Kansans For Life endorses Marshall over Kobach, others in GOP Senate primary
The leading anti-abortion group in Kansas endorsed Rep. Roger Marshall Thursday over his Republican rivals in the primary for U.S. Senate, a move likely to help the congressman shore up support among social conservatives.
In its announcement, Kansans For Life’s (KFL) political action committee noted the congressman’s background as an OB-GYN.
“Dr. Marshall has delivered over five thousand babies and is a national leader for pro-life legislation as a Congressman from the First Congressional District of Kansas,” said Melissa Leach, the manager of KFL’s PAC.
Leach said the support reflects the view that Marshall gives Republicans their best chance of beating Democrat Barbara Bollier in November in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Pat Roberts.
Bollier has been a staunch supporter of abortion rights during her nearly decade-long tenure in the Kansas Legislature and was endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in January.
The decision by the KFL PAC to only endorse one candidate in the Senate primary is a departure from the 2018 election, when it issued a dual endorsement of then-Gov. Jeff Colyer and then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach in the gubernatorial primary.
The two endorsements did little to elevate either candidate in the historically close race. Kobach won by a few hundred votes before losing the general election to Democrat Laura Kelly, who supports abortion rights.
This time, instead of issuing multiple endorsements, the anti-abortion PAC offered general praise for the other four Republican candidates in the race, including Kobach and state Senate President Susan Wagle.
Wagle has championed a proposed amendment that would add an anti-abortion provision to the Kansas Constitution, KFL’s top legislative priority in Topeka. But despite praising her efforts, the group withheld its support for the Wichita Republican.
Leach said Marshall’s candidacy presented the best long-term hope to passing the amendment because he would provide a boost to down ballot GOP candidates in legislative races, which could make it easier to obtain the two-thirds majority needed in both chambers of the Legislature.
By securing the sole endorsement, Marshall may be able to shore up support from abortion opponents, a key voting bloc in Kansas Republican primaries, and cut into bases of support for his primary opponents.
“For decades, Kansans for Life has given a voice to the voiceless and stood for life in some of the toughest political battles our state and nation have seen,” Marshall said in a statement. “They’re nationally recognized for their grassroots success. I’m proud to stand with them and humbled by their trust.”
The PAC’s position that Marshall would be better positioned to win in the general election is supported in a poll conducted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which was obtained by The Star. It shows Bollier’s support increases in a race against Kobach.
The telephone survey of 506 likely general election voters found that Marshall leads Bollier 46 to 35 % with 18 percent undecided. Kobach would be in a dead heat at 44 % to 43 % against Bollier with 12 percent undecided.
The poll was conducted between May 17 and 19. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percent.
Bollier’s campaign said the Democrat is a strong candidate regardless of who Republicans choose. Marshall’s campaign said the poll and endorsement show he can ensure Republicans keep their Senate majority.
Kobach rolled out his own endorsement from a competing anti-abortion group, Wichita-based Operation Rescue, an hour before Kansans For Life’s endorsement of Marshall was announced.
“Like Operation Rescue, Kris Kobach is not a puppet of the Establishment,” Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said in a statement. “Kobach never flinches in the face of harsh criticism in the media and not in the face of political pressure from the Establishment.”
Operation Rescue is best known in Kansas for its protests against Wichita physician George Tiller’s abortion clinic before his 2009 murder. Tiller’s murderer Scott Roeder had contacts with Operation Rescue personnel in the lead-up to murder, but the group disavowed and condemned the crime.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Kansans For Life endorses Marshall over Kobach, others in GOP Senate primary."
