A special election in Kansas to fill the House seat vacated by now Trump CIA Director Mike Pompeo has turned into a dramatic race as Republicans are pouring millions of dollars into a race that nobody thought would be in play. Things are so bad under Trump that Republicans are spending millions of dollars to keep a House seat in dark red Kansas.
Politico reported:
The late independent expenditure seeks to boost Republican state Treasurer Ron Estes, who is running to replace CIA Director Mike Pompeo in Kansas’ 4th District. The district has not been on the radar of most national groups and activists, which have focused on the upcoming special election in Georgia as a more competitive opportunity. But Kansas Republicans are fretting that Estes’ margin is closer than expected in his race against Democrat James Thompson, an attorney.
“Kansas should not be in play, but Kansas is in play,” said one Kansas Republican consultant.
James Thompson campaign video:
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https://youtu.be/0IPnMQq-Zeg
What Republicans are worried about is a depressed electorate that has grown complacent. The tell that Republicans are nervous can be found in the ad that they are pushing, which plays up the threat of Democratic candidate James Thompson being a remorseless baby killing extremist.
Nothing gets the base out in red states like fear. When Republicans are scared that their voters won’t show up at the polls, their go-to move is always to try to scare the holy hell out of their base. Everyone has heard about the special election in Georgia for former Rep. Tom Price’s House seat, because Democrats believe that they have a real chance to win there. No one was paying attention to the election in Kansas, so the Republican alarm bells are striking.
If Democrats pulled out a win in a district that Trump dominated in 2016, it would send shock waves through Congress ahead of the 2018 midterms.
It may just be that Republicans are jumpy, but if they are right and the Kansas House seat is in play, a Democratic win would be nothing less than a stunning rebuke of Trump.
Republicans are nervous, and that is an excellent omen for Democrats heading into 2018.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
