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Todd Tiahrt To Challenge Mike Pompeo For 4th Congressional District

Sean Sandefur
/
KMUW/File photo
Todd Tiahrt, a former U.S. Congressman from Kansas' 4th District, announced that he will challenge his successor, Mike Pompeo, in the midterm election.

A longtime U.S. Congressman from South Central Kansas revealed this afternoon that he would once again run for office. The announcement was made at the Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita.

“After much thoughtful deliberation and prayer, I’m announcing that I’m a candidate for Congress in the 4th district of Kansas.”

Former U.S. Representative Todd Tiahrt says he’s challenging fellow Republican Mike Pompeo in this year’s midterm elections.

Credit Sean Sandefur
Signs supporting the Todd Tiahrt 2014 campaign are seen on the floor of the Kansas Aviation Museum.

Tihart held the 4th district seat from 1995 to 2011, he says Pompeo supports the funding of Obamacare and has defended the actions of the National Security Agency.

He also said that Pompeo isn’t accessible to the citizens of his own district.

“He likes telephone town hall meetings," Tiahrt says. "A telephone town hall meetings is where you call a bunch of numbers, somebody gets on, you filter the calls so you don’t have to answer any tough questions, you answer about 5 or 6 questions in an hour and then you move on. That’s not meeting people, that’s not looking them in the eye, that’s not reading their boy language, that’s not hearing their problems.”

The former congressman will face an uphill battle, Pompeo has announced he has over $2 million in support for his re-election.

Primaries will be held on Aug. 5.

Follow Sean Sandefur on Twitter, @SeanSandefur