U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall denies eyeing Trump appointment; vows to stay on ballot
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Marshall ruled out any Trump administration appointment for the next two or three years.
- A 2025 Kansas law changed vacancy appointments, prompting speculation about Marshall.
- The law triggers two-year interim Senate terms for vacancies occurring May 2 to Oct. 2.
Hello, Star readers.
We’re taking a look into U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall’s plans for 2026. As rumors swirl about an election delay scenario in Kansas, he vowed to turn down any Trump administration job offer.
Next, we’ll get into:
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• Special session?: Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has embraced data centers and the AI industry. Here’s why some Republicans are urgently calling for a special session to establish guardrails.
This week in politics
Last week, I wrote a story analyzing a 2025 Kansas law that changed how U.S. Senate vacancies are filled by wresting control over the appointment process away from governors and giving it to state lawmakers.
Another wrinkle of the law has incited ample speculation about Marshall, Kansas’ junior Republican senator, who is facing his first reelection bid this fall.
If a vacancy occurs between May 2 and Oct. 2 in an election year, the law calls for replacement senators to serve for two years before facing the voters.
“I think a court would look at this law and read it against the background principle that the U.S. Constitution gives U.S. senators six-year terms and Kansas law can’t change that,” said Travis Crum, a constitutional law professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
The architect of the 2025 law, Republican Sen. Mike Thompson of Shawnee, acknowledged that rumors about whether Marshall could be in line for a Trump administration prompted him to introduce the legislation.
But in a Sunday appearance on “Meet the Press,” Marshall forcefully denied having any interest in a new job that would require him to resign his Senate seat.
“I am ruling out any appointment to the Trump administration — at least through the next two or three years,” Marshall said.
Read my full story about the TV interview where Marshall was pressed repeatedly about his political ambitions.
More from this past week
• The Department of Justice sued Kansas over a 2004 law that allows undocumented students to receive in-state tuition. AG Kris Kobach won’t defend the law. But someone else plans to.
• In an interview with controversial leftwing streamer Hasan Piker, Kansas City Democratic congressional candidate Hartzell Gray took shots at both political parties: ‘These clowns.’
• A new independent poll asked more than 1,000 likely Democratic voters about their preferences for governor and senator. It identified clear frontrunners in both races.
Looking for more?
• For more politics news, follow @bymatthewkelly.bsky.social, @kacen.bsky.social, @grice1911.bsky.social and Jack Harvel’s Facebook page.
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That’s all for now! See you next week.