Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays, made news for his indecision about whether to run for governor earlier in the decade. But he’s leaving no doubt about his ambitions now, by filing paperwork needed to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Sam Brownback in 2010. As if his popularity and record weren’t enough to intimidate other potential candidates, the $2.4 million that Moran has amassed in his House campaign account ought to do it. Especially in the wake of Sen. Pat Roberts’ drubbing of Jim Slattery last week (60 to 36 percent), it’s hard to imagine a Kansas Democrat being competitive in a Senate race against Moran. The strongest of them all, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, has weakened her crossover appeal with her aggressive opposition to the Holcomb coal-fired plants and her highly partisan stumping for Barack Obama. And the Roberts-Slattery contest obviously didn’t reverse the curse – Kansas’ 70-year record of sending only Republicans to the U.S. Senate. But it sounded Friday as if a challenge to Moran could come from his right: “I can guarantee there will be others who will get into this race,” said Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, also suggesting that Kansans would rather not have two senators from the same congressional district.
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