Rep. Roger Marshall launches Kansas Senate bid

Rep. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) on Saturday officially announced his bid to replace retiring Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), joining a crowded GOP race.

Marshall, a two-term congressman, declared his candidacy at the Kansas State Fair following months of speculation that he would join the primary field.

“I’m running to protect our way of life in Kansas — our values, our jobs, our children, our farms, our ranches, our dairies,” he said during his announcement.{mosads}

“You can tell what kind of senator I’ll be from the kind of Kansan I’ve been. I grew up here in Kansas, served my country and then served my community by having the honor of performing the most humbling act of all, bringing human life into the world most every day for over 25 years,” he said.

“Everything I needed to know I learned right here in Kansas. It’s my Kansas roots and my faith, my family and my community that has guided my entire life and guides me today. I answered the call to serve Kansans in the Big First, and now I want to answer that call again to serve all Kansans across this great state.”

Marshall joins former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, former Kansas City Chiefs player Dave Lindstrom, conservative commentator Bryan Pruitt and President of the Kansas Senate Susan Wagle in the race for the Republican nomination.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also traveled to the state this week and gave a series of interviews to local media outlets, though he has not indicated whether he might enter the primary as well despite the urging of Senate GOP leaders.

“I hear all the speculation. There’s a lot of people thinking about my future a lot more than I am,” he said in one local interview. “I spend my days focused on delivering American foreign policy around the world, every hour, every day. That’s what I’m doing. I never vary from that.”