Elections

Republicans Line Up To Replace Pompeo After CIA Appointment

Rep. Mike Pompeo. Handout/U.S. House of Representatives

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Phillip Stucky Political Reporter
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Lawmakers will soon decide whether or not to make Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo director of the CIA, according to reports.

Pompeo is widely expected to be confirmed by the next session of the Senate sometime in January or February, reports The Wichita Eagle. Once Pompeo officially resigns, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has exactly five days to announce the date of the special election, but the election date must be at least 45 days after Pompeo’s resignation, and not more than 60 days past.

Pompeo has a solid election history, winning the 4th Congressional District every two years since 2010, starting with 58.8 percent of the vote. Pompeo earned 61 percent in the 2016 congressional race.

Pompeo currently is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi.

There’s a long list of state Republicans who express an interest in the role of intelligence chief, including Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes, Alan Cobb, Wichita City Council Member Pete Meitzner, State Sen. Michael O’Donnell, State Sen. President Susan Wagle, as well as State Sen. Ty Masterson.

Two Democrat candidates are in a good position to run, and both are former Pompeo challengers. Dan Giroux and Robert Tillman are both names floated by The Wichita Eagle as potential challengers for replacing Pomepeo.

Estes, Republican, currently serves as Kansas state treasurer since 2011. Estes won the 2010 election with 58.5 percent of the vote, and won again in 2014 with 67.5 percent of the vote. Estes served as treasurer Sedgwick County for six years. “I’ve been encouraged by many constituents across Kansas to consider running if there is a vacancy, and I feel I owe it to them to consider doing so,” Estes said of a potential run, according to the Eagle.

Cobb worked as a director for coalitions under President-elect Trump’s campaign, and worked as a lobbyist in the state legislature for Koch Industries as well as Americans For Prosperity. Cobb may be on an inside track since he worked as a senior advisor to Pompeo’s 2014 campaign.

“His knowledge of Kansas politics, his longstanding relationships in our community, his vast campaign experience here in Kansas, and our shared commitment to limited government and the expansion of freedom will all prove valuable,” Pompeo said of Cobb in May of 2014.

Meitzner — a member of the Wichita City Council since 2011 — earned 75 percent of the vote in the 2015 election. Meitzner is due to run again for his seat in 2018, and could potentially pursue higher office.

Meitzner told the Eagle that he is “kicking the tires” on a potential congressional bid and has been asked by supporters to run.

The other three top Republican contenders are all members of the Kansas state Senate, but Susan Wagle is by far the highest ranking member considering a move for Pompeo’s seat. Wagle chairs the influential Legislative Coordinating Council, as well as the Interstate Cooperation Committee, and serves as the vice chair to the Commerce Committee.

Wagle — a state senator since 2001 — recently won her re-election bid in 2016 with 59 percent of the vote, according to the New York Times. With a fresh six-year term, it is likely Wagle will remain in her powerful position at the state level.

“My focus right now is continuing to serve as President of the Kansas Senate,” Wagle said in an official press conference last week.

O’Donnell is perhaps the youngest entry on this list, and the young senator didn’t seek re-election. Winning his seat by just under 300 votes in a very tight race, O’Donnell previously served as vice chair of the Public Health and Welfare Committee.

“I’ve been getting text messages from delegates in the 4th Congressional District asking me if I would run, so that kind of triggered some consideration,” O’Donnell told reporters. He was elected to the Sedgwick County Commission for the 2016 election season.

Masterson didn’t comment on the upcoming special election, but was mentioned by several party leaders as a possible contender, according to the Eagle. Masterson currently chairs the Ways and Means Committee, also holding a position on the Utilities and Confirmation Oversight Committee, and won a fresh six-year term in 2016 — making it unclear if he would actually pursue a position in Congress.

On the Democratic side, the most recent Pompeo challenger also took his name out of the running for the special election, according The Wichita Leader. Giroux announced he didn’t plan to pursue the special election, although he earned 29 percent in the 2016 election.

Tillman lost to Pompeo in 2012, and lost in the Democratic primary to Giroux — earning only 48.5 percent — for the 2016 election season. “I would certainly be interested, yes,” Tillman told the Eagle.

Tillman also earned 32 percent against Pompeo in 2012, a slightly higher number than Giroux obtained in 2016.

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