The 2010 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Senator Sam Brownback did not seek a third full term, but instead successfully ran for Governor of Kansas.
Fellow Republican and representative Jerry Moran won the open seat. This was the first open-seat United States Senate election in Kansas for this seat since 1968.
Background
Sam Brownback was first elected to the Senate in 1996, replacing Bob Dole, who resigned to run for President. Brownback stated that he would not run for re-election in 2010 because of self-imposed term limits. Kansas is one of the most Republican states in the nation; no Democrat has been elected to either Senate seat since 1932.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Tom Little, accountant
- Bob Londerholm, former Attorney General of Kansas
- Jerry Moran, U.S. Representative
- Todd Tiahrt, U.S. Representative
Campaign
The retirement of Brownback, a popular U.S. Senator, led to a heavily competitive primary election. Tiahrt, who was on the Committee of Appropriations, had been accused of excessive earmarking while he was in Congress. From 2006 to 2008, Tiahrt had requested and supported a total of 63 solo earmarks, costing $53.9 million. In the same period, Moran had requested and supported a total of 29 earmarks, with a pricetag of $13.4 million.
Endorsements
Moran
Tiahrt
Polling
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Robert Conroy, retired railroad employee
- David Haley, state senator and nominee for Secretary of State in 2002 and 2006
- Lisa Johnston, administrator at Baker University
- Charles Schollenberger, retired communications executive
- Patrick Wiesner, attorney and CPA
Polling
Results
General election
Candidates
Major
- Jerry Moran (R), U.S. Representative (campaign site, PVS Archived September 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, FEC)
- Lisa Johnston (D), Baker University administrator (campaign site, PVS Archived September 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, FEC)
Minor
- Michael Dann (L) (campaign site, PVS Archived September 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine)
- Joe Bellis (RE) (campaign site, PVS)
Campaign
Kansas is a very red state, where no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate election since 1932. After the primary, Moran chose not to release any more negative advertisements. Democrat Lisa Johnston ran a low-profile, quiet race. On election day, she won only two counties: Wyandotte County and Douglas County, while Moran won statewide by a landslide.
Debates
The two never met for a debate.
Predictions
Polling
Fundraising
Results
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Douglas (largest city: Lawrence)
Notes
References
External links
- Kansas Secretary of State - Elections & Legislative
- U.S. Congress candidates for Kansas Archived September 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine at Project Vote Smart
- Kansas U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Campaign contributions from Open Secrets
- 2010 Kansas Senate General Election: Jerry Moran (R) vs Lisa Johnston (D) graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election 2010: Kansas Senate from Rasmussen Reports
- 2010 Kansas Senate Race from CQ Politics
- Race profile from The New York Times
- News coverage from The Midwest Democracy Project at The Kansas City Star
Official candidate sites (Archived)
Debates
- Kansas Senate Republican Primary Debate, C-SPAN, July 6, 2010
- Lisa Johnston for U.S. Senate
- Jerry Moran for U.S. Senate
- Charles Schollenberger for U.S. Senate
- Todd Tiahrt for U.S. Senate
