he hasn’t said anything publicly yet. Meanwhile, the conservative Washington Examiner writes that Conservative Political Action Conference chair Matt Schlapp, another Trump pal, has been fielding calls about a possible bid, but he also hasn’t said anything publicly yet.
Multiple media organizations also report that senior Republicans are trying to recruit Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who represented a Wichita-area seat until joining Trump’s cabinet in 2017. However, unnamed sources close to Pompeo say it’s unlikely he’ll go for it. State GOP chair Kelly Arnold also says that FEC Chair Ajit Pai is one of the names floating around, but there’s no word he’s interested. Former Rep. Kevin Yoder has also been mentioned, but an unnamed Republican strategist said the chances the defeated congressman would run are “slim.”
The list is far shorter on the Democratic side. Former U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom has been talking about running for a while, and he reiterated his interest last month. Labor attorney Brent Welder, who lost last year’s primary to take on Yoder 37-34 to now-Rep. Sharice Davids, also seems to be considering. A spokesperson told Roll Call Friday that while Welder “has not made any decisions at this point, he is always looking for an opportunity to defend working families against the billionaires and giant corporations that are ruining the middle class economy and corrupting our government.”