WASHINGTON (AP) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he wont run for an open Senate seat from Kansas this fall, two people close to McConnell said. Pompeos decision complicates Republicans chances of holding what should be a guaranteed seat in the deep red state as they battle to retain their slim Senate majority in Novembers elections.
The news, disclosed on Monday, came days after the U.S. used an airstrike authorized by President Donald Trump to kill Qassem Soleimani, Irans most powerful general and leader of that countrys elite Quds Force. Iran has vowed revenge on the U.S., spurring an international crisis that makes this an awkward time for Pompeo to leave his post and seek elective office.
Pompeo indicated he will not run in a conversation with McConnell on Monday afternoon, the two people said. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private talk. Others familiar with the matter said Pompeo met with McConnell, R-Ky., on Capitol Hill.