Tea Party Express Backs Pat Roberts [View all]

[big_dog]

Source: The Wichita Eagle 10/14/2014 6:34 AM

Eight months later, US Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) and the Tea Party Express are now traveling the same road. The California-based tea party group, best known for its national bus tours in support of conservative Republican candidates, endorsed Roberts’ re-election bid on Monday. In a news conference punctuated with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer for a Roberts victory, the Tea Party Express threw its support behind the senator, who spoke briefly at the event.

Roberts reprised his campaign themes that opponent Greg Orman is a natural Democrat masquerading as an independent and that an Orman victory could deny Republicans control of the Senate. In some election scenarios, an Orman victory could put him in the position of deciding whether the Senate continues under Democratic control or swings to join the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

“This election will determine the direction of our republic,” Roberts said. Orman has not committed to caucusing with either party, saying that he would join with the Senate majority if there is one and, in case of a tie, caucus with whichever party shows the most interest in bipartisan cooperation in solving the nation’s problems.

After Monday’s tea party event, the Orman campaign issued a statement saying that it shows Roberts is uniting with the far right wing of the Republican Party in an effort to keep his job. “Embracing extremist politicians like Ted Cruz, who led the job-killing government shutdown last fall; Sarah Palin, and the Tea Party Express is just more evidence that Sen. Roberts is part of a broken political system,” said Orman campaign manager Jim Jonas.



Read more: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/election/article2704547.html