Former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS), a political trailblazer who represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate from 1978 to 1997, announced Tuesday that she would support the Democratic candidate for governor in this year’s elections, Laura Kelly, while criticizing the Republican nominee, Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
“I’m a Republican, but that doesn’t mean you walk lock step always with the party,” Kassebaum said, per The Kansas City Star. “It seems to me that Kobach has developed a record that shows a focus on ways and how to accomplish his end goals that I think are not the best for Kansas.” Dozens other high-ranking Kansas Republicans in the state have backed Kelly, including the state’s former Gov. Bill Graves and former senator and Lt. Gov. Sheila Frahm.