Pompeo easily pushes back Tiahrt’s challenge

Former congressman Todd Tiahrt lost his bid to recapture his old seat Tuesday, losing to fellow conservative incumbent Mike Pompeo in the Republican primary for the Wichita-area district.

The candidates were vying to represent the 4th Congressional District in south-central Kansas. With more than four-fifths of the votes counted, Pompeo, who won the seat in 2010, had received 63 percent of the vote. Tiahrt, who gave up seat for a U.S. Senate bid, had captured 37 percent of the vote.

Pompeo will face Perry Schuckman of Wichita in the November general election. Schuckman, a former director of a nonprofit agency, was the only Democrat to file for the seat.

In other congressional races, Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and Republican Jacob Turk won their parties’ bids to represent the Kansas City area in Missouri’s 5th Congressional District. They will face off for the fifth time in the last decade.

Cleaver cruised to victory by garnering 82 percent of the vote. Among other challengers, Mark S. Memoly earned 6 percent, followed by Eric Holmes and Charles Lindsey, who each received 5 percent. The rest went to Bob Gough, a former Republican.

Turk, who received 69 percent Tuesday, captured the Republican primary in the last four election cycles. However, he lost to Cleaver in each of those elections.

This year, he easily held back challenges from Bill Lindsey, who received 14 percent; Michael Burris, 13 percent; and Berton A. Knox, 4 percent.

In Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, incumbent Sam Graves easily defeated challengers Brian Tharp and Christopher Ryan in the Republican primary. Graves captured 77 percent of the vote. Bill Hedge won the Democratic primary with 52 percent. He was followed by Edward Fields, who had 28 percent, and Gary Crose, with 21 percent.

Two-term incumbent Vickie Hartzler cruised past a field of less prominent candidates in the Republican primary. Hartzler, among the most conservative members in Congress, captured 75 percent. Her challenger was John Webb, a former Kansas City police officer from rural Cass County.

Herschel Young defeated fellow Libertarian Randy Langkraehr. Young earned 54 percent, while Langkraehr received 46 percent.

The two primary winners will face Nate Irvin, who ran unopposed for the Democrats.

This story was originally published August 5, 2014 at 10:37 PM with the headline "Pompeo easily pushes back Tiahrt’s challenge."