Kansas Republican Dave Lindstrom responded to maneuvering designed to convince him to quit the U.S. Senate race by proposing Tuesday that the chairman of the state’s Republican Party resign for trying to manipulate outcome of the open primary.
Lindstrom, a former Johnson County commissioner and player for the Kansas City Chiefs, said Kansas Republicans deserved better leadership than offered by state party chairman Mike Kuckelman. The chairman asked Lindstrom and Senate President Susan Wagle to drop out of the Senate campaign last week to help thwart the candidacy of former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Kuckelman’s strategy was to clear space for U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, the 1st District Republican. Without Lindstrom and Wagle on the stage, a path for Marshall to overtake Kobach might be plausible.