Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Monday to inform him that he would not run for Senate in Kansas this year, a person close to Pompeo confirmed to POLITICO.

Pompeo, a former congressman from Kansas, had been heavily recruited by GOP leaders to run for retiring Sen. Pat Roberts' seat amid concerns that a fractured GOP primary field could put the seat in jeopardy. Pompeo's decision Monday was first reported by The New York Times.

The decision comes days after the U.S. air strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian military leader. The person close to Pompeo attributed the decision to the recent developments in Iran.

Pompeo could potentially change his mind down the road: The filing deadline for the Senate seat is June 1, and the primary is in August.

If Pompeo sticks by his decision not to run, Republicans face a competitive and fractured primary field. Some GOP officials worry that Kris Kobach, the controversial Republican who lost the state's 2018 gubernatorial race, could put the seat in jeopardy if he emerges as the nominee.

Private Republican polling has shown Kobach to be formidable in the primary. He is running in the GOP field against Rep. Roger Marshall and Susan Wagle, the state Senate president, among other candidates.

Democrats have rallied behind state Sen. Barbara Bollier, a former Republican who switched parties a year ago and has earned endorsements from a number of Democratic officials in Washington and in Kansas.


Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine