Tea Party Express backs Pat Roberts

Eight months later, Sen. Pat Roberts and the Tea Party Express are traveling the same road.

The California-based tea party group, best known for its national bus tours in support of conservative Republican candidates, endorsed Roberts’ re-election bid on Monday.

In February, the group had been critical of the senator and endorsed his Republican primary opponent, Johnson County physician Milton Wolf.

In a news conference Monday punctuated with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer for a Roberts victory, the Tea Party Express threw its support behind the senator, who spoke briefly at the event.

Roberts reprised his campaign themes that opponent Greg Orman is a natural Democrat masquerading as an independent and that an Orman victory could deny Republicans control of the Senate.

In some election scenarios, an Orman victory could put him in the position of deciding whether the Senate continues under Democratic control or swings to join the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

“This election will determine the direction of our republic,” Roberts said.

Orman has not committed to caucusing with either party, saying that he would join with the Senate majority if there is one and, in case of a tie, caucus with whichever party shows the most interest in bipartisan cooperation in solving the nation’s problems.

After Monday’s tea party event, the Orman campaign issued a statement saying that it shows Roberts is uniting with the right wing of the Republican Party in an effort to keep his job.

“Embracing extremist politicians like Ted Cruz, who led the job-killing government shutdown last fall; Sarah Palin, and the Tea Party Express is just more evidence that Sen. Roberts is part of a broken political system,” said Orman campaign manager Jim Jonas.

Against Wolf, Roberts survived a bruising Republican primary dominated by two issues, neither of which had much to do with Senate business.

Wolf pounded the long-serving senator for not retaining a personal residence in Kansas, instead renting a room from a campaign supporter in Dodge City when he was in the state.

The Roberts campaign blasted Wolf for past Facebook posts he had made of gunshot victims’ X-rays, with gallows humor commentaries attached.

Taylor Budowich, executive director of the Tea Party Express, downplayed the group’s pivot from Wolf to Roberts, saying it represented Kansas Republican voters who had chosen Roberts, not Wolf, as their party’s nominee.

“We supported Milton Wolf in the primary; unfortunately, we were unsuccessful,” Budowich said. “Our goal is to take back the Senate (for the Republican Party).”

About 40 people attended the news conference, and most were enthusiastic Roberts supporters. But some still nursed bruised feelings over the Wolf Facebook issue.

Ollie Angell held Roberts and Wolf bumper stickers while listening to the speeches. He and his wife, Lois, said they would probably vote “reluctantly” for the senator.

Ollie Angell said Wolf is facing a state medical board complaint over the X-ray issue and that state Republicans have left Wolf “swinging in the breeze.”

He said he wants both Roberts and Gov. Sam Brownback to issue statements in support of Wolf “to try to repair some of the damage” to Wolf’s reputation.

This story was originally published October 13, 2014 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Tea Party Express backs Pat Roberts ."