The Buzz
Is Kansas in play this fall? Democrat Bollier sets fundraising record in Senate race
Kansas Democrat Barbara Bollier raised more in a three-month period than any candidate in Kansas history for federal, state or local office, her campaign announced Wednesday.
Bollier’s U.S. Senate campaign took $3.7 million in contributions from April through June, a quarterly record in the state. The Mission Hills doctor and state senator hopes to be the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in the GOP-leaning state since 1932. Her campaign said it has more than $4 million cash on hand.
“I am thrilled to see the support and growing momentum around our race from so many people across our great state,” Bollier said in a statement.
“It’s clear that our goal — to bring reason and decency back to Washington, and to ensure Kansans are represented by someone who will fight for strong public schools, access to affordable health care, and equality for all — is resonating with our communities.”
Bollier, a former Republican who left the party in 2018, is one of several Democratic contenders for GOP-held Senate seats putting up record fundraising numbers as the party looks to win the Senate and White House after four years under President Donald Trump.
Kansas, a reliably Republican state, has not seen a competitive Senate race since 1974 when Republican Bob Dole was re-elected by less than 2 percentage points in the wake of the Watergate scandal.
However, national Republicans have expressed concerns since last year that the potential nomination of former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach could put the seat in play on the heels of his defeat in the 2018 race for governor.
Kobach has repeatedly dismissed this speculation. But he and the other Republican candidates have struggled to raise money.. Kobach and GOP Rep. Roger Marshall have not yet announced their fundraising totals for April through June.
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