That seems to be the case again during the flight from Texas. A source said that Texas Senator Ted Cruz intervened during the conversation and reminded Trump that Marshall had initially supported then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the 2016 presidential race. Trump replied that he would not weigh in on the Kansas Senate primaries. .
Cruz told CNN Thursday that he would not release details of a “private conversation with the president.” The senator added: “I have not taken a position in that race.”
While a Democrat has not won a seat in the United States Senate in Kansas since 1932, the Republican Party’s primary career may very well determine which party will control the Senate next year. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently concluded that Democrats are a “slight favorite” to win back the Senate as the president’s popularity has plummeted.
“Republican senators are very concerned about this,” said a Republican strategist who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue related to the president. “This is what contributes to his lack of connection to Senate Republicans. They don’t feel like he supports them.”
Roberts told CNN that this was the first time he supported a Republican primary. “I think there is a lot at stake that had to be done,” said Roberts. He said “well, yes,” it would be helpful for the President to endorse Marshall, but he didn’t think Trump would.
“Hell, everyone can always do more,” said Roberts when asked if Trump should say something that would be helpful to Marshall in the primaries.
Ronald Thacker, chairman of the Douglas County Republican Party in the eastern part of the state, told CNN that he supports Kobach for his alignment on the issues: anti-abortion rights, illegal immigration and in favor of strict voter ID laws. But he acknowledged that he is “very concerned” because Kobach would not do well in the state’s main cities, where “even Republicans are not very conservative.”
A joker in the race is the campaign of Bob Hamilton, owner of a plumbing company. He has spent more than $ 2.5 million on ads, according to Kantar’s Campaign Media Analysis Group. In one of his last comments, a man says Hamilton is a “crazy conservative, Trump supporter, American lover, who waves the flag.” Hamilton is then shown skiing, holding the American flag.
“Kobach cannot win,” adds the man. “What about Marshall? It’s a hot, moderate mess.”
Democrats have meddled in the Senate Republican primary race to raise Kobach’s campaign, which has raised less than $ 1 million, according to the latest FEC data. A Democratic-aligned group called the Sunflower State PAC has spent more than $ 4.6 million on anti-Marshall advertising, according to the Kantar Campaign Media Analysis Group, most of any organization. An ad calls Marshall “part of the Washington swamp” which is loved by the “Mitt Romney Republicans” and Never Trumpers.
“I think it will be helpful for the people of Kansas to choose the most conservative candidate in their primary who can really win a general election,” Indiana Senator Todd Young, chairman of the Republican National Senate Committee, told CNN. “I think they will take into account what happened in the recent governor elections.”
But some Republicans would still like to see Trump send a stronger signal indicating his preference for the Senate nomination, believing he could launch a close race against Marshall and make up for the President’s mistake in endorsing Kobach during the governor of Washington’s primaries. 2018.
Ryan Flickner, a senior official at the Kansas Farm Bureau, who has endorsed Marshall, told CNN that an endorsement from Trump could be crucial.
“Republican Kansas voters know that an endorsement from President Trump helps protect the seat, and their endorsement of Marshall would be good news to help our KFB-backed candidate reach the goal,” said Flickner. “In all of agriculture, President Trump’s voice carries a lot of weight. Farmers and ranchers listen and want to know what he thinks.”
CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
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