“After months of seeing their hold on the Senate slip, Republicans are moving to avoid a potential disaster in next month’s Kansas primary that could put another conservative seat in play” Politico reports.
“The GOP is aiming to thwart the candidacy of Kris Kobach, the controversial former secretary of state, by rallying behind Rep. Roger Marshall. Sen. Pat Roberts, who is retiring and had pledged to remain neutral in the primary, reversed course and endorsed Marshall this week as his preferred successor. A day later, a super PAC aligned with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell booked $1.2 million on TV to run positive ads boosting Marshall between now and the primary.”
“The late-stage effort comes as most Republicans believe Marshall has a lead in the polls and an advantage in the crowded, 11-candidate race — but not an insurmountable one. Kobach, who lost the gubernatorial race in 2018, has struggled to raise money or gain traction in recent months. But GOP alarm grew after a super PAC with links to Democrats last week began a $3 million, meddling ad campaign aimed at boosting Kobach and damaging Marshall.”