KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas businessman Bob Hamilton on Monday announced he’s running as a Republican for U.S. Senate.
Hamilton threw his name in the ring to be the Kansas Republican nominee for retiring four-term Sen. Pat Roberts’ seat, the Kansas City Star reported.
Other GOP hopefuls include hardline conservative Kris Kobach, U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, state Senate President Susan Wagle and Dave Lindstrom, a Kansas City-area businessman and retired Kansas City Chiefs player.
Campaign events are on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hamilton cited the economic hit from the virus as one reason he decided to enter the race for U.S. Senate.
“A lot of Kansans are reeling from the job loss and health scare caused by COVID-19,” Hamilton, who owns Bob Hamilton Plumbing, said in his campaign announcement. “My pledge to Kansas, as your next Senator, is to work every day to get our state back on its feet.”
Hamilton Plumbing is based in Johnson County.
Hamilton lives in Miami County.
Marshall’s campaign spokesman told the newspaper in a statement that it “takes a heck of an ego to announce a vanity project in the middle of a pandemic.”
