Posted on 09/12/2007 7:27:55 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
Former six-term Kansas congressman Jim Slattery is considering a run for U.S. Senate next year against incumbent Republican Pat Roberts.
Slattery, 59, said he had no timetable for a decision but added, “You can’t let these kinds of things drag on indefinitely.”
No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate race in Kansas since 1932.
A spokesman for Roberts was skeptical, noting that Slattery has worked in recent years as a Washington lobbyist.
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
This is surprising news, as Slattery seems to be yesterday’s news.
Pat Roberts isn’t as overwhelmingly popular as he was expected to be, but he’s still a solid favorite. Should he actually run, Slattery would only have an outside chance.
Pat Roberts would be strongly favored, but Chuck Schumer doesn’t need to defeat Roberts to win. The DSCC had 4x as much money as the NRSC at the end of June and is only defending a fraction of the seats the GOP is. So all Schumer has to do is drop a million or two into Kansas and suddenly the GOP is spending money it doesn’t have in Kansas instead of New Hampshire, Louisana or Colorado.
That is a possible senario. And perhaps Slattery retains some of his former fundraising savvy.
Pat Roberts' overwhelming popularity is the reason why marginal candidates like Slattery are the only ones declaring. The big Democrat dogs don't want to take Roberts on. They're waiting for 2010 when Brownback's seat is open.
Slattery will get you nowhere.
(somebody had to say it)
If by fundraising savvy you mean he can still open his wallet, you're right. Slattery has been top lobbyist at Wiley Rein for something like 13 years now. The average Wiley Rein partner earns $4.4 million per year; Slattery as head of their government relations practice is hardly an average partner - my guess is he makes many times that. If he poured even just $2 or $3 million into the race, he could really make Pat Roberts sweat. My guess is $2 or $3 million is a few months' salary to him.
And you are correct when you say it will be open. At this point, Brownback better win the presidential race, because he couldn't be elected dog catcher in his home state.
Brownback has said he's limiting himself to two full terms. I'm assuming he's as good as his word.
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