Mike Pompeo No More Interested In Senate From Kansas In 2020

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said that he has “ruled out” running for the open Kansas Senate seat in 2020. “It’s ruled out. I’m here. I’m loving it,” Pompeo said Thursday during an interview. The seat is being vacated by retiring Sen. Pat Roberts. Pompeo added that he will serve as secretary of state as long as Trump will allow him. “It’s ruled out,” he said of a possible bid. “I’m here, I’m loving it.”

Last month, it was reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell personally urged Pompeo to run for a seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. Pompeo had since met with the retiring senator.

When asked if the U.S. was considering an official end to the war with North Korea, or scaling back the number of troops stationed on the peninsula, Pompeo responded that he didn’t “want to get into the negotiations” before the meeting took place. He said he was optimistic that progress could be made at the summit towards the objective of a complete denuclearization.

“That’s what we need to get for the American people. To keep the American people safe, we have to reduce the threat from a nuclear armed North Korea. And then in turn, we can work on peace and security on the peninsula and a brighter future for the North Korean people,” he said.

The Kansas seat will open with the planned retirement of fellow Republican Pat Roberts. Pompeo earlier met with Republican political strategist Ward Baker and spoke by phone with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell about the possibility of tossing his hat in the ring, according to a person familiar with his actions who requested not to be identified.

Pompeo represented the Wichita area in the House of Representatives for six years before becoming Trump’s CIA director in 2017. He has been secretary of State since April.