The news that Sen. Pat Roberts will not seek re-election has got political pundits already positing viable candidates for the 2020 election. After all, its only 660 days away, give or take.
For Republicans, the field is wide and deep.
If job security is on his mind, Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, would quickly rise to the top of the list. Pompeo skyrocketed from a little-known congressman to a household name when President Trump appointed him first as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and then as Secretary of State to replace ousted Rex Tillerson in March of 2018.
Other headliners include outgoing Gov. Jeff Colyer, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Congressman Kevin Yoder, all of whom fell victim in their 2018 campaigns.
Second-tier candidates could include Derek Schmidt, Kansas Attorney General, and Rep. Roger Marshall who followed Pompeo in the 2nd Congressional District.
All of these candidates would promise to represent Kansas deep conservative roots.
BUT IS THAT a picture of todays Kansas?
The election of Democrat Laura Kelly for governor proved the political landscape is shifting, albeit slightly. Had Kelly won against a more moderate candidate than Kobach, her victory would have been more telling.
And the outcomes of other races ensured Kansas is still in the grip of conservative Republicans, none more so than the victory of political neophyte Steve Watkins over veteran Democrat Paul Davis for the 2nd Congressional race.
The best hope for Kansas Democrats for the 2020 election is that in the interim the Kelly administration will demonstrate her policies are taking the state in a better direction.
AS FOR the Senate race, the issues that concern Kansans will continue to be agriculture, trade, immigration reform, healthcare and, to be frank, their pocketbooks.
Too many Kansans are living on the edge because of healthcare costs, international tariffs that have sabotaged profits, debt incurred by college loans, and wages that havent kept pace with inflation over the past 10 years.
The United States needs comprehensive immigration reform that secures its borders, helps grow the economy and provides an earned path to citizenship.
For farmers, such a policy ensures a reliable workforce to help harvest crops and tend to production.
In return, those who are undocumented deserve protections and a path to citizenship.
Immigration reform should also encompass a path to citizenship for Dreamers, those brought to the United States as children and know no other place as home. They are Americans in every way, save for a piece of paper.
The counterproductive trade war between the United States and primarily China is a proven disaster for farmers because of the sky-high tariffs.
Instead of lowering our trade deficit with China, the increased tariffs have put it at an all-time high, according to Goldman Sachs, due to sharply declining exports and the inching up of imports.
