Election challenger now says no to replacing Pompeo in House

Wichita lawyer Dan Giroux said Tuesday that he won’t take a second run at the congressional seat likely to be vacated by Rep. Mike Pompeo.

Giroux said he has decided against running in a special election to replace Pompeo, R-Wichita, who plans to resign from Congress to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. President-elect Trump named Pompeo last week for the CIA post, and he is expected to be easily confirmed by the Republican-held Senate early next year.

Giroux was the Democratic challenger to Pompeo in the Nov. 8 election. He lost 61 percent to 29 percent, with independent candidate Miranda Allen pulling 7 percent of the vote.

On Tuesday, Giroux said he’s “absolutely not” opting out to make way for anybody else to run in the special election.

He said supporters have urged him to take a second shot at the seat, but he hasn’t talked to party leaders nor sought to cultivate support with the party committee that will choose the nominee for the special election.

“It’s been eerily quiet since Election Day,” he said. “I have not reached out to them, and they have not reached out to me.

“I’m just ready to return to the office and provide for the family,” he said.

The only other Democrat who has publicly acknowledged an interest in running in the special election is Robert Tillman, a retired court-services officer.

Tillman has run for the seat three times. He carried the party’s banner in the 2012 congressional election, losing to Pompeo after besting marijuana advocate Esau Freeman in the primary.

Tillman has lost in two Democratic primary contests, in 2010 against then-Rep. Raj Goyle and this year to Giroux.

This story was originally published November 22, 2016 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Election challenger now says no to replacing Pompeo in House."