TOPEKA, Kan. _ A Kansas Republican candidate for U.S. Senate is urging Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to enter the race, warning a campaign would put his credibility at risk.
The Republicans hoping to replace retiring Sen. Pat Roberts have until now mostly remained deferential to Pompeo. They have indicated either that they don't expect him to run or would step aside if he does.
But Dave Lindstrom, a Johnson County businessman and former Kansas City Chiefs player, is now taking a more confrontational approach.
In a fundraising message Tuesday, Lindstrom outlined a series of negative views he said his campaign has heard from Kansans about a Pompeo candidacy. A decision to leave his current post in pursuit of personal political gain "would be unconscionable given the dangerous and chaotic world situation," he wrote.
"Leaving the office of Secretary of State would be Pompeo's third time in three years he left a job entrusted to him by Kansans and the American people to climb the Washington ladder," Lindstrom wrote, referring to his three terms as Congressman from Wichita followed by a brief stint as CIA director (2017-18) and his current State post, which he has held since April 2018.
Lindstrom added that Pompeo, who has repeatedly denied his interest in the Kansas Senate seat, has allowed himself "to be duped" into the race by a faction of the GOP establishment that wishes to weaken Trump. To run "puts his own credibility at risk," Lindstrom said.
Pompeo has said he plans to serve as secretary as long as Trump wants him in the position and has publicly downplayed a possible candidacy even as he takes steps to keep the option alive. He has approached major Republican donors in recent months and launched a personal Twitter account that a source close to Pompeo said he needs for "future plans."
Trump has said Pompeo would consider a run if Republicans were in danger of losing the seat. Some GOP leaders have expressed concerns for months that former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach could win the primary but lose the general election. Kobach lost the 2018 election for governor to Democrat Laura Kelly.
Roberts said Tuesday he spoke directly with Trump a few weeks ago about the case for a Pompeo candidacy.
"I said I know it's important for him to remain as secretary of state but if it means the Senate stays Republican, I think that might be something you might want to explore," Roberts said he told the president.
A Republican source familiar with the White House's thinking about Pompeo's future said Monday "everybody in the entire orbit wants Pompeo to run because it's the only way Kobach won't win the primary." The Wall Street Journal has reported that an internal poll from October by the National Republican Senatorial Committee found Kobach leading all other Republican candidates by double digits.
Democrats are already preparing to frame a potential Pompeo Senate run as an abandonment of Trump, who faces an impeachment vote in the House this week.
The Senate will begin a trial in January following the House's expected vote to impeach. Roberts said Pompeo should wait until after the Senate concludes its trial to launch a Senate run.
"I think it's inconceivable he would announce or anything like that prior to this," Roberts said, referring to an expected Senate impeachment trial.
Karl Hansen, Lindstrom's campaign manager, said the idea that Pompeo needs to run to ensure Republicans win the seat is based on a flawed premise and "basically predicated on the fact that Kobach is the only candidate in the race, which is entirely false." He noted the polling that's come out in the race is months-old and said the campaigns haven't really gotten underway yet.
In addition to Kobach and Lindstrom, Rep. Roger Marshall and Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle are running for the Republican nomination.
