A former U.S. Attorney for Kansas is hoping to ride a recent wave of Democratic Party success, should he choose to throw his hat in the ring for a potential U.S. Senate bid.
Barry Grissom, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Barack Obama, attended an Allen County Democratic Party meeting in Humboldt on Monday night to find out how he could best serve residents in southeast Kansas if he were elected to the U.S. Senate.
Grissom has a steep hill to climb. A Democrat has not been nominated to the U.S. Senate in Kansas since 1932. Democrats feel the tides are changing in the state riding a wave of momentum from victories by Governor Laura Kelly and Congresswoman Sharice Davids last November with current U.S. Senator Pat Roberts opting not to run for another term.
Many Democrats believe Grissom has a good chance to win should he run for the position.
We have not officially announced yet, but we are getting lots of support from lots of people, Grissom said.
The Allen County Democratic Party is experiencing a revival of sorts. Mike Bruner of Humboldt revived the group around two years ago after it closed its doors in 2010. Bruner estimates membership started to decrease in 2007 and 2008, and took a big hit in the 90s as well.
The 90s were tough. But the ultra-conservatives just got so strong when this shut down. A lot of people think it was abortion and guns that started that, but it was really gay marriage, Bruner said.
Bruner said when he tried to find the party a few years ago, he discovered they no longer met.
Well, I found out that most of them had died. There are still a few former members around, but most of the original members are gone, he said.
Mondays event drew a crowd of 15.
And Grissom wanted to hear the audiences concerns, which varied greatly by age group.
Iola High School student Allie Utley wanted schools to be a safeplace for the LGBTQ community, with workplaces that did not discriminate.
Mark Pringle, of Yates Center, was concerned how tariffs were impacting farmers.
Grissom said the problem with tariffs on soybeans could take generations to repair, with buyers finding other sources for their needs.
The national news takes the human element out of the story. When they discuss the impact that tariffs are having on farmers, its just a 15 second clip on the TV screen. This affects real people, these are real lives that are being affected here. This is how farmers make their living, he said.
Grissoms message was simple. He wants bipartisanship. If there is a good idea from either the Democrats or the Republicans, he said he wants people to rally behind that idea.
