Republican establishment scores big upset in Kansas GOP primary

Rep. Tim Huelskamp is unseated by GOP primary challenger

(Image credit: AP/YouTube)

published 3 August 2016

The 2016 election is being billed as an election that favors outsiders and mavericks, thanks largely to the success of Republican Donald Trump and much-better-than-expected showing of Sen. Bernie Sanders. But in Tuesday primaries in Kansas, the moderate and establishment Republicans won the day, defeating a slew of conservative hardliners in the state legislature and in the primary race of three-term Tea Party insurgent Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R). Huelskamp, a member of the House Freedom Caucus and leader of the Tea Party Caucus, was unseated Tuesday night by challenger Roger Marshall, an obstetrician supported by agricultural and business interests. Huelskamp was backed by Club for Growth.

The seat, in the state's First Congressional District, is considered safely Republican, and Democrats aren't even running a candidate this year. Analysts said the unseating of Huelskamp may not indicate that the anti-establishment moment in Republican politics is over, since moderates won across Kansas, where conservative Gov. Sam Brownback is deeply unpopular, and Huelskamp had to answer for getting kicked off the House Agricultural Committee by former House Speaker John Boehner, with whom Huelskamp frequently clashed. "Getting kicked off the Agriculture Committee is a crime that can't be forgiven," Brian Scheideman, a 52-year-old drivers ed instructor, told The Associated Press. "I don't mind the independent voice, but you've got to figure out how to work with people." You can learn more in the Associated Press video below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.