Trump's Crazy Extremist Candidate Loses In Kansas GOP Contest For Open House Seat

Estes

With Koch Bros. Congressman Mike Pompeo now ensconced at the CIA, there's an April 11th special election to fill his KS-04 seat, a blood red (R+14) district that takes up the south-central part of the state and is centered on Sedgwick County (Wichita). In 2008, McCain won the district with 59% and 4 years later Romney won it with 62%. This past November, Trump beat Hillary in the district, 60.2% to 33.0%. And Pompeo was reelected 166,998 (60.7%) to 81,495 (29.6%), beating Democrat Dan Giroux who spent $262,986 to Pompeo's $1,447,958.

For a Democrat to win this special election, the revulsion with Trump and Ryan would have to be far greater than it is today. Maybe by 2018... but not likely now. But a Democrat could run now as a prelude to a 2018 campaign. The party will pick their nominee Saturday and there are already 5 Democrats who have declared, including Robert Tillman who ran against Pompeo in 2012-- raising just $22,044 to Pompeo's $1,915,080 and losing 62-31%-- and was beaten by Giroux in the 2016 primary when he tried to run again. Another well-known candidate is Dennis McKinney, former state Treasurer and former Minority Leader of the Kansas House of Representatives. The Berniecrat in the race is Charlie Walker, a police officer. (Some in the party are still trying to draft popular 2-term former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, the city's first elected African-American mayor, 2007-15.)

The Republicans picked their nominee this evening and it was neither of the supposed frontrunner. Two-term Kansas state Treasurer Ron Estes won the nomination over Trump Regime pick and Tea Party-endorsed Alan Cobb Sarah and former Congressman Todd Tiahrt. Palin had been running her mouth for deranged Trumpist and former Koch Brothers lobbyist, Alan Cobb but he lost anyone. Even further right than him on the political spectrum is ex-Congressman Todd Tiahrt, who represented the district before he ran an unsuccessful primary campaign for the Senate against Jerry Moran, which opened the House seat to Pompeo. In 2014 Tiahart primaried Pompeo and got killed-- 42,877 (63%) to 25,501 (37%). Many hoped they'd never hear from this whack-job extremist again. But, no... he tried making another comeback-- and was already fighting with Paul Ryan. Tiahrt told the 126 KS-04 district delegates that Ryan promised him his old seat on the House Appropriations Committee and Ryan said Tiahrt is a liar. Aside from Estes, Cobb and Tiahrt, the other candidates tonight were former Hate Talk Radio host Joseph Ashby, Wichita city council member Pete Meitzner (who suddenly withdrew yesterday, and local lawyer George Bruce. Although Trump hadn't personally gotten overtly involved, his political agents had been actively pushing Cobb.

In the first ballot Ashby and Bruce were eliminated and after the second ballot was in, it was clear Estes won. He took 66 votes to 43 for Cobb and just 17 for Tiahrt.

Republicans know Trump could be a problem for them in April any they say they're not taking the district for granted even though they've held it-- basically effortlessly-- since 1994 when Tiahrt beat Democratic Congressman Dan Glickman. Kerry Gooch, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, says that the "special election gives people that have been so angry and frustrated with what the Trump administration has been doing since they have taken over, it gives them their first chance to fight back."