Presidential Republican party nominations haven’t historically hinged on Kansas voters. That might not be the case this time around with a competitive national race and no clear winner in sight.
None of the four candidates in the race has anywhere near the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the nomination — former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leads with 111. But former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum now leads in recent polls.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul has vowed to stay in the race until the party’s August national convention in Tampa, making for a very interesting Kansas Caucus, said Clay Baker, executive director of the Kansas GOP.
Of the 41 states still awaiting caucuses and primaries, 13 will cast ballots between now and Kansas’ March 10 GOP caucuses.
“Last time, in 2008, the race was pretty much decided on Super Tuesday,” he said. “This time, our feeling is that the race will still be competitive.”
If predictions hold true, it will be the first Republican Primary election in which Kansans have a say in the party’s nominee since 1988 when the state was third to pick a presidential hopeful. That year, 99 percent of Kansas Republicans voted for U.S. Sen. Bob Dole.
But close competition doesn’t necessarily equate to high voter turnout; and a caucus process rather than a typical primary election can drag participation levels down even further, Baker said.
“We really don’t know about the turnout. Publicity is hard because people don’t really know what a caucus is,” he said. “People have odd ideas about them.”
In presidential campaigns, a caucus is a system of local meetings where voters decide which candidate to support. A primary is a statewide voting process where voters cast secret ballots for their preferred candidates.
The only stipulation to participating in one of the 98 caucuses statewide — Allen Countians will caucus at Parsons Municipal Auditorium at 10 a.m. — is being a registered Republican. The last day to register in time for the March 10 caucus is Friday.
Unlike many other caucus states, Kansas delegates are obligated to proportionally reflect the popular vote.
By law, the top echelon of the Republican Party must support the candidate with the most votes on caucus day. Twenty-five delegates are awarded to candidates based on vote proportions within the state and four delegates are bound to the popular vote within each of Kansas’ four Congressional districts.
“The fun is watching the process and how everything plays out,” said Jim Talkington, an Allen County Republican.
Despite the party’s inability to agree on a candidate to take on President Barack Obama in November, Talkington said he expects Santorum to do well in Kansas.
