WASHINGTON _ Sen. Pat Roberts won't pursue another run for U.S. Senate, a decision that's likely to trigger a bitter primary showdown between some of Kansas' most prominent Republicans.
Roberts, R-Kan., made his announcement in Manhattan, Kan., the home of Kansas State University, his alma mater. He spoke at the Kansas Department of Agriculture, a symbolic location after the 82-year-old Republican shepherded the farm bill to congressional passage with historic majorities last month.
The decision is the beginning of the end for Roberts' half-century-long congressional career, including 12 years a Capitol Hill aide to Kansas lawmakers before he became a congressman in 1981.
