State Sen. Barbara Bollier won the Democratic Senate primary in Kansas on Tuesday, setting her up for a general election campaign in a state that Democrats see as a potential battleground in November.
Bollier, a physician and former Republican, was the heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination. She was by far the best funded candidate in the primary and will enter the general election with a wide financial advantage over her eventual Republican opponent.
Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since the 1930s and President Trump is expected to sail to victory there in November after winning the state by more than 20 points in 2016.
But establishment-aligned Republicans fear that the Senate seat could come into play for Democrats if GOP voters choose former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach as their nominee. Kobach is facing off against the establishment favorite Rep. Roger Marshal (R) and plumbing executive Bob Hamilton in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Kobach is a divisive figure in Republican circles and some in the party fear that many center-right voters could defect in November if he wins the nomination. Polling in the race has been scarce, but what few surveys there are show Bollier narrowly leading Kobach in a head-to-head matchup.
The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, currently rates the Kansas Senate race as lean Republican.