Bob Dole endorses Kansas Rep. Roger Marshall in Senate race
Kansas Republican icon Bob Dole has endorsed Rep. Roger Marshall’s campaign for U.S. Senate, a major boost to the congressman who holds the same House seat Dole had at the start of his political career.
The former Senate majority leader and 1996 Republican presidential nominee announced his support for Marshall a week after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ruled out the race to replace retiring Sen. Pat Roberts.
Marshall represents the 1st Congressional District, a vast expanse of western and central Kansas. Dole, 96, represented the same district from 1961 to 1969 before his election to the U.S. Senate.
“I’m proud to endorse my Congressman, Dr. Roger Marshall, for the U.S. Senate. He’s a true friend to me and a true friend to Kansas,” Dole said in a statement.
“Dr. Marshall is hard working, loyal and dedicated to preserving common-sense Kansas values in the U.S. Senate. He has my full trust and I know he will represent our state well.”
In an October interview, Marshall pointed to Dole as a mentor. “I probably spend more time talking to him than I do anybody else up here looking for advice. Probably once a week we communicate,” he said.
Marshall said in a statement Monday he was honored by Dole’s endorsement.
“He set the bar high before, during and after he was in elected office, and he continues to today,” Marshall said. “I could not be more honored than I am in accepting this endorsement, and I accept the tremendous responsibility that comes with it.”
Marshall championed legislation last year to grant Dole, who received two Purple Hearts in World War II, the honorary rank of colonel for his service.
Dole donated $1,000 to Marshall’s campaign committee in August before the congressman officially joined the Senate race.
In addition to Dole, both Roberts and Sen. Jerry Moran represented “the Big First” before jumping to the Senate.
Dole’s support for Marshall reflects the importance geography may play when Republicans hold their primary in August. The 1st, which takes in 63 counties, has more Republican voters than any other in the congressional district in the state.
His endorsement is also a sign that establishment Republicans may be coalescing around Marshall after Pompeo decided to forgo the race.
Dole endorsed Marshall in 2016 when he was first elected to the U.S. House, but waited until after the primary to lend his support. Dole’s early endorsement in the Senate race is a sign of the stakes for Kansas Republicans in 2020.
Dole’s support doesn’t guarantee Marshall’s victory in the Republican primary. He supported then-Gov. Jeff Colyer in the 2018 primary for governor, but Kobach won by 343 votes after a last-minute endorsement from President Trump.
The same day that Marshall announced the endorsement from Dole the congressman also met with Trump to discuss the race. The campaign described the meeting as positive. Marshall has been vocal about his support for Trump in recent weeks.
National GOP leaders have been vocal about their concern that former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the party’s 2018 nominee for governor, could give Democrats an opportunity to flip the Senate seat after more than eight decades of Republican dominance.
State Sen. Barbara Bollier, a Johnson County Democrat, raised more than $1.1 million for her campaign during the last three months of 2019, a sign that the party sees the seat as competitive.
Bob Beatty, political science chair at Washburn University, called Dole’s support a huge win for Marshall. “It’s not always a guarantee in Kansas, but getting your name associated with Bob Dole is still a big deal,” Beatty said.
“This makes it even more clear that Marshall’s going to be the establishment conservative candidate and Kobach’s going to be running as an outsider.”
Kobach’s campaign did not immediately comment on Dole’s decision to endorse Marshall. The campaign instead promoted Kobach’s recent endorsement from the National Association for Gun Rights, a group which advocates for looser gun regulations.
Michael Smith, a political scientist at Emporia State University, said Dole remains respected in both Washington and Kansas. His backing could provide a significant boost to Marshall’s fundraising and prompt other establishment Republicans to rally around Marshall as the best alternative to Kobach, Smith said.
“Marshall really needs to consolidate all of those ‘anybody but Kobach’ votes,” Smith said.
This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 7:30 AM.
