Pat Roberts picks preferred successor, endorses Marshall over Kobach in Kansas race
Pat Roberts has chosen who he wants to succeed him in the U.S. Senate: The congressman who holds his old seat in the U.S. House.
The retiring Republican senator Tuesday officially endorsed Rep. Roger Marshall in next month’s Kansas primary. His support comes as Marshall is locked in a bitter race with Republican rivals Kris Kobach and Bob Hamilton.
“I believe Roger shares the same passion to fight for and protect American agriculture that I have dedicated my 40-year career to championing. He has the support of the Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Livestock Association,” said Roberts, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Roberts, the longest-serving member of the Kansas delegation, initially said he would stay neutral in the August 4 primary.
But he has also hinted at his disdain for Kobach, saying last year that the former Kansas secretary of state could not get the votes needed to confirm him for a position in President Donald Trump’s administration.
Roberts said he worked closely with Marshall, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, on the 2018 farm bill and cited his experience as an OB-GYN as another reason to nominate him over the other GOP contenders.
“Beyond that, Roger is a doctor who can help guide this country through a pandemic that has touched every Kansan,” Roberts said.
“I sit on the Health Committee and know first-hand how important it will be to keep a Kansas view on the committee. Roger’s medical experience would surely give him a leg up on Health Committee service, which will be critical to our state.”
President Donald Trump has stayed neutral in the race, but both Marshall and Kobach have been overt in their efforts to curry favor with the president. Trump’s last-minute endorsement of Kobach in 2018 helped him win a tough primary against then-Gov. Jeff Colyer.
A White House official confirmed to McClatchy Tuesday evening that there are open lines of communication between Marshall’s campaign and the president’s political team. The official said “no door has been closed” on a potential endorsement late in the race.
Marshall’s campaign did not immediately comment on whether it’s in communication with the White House. Earlier in the day, the congressman said he was honored to have Roberts’ support.
“Senator Pat Roberts has been an advisor, a sounding board, and a friend. He’s a patriot, a fellow veteran, and a giant of Kansas, especially Kansas agriculture,” he said.
Roberts, whose father led the Republican National Committee when Dwight Eisenhower was president, is the latest GOP establishment figure to throw his support behind Marshall.
Bob Dole, who mentored Roberts in Congress, endorsed Marshall earlier this year.
Both Roberts and Dole represented the Kansas 1st Congressional District, the seat Marshall now holds, before their jump to the Senate. Roberts was first elected to Congress in 1980, making the jump to the Senate 16 years later.
David Kensinger, who managed Roberts’ 2008 campaign, said the 84-year-old senator’s endorsement could prove important.
“You’ve got Bob Dole. You’ve got Pat Roberts. It’s pretty clear here if Kansas Republicans want to continue their success in the Senate, they can follow Pat Roberts,” he said.
Kobach attacked Roberts, linking his support to the western Kansas congressman to a disagreement over a meatpacking bill, which Roberts opposes. Supporters of the bill say it would create greater transparency in meat pricing.
“Roberts would prefer to back the powerful forces of the meatpacking industry, just like the RINO Roger Marshall. I will stand with Kansas ranchers,” Kobach said in a statement.
Matt Teagarden, the CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association, said Kobach was wrong to question Roberts’ support for Kansas ranchers.
“There has been no greater champion for Kansas farmers and ranchers than Pat Roberts. Sen. Roberts has defended cattle producers’ ability to market their cattle as they see fit and has opposed attempts to have the government dictate how cattle are sold,” said Teagarden, whose organization has endorsed Marshall.
McClatchy’s Michael Wilner contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 2:36 PM.
