TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Democratic candidate for the open Kansas U.S. Senate seat, Dr. Barbara Bollier, has set a massive fundraising record. She raised $3.7 million in just one fundraising quarter or three months. That is the most raised by any candidate in a single quarter in Kansas history. According to Bollier, most of the contributions were for $200 or less.
According to political analyst Dr. Bob Beatty, this is huge for Bollier, who left the Republican party in 2019, because she can now focus on running her campaign and putting out TV and radio ads, rather than raising money. Bollier will be on the August primary ballot running against fellow Democrat Robert Tillman. If she wins the primary election, she will move on to the November general election where she will face off against the Republican candidate.
Despite bringing in substantially more than the top four Republican Senate candidates, Kris Kobach, Dr. Roger Marshall, Bob Hamilton, and Dave Lindstrom, combined, Beatty thinks Bollier’s rivals are likely not concerned yet.
“In the fall, the National Republican Party is going to come in and spend a lot of money in Kansas,” explained Beatty. “The National Republicans are going to go crazy trying to keep this seat.”
Beatty added the extra funds Bollier has raised may be necessary for her to fight back against negative ads from the Republican Party if she wins the primary election. But it’s not just the Republicans putting out these ads. A political action committee (PAC) that has previous links to Bernie Sanders, has spent millions on an ad campaign seemingly pushing conservative voters toward Kris Kobach while calling Dr. Roger Marshall a ‘phony politician’.
Beatty said this could be a tactic by the Democratic Party to win Bollier the Senate seat.
“The National Democrats would like to see Kris Kobach win the primary because they feel he is most vulnerable to Barbara Bollier in the fall,” said Beatty.
Dr. Marshall’s campaign manager responded to the ads with the following statement:
Dr. Marshall is being targeted by Democrat super PAC money for one reason: He’s the only Republican who can win in November, and Democrats are terrified of him. They’re so desperate to face Kris Kobach that they’re willing to spend $2 million to meddle in the Republican primary. It’s sad when you rely on Democrats to support your failing campaign, but he did them a favor when he lost the Governor’s face in 2018. Rest assured, Kansas Republicans won’t fall for the political games of Washington Democrats and their super PAC cash.
Eric Pahls, Marshall Campaign Manager
