Just days after Kansas Treasurer Jake LaTurner announced he would be abandoning his campaign for US Senate, Republican Congressman Roger Marshall has officially thrown his hat in the ring for the Senate seat which will be vacated following the retirement of Pat Roberts next year.
Long considered a likely Senate candidate, Marshall made the official announcement Saturday at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. Marshall, the current Congressman in Kansas’ First Congressional District, defeated fellow Republican, and then incumbent, Tim Huelskamp in 2016 for his current position.
According to the Wichita Eagle, “Marshall had more than $1.4 million on hand from his House campaign account at the end of June that he can use for a Senate run.” This could give Marshall a significant cash advantage over other candidates vying for the soon to be vacated Senate seat.
According to the Wichita Eagle, Marshall told the Associated Press before his announcement, “Nobody is more pro-life or pro-Second Amendment than I am.” “Am I a kinder, gentler voice? Probably. Am I going to work across the aisle to solve problems? You bet.”
The Senate race is already a crowded field. Additional Republican candidates include former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Current Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle. On the Democrat side, the candidate list includes former Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, former US Attorney for Kansas Barry Grissom and current Manhattan City Commissioner Usha Reddi.
