Keep Kansas Great Bus Tour makes stop in Concordia

United States Congressman Roger Marshall, who represents the First District in Kansas and is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate, and Tracey Mann, who is seeking to replace Marshall in the House of Representatives, made a stop at the Broadway Plaza in Concordia on Monday as part of the Kansas Republican Party’s Keep Kansas Great bus tour.
Marshall is looking to fill the seat in the Senate that is being vacated with the retirement of Pat Roberts. He is being challenged by Democratic Kansas State Senator Barbara Bollier.
“I am running for the Senate to make sure my kids and grandkids, your kids and grandkids have the same shot at the American dream that I have had as well,” Marshall said. “But I am also running to keep your family safe, healthy and secure.”
In an effort to help keep the American people healthy, Marshall said that he has been working every day since January to make sure there are COVID-19 vaccines being developed, as well as therapeutics to treat the virus.
“I was sitting down with private companies, with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) in early February saying this is going to be really bad and we have got to get to work. ‘What can I do to put wind beneath your sails to get more testing equipment, to get more PPE out and get these other things that we need?,’ Marshall said, “and I want to give you the message of hope. I do believe we are going to have a vaccine for the vulnerable by Thanksgiving time and a vaccine for the rest of us who want to take it, that is a decision between you and your doctor, come January. In the meantime, we are going to be taking care of the vulnerable.”
Marshall said he will also work to bring jobs to Kansas.
“There are things we are doing and things we are going to do,” Marshall said. “I think about agriculture, and the importance of agriculture to Cloud County. Number one is we are going to keep rolling back our regulations. We want safe, reasonable regulations.”
Marshall, who serves on the House agriculture committee, said that he and Mann are committed to writing a strong new farm bill.
“We are going to write another strong farm bill to make sure we take care of crop insurance, and make sure we have good Title I funding and flexibility,” Marshall said, “but there are also a lot of dollars in the farm bill for rural economic development. Things like telemedicine and high speed internet. And we are continuing to make those improvements as well. Bringing grants to Kansas to help improve those connections so we can do precision agriculture. So our financial services, all our programs can function with great speed and efficiency.”
Mann served as lieutenant governor of Kansas in 2018. He previously ran for the First District seat in 2010.
Democrat Kali Barnett, an elementary school teacher from Garden City, is running against Mann.
Mann said that America is at a crossroads, and that this election matters.
“We say that every election it seems, and I reserve the right to say it again at the next election if we are still at a crossroads or there is a different crossroads,” Mann said. “This is the first time I can remember where it felt like so many people were routing against America and so many people were trying to fundamentally change this great nation that our founding fathers have given to us, and many before us have died trying to protect.”
Others speaking during the event included Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, former  Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer, Kansas Senator from the 36th District Elaine Bowers and Kansas Representative from the 107th District Susan Concannon.