In results that left many Republicans in Kansas and Washington, D.C., breathless, a just-completed poll from Public Policy Polling showed a tie in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.
In a state that last elected a Democrat for the U.S. Senate in 1932, PPP found Democrat Barbara Bollier and Republican Rep. Roger Marshall tied with 43% each.
Libertarian Jason Buckley had 5%, according to PPP. Some observers say he might be a factor in a "squeaker" contest, noting that Libertarians historically draw more from Republicans than Democrats.
Bollier, a former Republican state senator who switched parties two years ago, has brought over numerous moderate GOPers to her camp. Chief among them is Nancy Landon Kassebaum, the state's only woman U.S. senator and the daughter of former Gov. and 1936 Republican presidential nominee Alf M. Landon.
An unusual side of the Marshall-Bollier contest is that both candidates are physicians. Bollier supports maintenance of the Affordable Care Act and is a sharp critic of President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis. Marshall supports repealing and replacing the ACA and says he gives the president "an A-plus" for dealing with coronavirus.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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