Former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday she doesn’t plan to race to endorse anyone in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
“I am not even sure who all is running on the Democratic side,” Sebelius said in an interview. “I am watching with great interest, but don’t plan to make any early endorsements.”
A Sebelius endorsement, along with an Emily’s List decision, will be watched closely as the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate plays out.
Her backing has the potential to swing support to a candidate, similar to how her support led to Laura Kelly prevailing decisively in last year’s Democratic primary for governor and then winning the general election.
“Gov. Sebelius retains a strong base of support among Kansas Democratic Party activists, fundraisers and opinion leaders,” said Howard Bauleke, former chief of staff to former Democratic Congressman Dennis Moore.
“Additionally, she has a strong relationship with Emily’s List, whose endorsement would also bring national financial support and stature to any Senate candidate,” Bauleke said.
“Other national groups with the potential to take an interest in a Kansas Senate race, like organized labor and socially progressive political groups, would also take a Sebelius Senate endorsement as an important signal,” he said.
Emily’s List has been watching the race but has not made any endorsement.
Sebelius noted that the deadline for filing to run for the Senate isn’t until next June, giving potential candidates plenty of time to make a decision.
“In a lot of states by year’s end, candidates have to figure out what exactly they’re doing. That isn’t the case in Kansas. I think it’s appropriate,” Sebelius said. “I think there are lots of people taking a look at it, which is a good thing.”
Sebelius pointed to Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids as an inspiration for anyone who might be considering a Senate race.
Davids was little known last year when she announced her candidacy and later emerged from a packed field to win the Democratic primary. Three months later upset Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder.
“I think that kind of example has probably given a number of people encouragement.”
Sebelius said she has a bias in favor of women when asked if a female candidate has a better chance of winning in 2020.
She notes that women have historically enjoyed success running for statewide office in Kansas, among them former Republican U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum.
“It has to be the right woman candidate, but I think voters see women…as less tied to special interests,” she said. “They see women as more independent, and they see that as a good characteristic.”
But it still has to be the “right” candidate, she said.
“I think gender matters less than the quality of the candidate, the experience, whether or not he or she can connect,” the former governor said.
All things being equal, Sebelius said she would give the edge to a woman.
“There’s something to say that women do have a bit of an edge with Kansas voters,” she said. “There certainly has been a good experience in Kansas of having Nancy Kassebaum as a role model as a wonderful United States senator, who was really beloved by both parties.”
Asked about the controversy that enveloped Grissom over federal prosecutors listening in on conversations between attorneys and their clients, Sebelius said she wasn’t sure how it would impact Grissom’s candidacy over the long haul.
“I think that’s a very serious issue that certainly took place during his tenure. We will see if he’s hurt by it or not in terms of how voters react to those accusations,” she said.
“It’s always difficult — I know this very personally — to be in a leadership position when something goes very wrong,” said Sebelius, who was the secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when the Affordable Care Act got off to a rocky start.
“You are basically held accountable for what goes on in your office,” she said. “We’ll see how much that matters to voters. I don’t know at this point.”
Last month, a federal judge found that the U.S. attorney’s office improperly listened to recorded conversations between inmates and their attorneys.
Judge Julie Robinson held the U.S. attorney’s office in contempt for refusing to comply with her orders to preserve evidence and turn over documents to a court-appointed investigator looking into how prosecutors used video and phone recordings made at the detention center in Leavenworth.
Grissom has distanced himself from the prosecutors in the office and condemned the improper action cited in the ruling.
Grissom’s campaign said the actions that led to the contempt order began in 2017, well after he left the office in 2016.
Sebelius conceded it was a “longshot” for a Democrat to win the Senate seat, noting that a Democrat hasn’t been elected to the U.S. Senate in Kansas since 1932.
But she sees changes in the state’s political mood, especially with Kelly’s election as governor and Davids’ election to Congress in the Kansas 3rd District.
Add to that the defeat of some conservative legislators in 2016 that led to former Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax cuts being reversed and Sebelius is optimistic about the future.
“I think there is an open mood in Kansas if we have the right candidate,” she said. “If there is the right kind of campaign, we have a shot.”
She notes that voter turnout surged in Kansas last year, when voters were energized by Kelly’s campaign for governor and Davids’ campaign for Congress.
“I think that momentum is very helpful,” she said. “We just need to keep it going.”
Sebelius’ name has been floated as a possible candidate in some circles. When asked if she would run for the Senate, Sebelius said she wouldn’t keep it a secret.
“I would tell you if I were running,” she said.
