Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said that a race to represent his home state of Kansas in the Senate is "not something that I want to do," even though he admitted his life has taken many turns that someone would not have expected.
"I want to stay here and continue to perform the mission that I'm serving President [Donald] Trump, and I hope [to be] doing a good turn for the American people as well," Pompeo told Fox News' "Fox and Friends."
He added that he and his wife Susan love Kansas, as it is home and where their family and friends are, but it's still his intention to continue to serve as Trump's secretary of state.
"I've said that consistently," said Pompeo. "I intend to keep saying it. As long as President Trump wants me to serve in this capacity, there's still work to do."
After Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., announced he was not seeking reelection, Pompeo's name has come up as a potential replacement. Before he joined the Trump cabinet in early 2017, Pompeo had served as a Kansas congressman.
Last month, reports indicated that the relationship between Trump and Pompeo had become strained during the impeachment inquiry because of the number of State Department officials who had testified.
During a call-in interview on Fox News, Trump left the door open for a potential Pompeo race, commenting that the secretary "came to me and said 'Look, I'd rather stay where I am,' but he loves Kansas, he loves the people of Kansas."
However, if Pompeo thought there is a chance Republicans would lose the seat, Trump said, "I think he would do that and he would win in a landslide because they love him in Kansas."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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