Moran
Roberts
TOPEKA — Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts officially endorsed his old friend Jerry Moran in the race to fill Kansas’ other Senate seat Monday.
“We need Jerry Moran in the U.S. Senate to help us stand up and fight,” Roberts said during a joint appearance with Moran in the Kansas Senate chambers. “I’m going to be proud to serve the people of Kansas side-by-side with Jerry.”
Moran, of Hays, beat U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt, a Goddard Republican, to win the GOP nomination earlier this month after a bitter primary battle. He faces Democrat Lisa Johnston, Libertarian Michael William Dann and Reform Party candidate Joe Bellis in the Nov. 2 election. The winner will succeed Sam Brownback, who is leaving the Senate to run for governor.
Roberts’ endorsement is hardly a shocker. But Moran said he was delighted to have the support of a man he called a “long-time mentor.” The two men first met 36 years ago.
“I’ve never calculated how many votes Pat is worth,” he said of the endorsement, before casting a glance at Roberts. “But in his presence, I would tell you millions.”
