Report: Mike Pompeo has decided not to run for Senate in Kansas

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that he has decided not to run for an open Senate seat in Kansas, two people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

Pompeo and McConnell spoke on Monday, with Pompeo sharing that he will stay on at the State Department. Last week, President Trump authorized an airstrike in Baghdad that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, which resulted in Iran vowing revenge. A person close to McConnell told the Post he believes Pompeo is doing "an incredible job" and is "exactly where the country needs him right now."

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) announced last year that he will not seek re-election, and McConnell wanted Pompeo to run for his seat in order to keep it in GOP control, the Post reports. Pompeo had been making frequent trips to Kansas, meeting with Ward Baker, a Republican strategist with close ties to McConnell.

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