Greg Orman’s campaign for Governor has been troubled from the start. WIth polling consistently putting him at 10% or less, the candidate kept his hardened followers up to date by constant Facebook ads and Twitter accounts.
Still the fac that Orman had given up on television weeks ago was a clear sign the campaign knew it was no longer in contention. Today, hours before the candidates are set to enter their last debate, the Orman campaign suffered another blow as campaign treasurer Tim Owens resigned, endorsing Democratic candidate Laura Kelly. From the Kansas City Star:
“I’ve been a friend and colleague to Greg Orman for several years. I supported his run for Senate in 2014 and until today I supported his run for governor. However, this is a critical election for Kansas. We cannot risk the future of our state,” Owens said in a statement released by the Kelly campaign.
“This decision was very difficult for me, but I have to put Kansas first,” he said.
This follows weeks of back and forth as to whether or not Orman would leave the race — which ranged from feelers of what it would take for Kelly to secure Orman’s endorsement. Former campaign staff members, like Justin Kraemer, who was prior in charge of Orman’s field campaign, had signaled a similar leap to Laura Kelly in the past few weeks.
While the campaigns debate tonight, with 1 week to go in the election season, the candidacy of Greg Orman is turning a corner. While campaign members are clearly aware that he is in no position to win, Orman himself took the moment to attack the choice of his treasurer.
Recent polling suggests the race could be VERY tight for the Kansas Governor’s race, with Laura Kelly (D) and Kris Kobach (R) locked in a tight battle for the Governor’s mansion.
Candidates for Governor will debate tonight in Wichita at 6PM Central Time.