With Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s unoffically-official drop-out from the Kansas Senate campaign, some in the race are ready to plow forward.
State Treasurer Jake LaTurner became the rabbit of the race.
Dave Lindstrom knew he had to get his name out.
Kris Kobach took the don’t-look-back dive.
And then State Senate President Susan Wagle made her decision — after a call to Pompeo.
Will Rep. Roger Marshall be far behind?
But, following up on the clean table comment, The Wall Street Journal’s Lindsay Wise seems to think the table is still set for Pompeo.
She goes back to Pompeo’s actions, rather than words:
“…a speech at the Missouri-Kansas Forum breakfast in February, an official State Department visit to Kansas in March, his planned trip to Kansas in August, and the July 22 meeting in Orlando, where Mr. Pompeo took photos and shook hands with 50 members of the Kansas Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.”
And she points to the recent visit to the Kansas Society Annual Banquet in Washington, the first time in two years. There, Pompeo told a story of a black-ops mission to Africa as CIA Director, where he was greeted by Navy Seals with, “Rock Chalk”. (Which brought down the house at the dinner.)
But does all of this indicate that Pompeo is just keeping his powder dry for a grand entrance.
Or is it just to keep some real competitors at bay?
Pompeo clearly didn’t tell Wagle, or likely others, that they should wait for him. Or that he’s likely to jump in.
Unless…
Unless?
Well, for one, Unless Kathleen Sebelius should change her mind. Sebelius would be a game-changer in the race, and one that could tip the balance on a Pompeo decision.
Sebelius versus Kris Kobach?
Think Mitch McConnell would risk that?
Heck, he might draft a treaty to force Pompeo into the race.
Or, how about if Pompeo got a pink slip from his never-know-WHAT-he’s-gonna-Tweet boss? That would be an awful long time to stay out of the limelight for a future gig.
So Pompeo is likely keeping his options open — but likely only for the right circumstances. It doesn’t seem likely that he would make Kansas Republicans start raising money and campaigning only to head-fake them with a long-planned run of his own.
And as long as the Democrat bench is a bunch of unknowns — or if a Kobach victory is not immediately imminent — Pompeo will likely stay on the sidelines as the local-guy-made-it-big in Foggy Bottom.
Biding his time for the next big thing…
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