KS-Sen: NYT, “Kris Kobach (R) Is Back, and a Kansas Senate Seat May Be Up for Grabs”

From yesterday’s New York Times:

Ahead of the August primary, Democrats have largely rallied around Barbara Bollier, a retired anesthesiologist who was until recently a Republican. Republicans, meanwhile, are locked in an intraparty competition that has all of the trappings of a full-out brawl: attack ads, bitter recriminations between the candidates and a party chair who tried to intervene and sparked backlash. At the center of the fireworks is Kris W. Kobach, a hard-line Trump supporter who has been an incendiary presence in Kansas politics for years.

Mr. Kobach is seeking the party’s nomination after losing a bid for governor two years ago, a defeat that embittered many Republicans who felt he hand-delivered the state’s top office to the opposition and who now worry he will do it again with the Senate seat.

“If we’re going to beat ourselves up in a primary with so many candidates spending Kansas Republican donor money, coming out with battle scars, it just makes ourselves more vulnerable,” said Mike Kuckelman, the chairman of the Kansas Republican Party.

Beyond the local anxiety, a race that might normally pass under the radar nationally is instead drawing the attention of G.O.P. leaders as they try to maintain control of the Senate, an effort that has become increasingly challenging amid rising unemployment and faltering approval of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. With vulnerable incumbents in states like Colorado, Maine and Arizona, the prospect of having to devote time and money to retain a seat in deep-red Kansas is an unwelcome headache that infuriates many Republicans.

Do give the piece a full read. The Republicans can spend their time fighting each other in the primary. Dr. Bollier’s campaign raised over $2 million in fundraising in the last quarter so she’s proving to be a viable candidate. Let’s help her keep up the momentum. Click here to donate and get involved with Bollier’s campaign.