GOP Sen. Sam Brownback is retiring from the Senate in 2010, and Dems have one big name on the bench who could actually make a race of his open seat — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who will be conveniently term-limited out of office that same year. However, Sebelius is also being rumored as a possible Secretary of Labor choice in Obama’s cabinet, and if he makes that move, that would likely take her out of contention. Accepting a Cabinet job and quitting after, say, twelve months to run for elected office again strikes me as something that would probably be frowned upon. (Yes, I’m aware that Mel Martinez and Mike Johanns both pulled this move, but each of those gentlemen served in Bush’s Cabinet for nearly three years each.)
Assuming that Sebelius doesn’t run (for whatever reason), is there anyone on the Dem bench who could make this race interesting? I have my doubts, but anything is possible. On the GOP side of the aisle, 1st CD Rep. Jerry Moran is running, and 2nd CD Rep. Todd Tiahrt could very well join him in a few months. Our best hope here is for a contentious and divisive Republican primary. Don’t let us down, Todd!
As for the Governor’s office, it seems likely that Sam Brownback will run for the seat himself. Are there any Dems who have a prayer against him? Of all the term-limited Democratic gubernatorial seats up in 2010, this one may be the likeliest to slip back into GOP hands.
If Gov. Sebelius doesn’t run for the open senate seat, Kansas goes back to the depths of Republican domination. Schumer has to convince her to run or we are finished in Kansas. The only other possible candidate with a prayer is Boyda, but she would be a distinct underdog, considering she couldn’t even hold her district this cycle.
This race is similar to the AZ-Senate Race, in the fact that we need our top candidate or its a waste of time.
Oklahoma is the same thing with Brad Henry.
Let’s hope Schumer comes back and gets us our recruits for OK and KS.
Will Obama leave ANY Red State Democratic Governors to have a bench in these areas? I really hope he leaves Sebelius in Kansas. We need her in 2010!
I was disappointed when that venture capitalist John Orman bowed out of the Senate Race this year. He probably got spooked by something and won’t run again. It was really too bad because our options in Kansas aren’t that great unless we wanted to run Dennis Moore if Sebelius doesn’t run for the U.S. Senate.
is probably not running for governor and Mark Patterson will probably come out on top of whoever the GOP run. Wyoming is probably the most likely state to flip.
He’s the Lt. Governor. I think he’d have a shot. Actually Sebelius getting picked to the cabinent might HELP us here beacuse he’d have two years of incumbency to run on. Would kill us in the Senate race though. It’s a lost cause unless Sebelius or that Congresperson/Movie lobbyist/Sec of Ag (Dan Glickman?) run.
Is there someone like Parkinson who could make the Senate run (assuming Parkinson himself runs for Governor and Sebelius doesn’t run)? I know the Kansas GOP has been torn between the mods and conservatives. Perhaps there’s a moderate who has lost out in intraparty battles and wouldn’t mind taking his chances on the Democratic line. I’m sure he or she wouldn’t be a great progressive, but I would take whatever D I can get in Kansas.
One thing to keep in mind is that no Gov. of Kansas has replaced a governor of the same party since 1965. Several of those races were very close, but the tradition is pretty firmly entrenched.
He ran an impressive campaign against an intrenched incumbent, losing by 425 votes. He probably wouldn’t win, but in a state with a bench as thin as ours, he would run a competent campaign and push Kansas in a bluer direction.