© 2024 KMUW
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Pompeo Doesn’t Rule Out Run For The U.S. Senate

Nadya Faulx
/
KMUW/File photo

Republican Congressman Mike Pompeo, from Wichita, is not ruling out a run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by fellow Republican Jerry Moran.

Pompeo blasted the Kansas senator after Moran called for hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, then changed his mind. As KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports, the harsh words fueled talk that Pompeo might challenge Moran.

Moran changed his position on holding hearings after facing criticism. Pompeo called it a “tardy conversion.”

During a telephone town hall meeting with Kansans, a caller asked Pompeo directly if he’d run for the Senate.

“I can’t say much about whether or not I’m going to run for any particular office. I can only say that when I come to that conclusion I will walk all of you through how I came to that conclusion, why I chose to do that,” Pompeo said.

Moran initially said there should be hearings, although he noted he was unlikely to support a nominee selected by the president. Moran’s office later said after reviewing Merrick Garland’s record he doesn’t support his nomination and no longer wants hearings.

Some are saying that talk of a Senate race may raise Pompeo's profile. 

Fort Hays State Political Science Professor Chapman Rackaway says even if Pompeo chooses not to run, this talk could help him in the long term.

“If he’s not thinking about running in this cycle, and he’s thinking about a race in 2018 or 2020, then this is an excellent idea to start establishing the statewide profile,” Rackaway says.

Stephen Koranda is the managing editor of the Kansas News Service, based at KCUR. He has nearly 20 years of experience in public media as a reporter and editor.