Then there is Kansas where incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts is facing the most competitive race he’s had in years. Of course, Democrats didn’t even nominate a candidate against him in 2002. This year’s nominee is lobbyist and former Rep. Jim Slattery. Slattery gave up his House seat in 1994 to make an unsuccessful bid for Governor. Since then, he has worked in Washington at Wiley Rein.
Slattery is running an aggressive campaign, but any hope that Democrats may have harbored that Roberts would run a weak race has been dashed by the incumbent’s equally aggressive response to his challenger. Slattery’s biggest drawback is the nearly 15 years he has spent as a lobbyist. As Democratic media consultant Karl Struble put it to the Kansas City Star, "'Lobbyist' is probably next to 'ax murderer' when it comes to who you want representing you in Washington." The Democrat’s other challenge is building his name recognition, something he is working to do through television advertising.
Although Roberts has spent the last 40 years on Capitol Hill as a staffer and member of
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