Barbara Bollier is a centrist, but a better candidate than the same old regurgitated Republican campaign of Roger Marshall

By SJ Otto

Barbara Bollier is a centrist Democrat running for a USsenate seat formerly held by

Republican Pat Roberts. Roger Marshall, her opponent, won a Republican primary contest where all the candidates bragged of being hard core conservatives. All of them chanted the mantra: “Pro God, Pro Gun, Pro life.” The Republicans all gave us the choice between ultra conservative policies and Uh…. ultra conservative policies.

Normally I don’t endorse centrist Democrats. They tend to work against us. But Bollier is running against an ultra rightist and many of us have had enough of such dogged political redundancy. This simple fact is that we could us some change, even if it is just moderate change. 

Also, according to Morning Consult, Bollier actually has a chance of winning that seat. That publication said:

“But Marshall’s Democratic opponent, state Sen. Barbara Bollier, a physician and former Republican who switched parties in 2018, said they shouldn’t be so sure. The primary’s outcome, she argues, is irrelevant to her chances of becoming the first Senate Democrat to represent the SunflowerState since 1939. 

In a Tuesday interview before results came in, Bollier shook off the notion that Kelly’s victory was more the result of Kobach’s weaknesses than the governor’s strengths, and cast her candidacy as an extension of Kelly’s. Bollier is running against what she described as a Republican Party that is as ideologically extreme as Sam Brownback, the state’s unpopular former governor, and as boorish as President Donald Trump.”

Morning Consult also said that Trump is very popular in Kansas. The publication said that Trump has a lead of 12 percentage points in the state. So seeing any Democrat take the Senate seat could be an overall advantage in a state that is glued to the ultra right policies of the Republican Party and supporting one of the most rightwing and repulsive presidents ever.

Usually we only endorse progressives. But a win for Bollier would be a kick in the pants for a state that is dominated by the most regressive elements of USpolicy.

It is still too early to know if Bollier can win. In one of the last Senate elections, 2014, polls showed the ultra right Republican candidate being behind Independent Greg Orman. The Democratic nominee, Chad Taylor, withdrew from the race so that Orman had a chance to win. Taylorfigured he had no chance of winning. Orman stayed ahead in the polls, but the Republicans pulled out all their dirty tricks and they won.

So we can’t be sure of a win, even if Bollier stays ahead in the polls. The Republicans here in Kansasare full of dirty tricks and they love to use lies and miss leading ads to miss lead the voting public here. 

Just recently Republicans ran ads portraying Bollier as a radical leftist despite her campaigns in which she has focused on Republicans voting for her and portraying herself as a centrist—in the middle. For example “Anti-Barbara Bollier Web Ad #1 - 2020 Kansas USSenate NRSC PAC, September 3 - "Say No to the Mob."

Here we see Republicans using the same old lies, that all Democrats are the same, they are far to the left and they encourage rioting. This ad is full of bold face lies. It has nothing to do with Bollier. It is all ridiculous

So we will endorse a centrist here in Kansas. There really were no serious campaigns to put up a progressive in this race. And it is doubtful that a progressive could actually win this race.