Democrat outpaces top of GOP field in Senate race in Kansas
Associated PressTOPEKA, Kan. — The presumed Democratic nominee for an open Senate seat in Kansas raised almost $1.3 million more than the top-tier Republican primary candidates combined during the second quarter of the year, despite a GOP candidate loaning $1.5 million to his own campaign. It is airing a 30-second spot describing rival and western Kansas Rep. Roger Marshall as “fake, fake, fake” and weak on issues important to the right even as it calls Kobach “too conservative.” Bollier, a retired Kansas City-area anesthesiologist, is a former moderate Republican who gained national attention for switching parties at the end of 2018. And Bollier’s fundraising also signals that Democrats across the country believe a normally safe Republican seat in Kansas could be competitive, particularly with Kobach as the GOP nominee. Marshall spokesman Eric Pahls said Kobach has the support “of people who aren’t interested in keeping this seat red.” The spot reminds some Republicans of ads run by former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill ahead of the 2012 GOP primary in neighboring Missouri against then-Republican Rep. Todd Akin.