578,768 215,270 Start date November 2, 2010 | 70.3% 26.2% | |
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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 Republican U.S. Senator Sam Brownback decided to retire to run for Governor of Kansas, instead of seeking a third term. Republican nominee Jerry Moran won the open seat.
Contents
Background
Sam Brownback was first elected to the Senate in 1996, replacing Bob Dole, who resigned to run for President. Brownback has 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.
Candidates
Candidates
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 2006-2008, 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.
Major
Minor
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.